KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Soccsksargen region launched its 12th “One Town, One Product (OTOP)” hub in the region early this week.

At the event on March 18, Regional Director Flora Politud Gabunales, DTI South Cotabato Provincial Director Rictoniel Reginio, and Bigbee 8 Pasalubong & Souvenirs owner Abigail May Garcia signed a memorandum of agreement for the designation and operation of the store as an OTOP hub.

Garcia, a food technologist, said she established Bigbee 8 Pasalubong and Souvenirs in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the objective of providing an outlet for the products of small-scale businesses.

“I have observed that there is limited opportunity for MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) for locations to display their products. So, I offered Bigbee 8 Pasalubong and Souvenirs as an avenue wherein the start-ups could put their products for trial sale,” she said.

Soccsksargen’s newest OTOP hub is located on the ground floor of the Mall of ACE Centerpoint in Koronadal City.

As an OTOP hub, Bigbee 8 will serve as a consolidator of MSME's products. “We want Bigbee to serve as a channel of blessing to the community,” Garcia stated.

Sold at the OTOP hub are food items, accessories, wearables, and other products of selected MSMEs in the province. Buyers will also find South Cotabato’s famed Tnalak and Tnalak-made products such as bags, purses, clothes, and others.

DTI's OTOP program is a stimulus program for MSMEs as part of the government's intervention to drive inclusive local economic growth.

Under the OTOP program, DTI provides Bigbee with some linkages to expand the market between suppliers and buyers. 

DTI also facilitated various seminars, trainings, and trade fairs for MSMEs and hub operators and assisted in improving store operations, such as in areas dealing with inventory management and similar processes.

Garcia thanked DTI for the continued support. She also reiterated Bigbee’s commitment to providing MSME with a platform to market and promote their products.

“Bigbee 8 is very thankful for the full support; hindi gid possible ang tanan kung wala ang DTI [everything is not possible without the DTI]," she said.

Garcia conveyed that "Bigbee 8 Pasalubong and Souvenirs is an advocate for promoting our local products. In our quest to continuously search for and improve products, Bigbee 8 is open to all MSMEs for consignment and product sampling. Bigbee 8 wants to build a community of entrepreneurs who support each other to become better.”

Meanwhile, Gabunales assured local entrepreneurs of the DTI’s commitment to helping them establish and promote their businesses and products.

Gabunales noted that in 2023, DTI's OTOP program assisted 1,408 MSMEs throughout the region, leading to the development of 487 new products and the registration of 364 brands.

“To our MSMEs, we are one with you in your quest para mapanami pa gid ang aton mga produkto [to make our products even more delicious]," Gabunales said.

"Para naman sa aton other stakeholders mga government agencies padayon lang kita, buligan naton sila,” she added.

[As for our other stakeholders, government agencies, let us all continue to help them.]

Reginio, on the other hand, urged consumers to support local products, emphasizing that OTOP is a government strategy to help support MSME's product promotion and development.

“We ask everyone to support the OTOP hub; kung ano man kanakailangan natin sa ating opisina, sa ating barangay, sa ating pamamahay [whatever we need in our office, in our barangay, in our home], look for the products that are available in our locality. This way, masuportahan natin yung ating mga [we can support our] local producers," Reginio emphasized. (JLFLebrillo/DEDoguiles - PIA Region 12)