DTI launches first OTOP Hub in Davao de Oro

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Davao de Oro launched its first One-Town One Product (OTOP) Hub at Jorge Town, Montevista during the celebration of the 2021 Online Bulawan Festival on October 28, 2021.

DTI Provincial Director Atty. Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque in his opening statement explained the importance of OTOP Hub as a reliable mechanism in assisting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) in promoting their products with global standards.

 

"Mao kini ang atoang solution sa mga MSME nga mahatagan sila ug lugar diin ilang mabaligya

ang ilahang produkto at the same time ma showcase usab natu kung unsa ka quality ug competitive ang mga produkto sa taga Davao de Oro", Balleque said.

 

The hub serves as a one-stop retail store where market-ready OTOP products such as arts, crafts, wearables, home styles, food, and beauty and wellness products are made available to both local buyers and tourists.

All of the items displayed were attributed to the richness of the province's natural resources as the direct source of raw materials of the products.

 

The agency also provides intervention programs to MSMEs through various training sessions and seminars that would enhance the design, quality, production, and marketability of each product.

 

The highlight of the event was the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between DTI Davao de Oro and Jorge Town on the establishment and operations of OTOP Hub.

 

Present during the event were DTI Regional Smed Division Chief Marie Anne J. How, Jorge Town CEO Maria Teresa D. Zamora, DTI-DdO Division Chief Patrick Kim B. Evangelio, Provincial Women Development Council Chairperson Sholai Lim, and officials from the provincial and municipal office.

 (Rheafe Hortizano - Provincial Information Office, Photos by DTI DdO)

TESDA, DTI conduct skills training to residents in Barangay Manurigao

Davao de Oro --- The Provincial office of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) conducted skills training on "Squash Delight and Pickle Production" and "Packaging and Labeling of Products" to over 50 Mandaya scholars on September 16, 2021 at Sitio Macopa, Barangay Manurigao, New Bataan, Davao de Oro.

The program is a joint effort of the two agency with the end goal of helping the residents to generate income amid the pandemic and enable them to participate in local economic development activities.

TESDA Regional Director Engr. Lorenzo G. Macapili thanked the participants for expressing their eagerness to learn on how to make foods from vegetables and emphasized the role of both agencies in uplifting communities especially those identified as conflict-affected barangays.

"This activity is part of the poverty reduction programs of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) which aims to empower the residents of far-flung communities through various skills training", Macapili said.

In a statement, DTI Provincial Director Atty. Lucky Seigfred M. Balleque explained the importance of packaging and labelling of products in promoting their unique and quality of products in the market. At the end of the activity, each participant received food packs and training kits.

Present during the activity were TESDA Provincial Director Jasmin J. Neri, DNAS Administrator Nobernia O. Magpatoc, DTI Division Chief Patrick Kim D. Evangelio, TESDA-DdO EO Focal Person Mafel Joan N. Gamale, Barangay Captain Marcos Lino, and personnel from Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. (Rheafe Hortizano - Provincial Information Office of Davao de Oro)

DTI-DdO distributes livelihood kits to 100 MSMEs

Davao de Oro --- Some 100 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in 20 identified barangays in the province received livelihood starter kits under the DTI’s Livelihood Seeding Program–Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (LSP-NSB) on Friday.

DTI Davao de Oro Provincial Director, Atty. Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque said the first twenty beneficiaries that received a package of livelihood kits amounting to PHP5,000 were residents of barangay Bawani, Mawab. The LSP-NSB also aims to boost micro enterprises by providing basic business advisory and information to qualified individuals affected by natural and human-induced calamities such as pandemic brought by COVID-19.

“This livelihood assistance may be small but with a right entrepreneurial mindset, it can push your business into a better position”, Balleque added.

The MSME beneficiaries of the LSP-NSB program include sole proprietors that are located in identified barangays, including those in Geographically Isolated and Depressed Areas (GIDAs) under the government’s End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) program. They also underwent four modules of capability building seminar to develop and strengthen their entrepreneurial competencies during the turn-over ceremony.

For his part, Mayor Ruperto S. Gonzaga III acknowledged the government’s program to his constituents in teaching and helping them improve their businesses thru series of sessions.

Rosie T. Ignas, beneficiary from Brgy. Bawani expressed gratitude for granting her as one of the beneficiaries of LSP-NSB program.

“Dako kaayu ning tabang dili lang kay sa akua apil na usab sa uban pang naka-benepisyo sa maong programa gikan sa gobyerno nga magamit ug ma sustain sa matag-adlaw namu nga panginahanglanon labaw na sa kapait sa panahon nga dala sa pandemya,” Ignas added.

The program is in partnership with provincial and local government units. The barangay LGU has a fundamental role in identifying the MSMEs in their areas who have potential of becoming mega business.

DTI-DdO targets to finish the distribution of livelihood kits by the end of October. 

(Rheafe C. Hortizano, Information Division Davao de Oro).

Holiday Hazards

Re-posted Editorial from MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR with friendly permission of the publisher Marietta Siongco:

This the season to be careful. As the Christian season approaches and homes and establishments get festooned with various lighting fixtures, it would be well for all of us to be mindful of the actual materials we use for such decorations. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has given out a list of approved Christmas lights brands, and of the scores that are being sold in he market, only 20 have actually passed muster. Most of us do not think twice about our purchases and rarely even look at what brand of lights we buy, but our choices can literally be a matter of life and death, We look back to 2004 and remember that even then-house speaker Jose de Venecia lost a daughter to a fire in their home that originated from faulty Christmas lights. Dozens of other such fires have occurred over the years, adding a bitter note to virtually every holiday celebration.

...

However, it is goverment's failure to prevent such brands from being sold in the first place. The DTI has approved only 20 branches - but what does government intend to do with the rest? How do the faulty brands get into the country in the first place? There is an obvious failure here on the part of the government agencies tasked to guard against such faulty and dangerous merchandise.

...