Sometimes things do not work out as planned. Instead, they work out better!
This is what happened to the initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry in Negros Occidental’s One Town, One Product (OTOP) Provincial Trade Fair at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central.
The project was launched exactly a year ago, to help Negrense “otopreneurs” recover from the economic slump due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the shop was opened at the ground floor of the shopping mall, 31 “otopreneurs” joined the trade fair that was just intended to for 6 months. Back then, it was dubbed as the longest trade fair. The organizers did not know that the first-ever trade fair that specifically featured OTOP producers was going to continue for another 6 months. Can there be better news than this? Yasss! The OTOP Store that gives micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) a place to showcase their products and to reach out to more buyers will now become a permanent home for Negrense MSME products!
How did this happen? When Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala visited the showroom in their family-owned mall in Bacolod in February, he was impressed by what he saw. Gerin Vergara, DTI OIC Division Chief and Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist said the prominent Filipino businessman was impressed when he saw the set up and the craftsmanship of Negrenses.
During the thanksgiving celebration of “otopreneurs”, OTOP Negros Occidental President Josephine Locsin happily shared the good news to fellow “otopreneurs”. She emphasized that this development will further motivate them to help start-ups in Negros to market their products to the world.
“This just shows that the blessing is not only limited here in Negros because Mr. Zobel de Ayala is making the OTOP Store in Bacolod a template. When OTOP stores are opened in the country, social enterprises will be given their spaces to shine because the main focus of the program is to provide livelihood opportunities by giving MSMEs their own spaces in the malls wherein they can incubate and restart their businesses,” stressed Locsin.
Meanwhile, DTI and OTOP also expressed their gratitude to the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental for the support it continues to extend to the project.
“DTI’s budget for the project was only good for 6 months. We approached Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and asked if the provincial government could extend support so that the store can continue to operate beyond half a year. He said yes. The province is taking care of the store’s monthly utilities expense,” said Vergara.
In her testimonial, Planstville Health founder November Canieso Yeo compared themselves to a flock of birds flying in V formation to increase the odds of survival and safety.
“I am very new in the business and as a budding entrepreneur, I need all the help I can get. Benchmarking is one of the best learnings I got from OTOP. You see, when you are with experienced entrepreneurs, you can feel that there is a natural lift,” added Yeo.
Anne Marie Makilan of Happy Beginners School of Learning was not able to hold back tears while recalling how students with special needs were given a space in the showroom. Being part of OTOP also paved the way for children with special needs to be integrated by the Association of Negros Producers in mainstream and be recognized for their skills and abilities. She had to add manpower in order to cope with the orders they got during the week-long fair in Glorietta.
“During the NTF, our students were able to showcase their talents. But more than that, what moved me was hearing parents telling us that they also have children with special needs and that they got inspired with what we are doing. A lot of them told us that it was until they saw the students and what they are capable of doing that they realized that these children can be productive,” Makilan shared.
Precy Perez of Cauayan has been making wind chimes made of melted bottles and ceramics for 9 years. “These are recycled from used wine and medicine bottles. I used to make ceramics. My first business in Manila went down in 1998 just like the others. I practically crawled,” Perez, owner of Yssa’s Handicrafts Manufacturing said.
“But with the help of DTI, I still continued to join trade fairs in Manila because our fares were subsidized. I was able to develop my angel chimes in 2013 with a few workers left. The rest was history. It has been a bestseller in the Negros Trade Fairs since 2013,” she added.
The OTOP Store provides MSMEs a venue to display locally authentic products and gives them direct access to potential customers. The collective effort of the private and public sectors is truly inspiring and is proof that doing business despite the pandemic is still possible especially when everyone and all sectors help and lift each other up despite the odds. This is what coming together as a community is all about. A community that cares.*
