The conferment of the National OTOP Awards and the grating of citations for the Most Environment-Friendly OTOP Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) served as the highlight of the OTOP congress which was held on March 12,2010. The awards to the winners were conferred by the past President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The awards were intended to honor the exemplary achievements of OTOP MSMEs who cooperated with the LGUs and partner agencies, invested resources in the program that contributed employment and trade to the local community. The awards also recognized the remarkable contributions of OTOP LGU Implementers who had shown enthusiasm in implementing the OTOP Program; as well as Partner Organizations who provided crucial assistance in terms of resources, program support and linkages.

The National OTOP Awards virtually created a venue for the formal recognition of the various stakeholders and laudable projects under the OTOP Philippines Program. The three categories: 1) the Outstanding OTOP MSME, 2) the Best OTOP Implementer and 3) the Most Supportive OTOP Partner Organization had each a national winner and island winners from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Outstanding OTOP MSME
The winners of the Outstanding OTOP MSME Award were selected on the basis of the following criteria: contribution to OTOP bottom-lines, participation in OTOP activities, support to other industry players in the locality and compliance to government laws and regulations.

Winners of Outstanding OTOP MSME Award:
National Winner                   : Bagong Barrio Multi-Purpose Cooperative from Bulacan province
Luzon Island Winner           : Ai-She Footwear from Laguna province
Visayas Island Winner       : Ilo-Ilo Kawayan Marketing
Mindanao Island Winner    : Lao Integrated Farm

Best OTOP Implementers Award
The Best OTOP Implementers’ Award was granted to local government units that committed resources and took concrete action towards the attainment of the OTOP Program objectives. The LGU nominees for the Best OTOP Implementer were judged according to the LGU’s implemented projects, their expressed commitment to the OTOP Program, the extent of Local Chief Executive’s management or leadership in the program, linkages facilitated for support from external sources, project funds invested in the program, and the designation of municipal personnel to oversee the implementation of the program.

Winners of the Best OTOP Implementers Awards:
National Winner & Visayas Island   : Municipal Government of Numancia, Aklan
Luzon Island Winner                           : Provincial Government of La Union
Mindanao Island Winner                    : Municipal Government of President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat

Most Supportive OTOP Partner Organization
The winners of the Most Supportive OTOP Partner Organization were judged on the following criteria: the resources they provided to the projects, the number and type of projects they initiated and/or implemented, the number of MSMEs they assisted, their participation in OTOP activities, and the support they extended to other development partners.

Winners of the Most Supported OTOP Partner Organization:
National Winner & Mindanao Island   : Zamboanga del Norte Bureau of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources
Luzon Island Winner                              : Region 3 Department of Science and Technology and
San Pablo City Chamber of Commerce Union
Visayas Island Winner                          : Negros Oriental Investment Promotion Center

Aside from the plaques, both the Outstanding OTOP MSME and Best OTOP Implementer, national winners received P150,000.00 each while island winners received a cash prize of P 70,000.00 each. On the other hand, the National Winner for the Most Supportive Partner Organization received P50,000.00 and the island winners received P30,000.00 each.

Most Environment-Friendly OTOP MSMEs
The OTOP Congress also recognized MSMEs with significant contributions to achieving a cleaner environment in the implementation of their OTOP projects by way of a Most Environment-Friendly OTOP MSME Award. These OTOP MSMEs indicated the practice of the principles of sustainable development by utilizing environment-friendly materials. They also took the lead in entering into partnership with their LGU to spearhead the advocacy of clean and green environment in their locality.

Winners of Most Environment-Friendly OTOP MSMEs that engage in the Bamboo Flagship Project:

• Carlo’s Bamboocrafts and Furnishings form Tayum, Abra, Cordillera Administrative Region.
• Woodinspirations Craft from Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac in Region 3.
• Iloilo Kawayan Marketing from Maasin, Ilo-Ilo.

Winners of Most Environment-Friendly OTOP MSMEs engage in the Bayong Flagship Project:

• Integrated San Lorenzo Entrepreneurs from Lal-lo municipality, Cagayan Province.
• Luisiana Weavers Multi-Purpose Cooperative from, Luisiana Municipality, Laguna, Province.
• Analobel Enterprises from Matnog municipality, Sorsogon province.

Winners of Most Environment-Friendly OTOP MSMEs engage in the Water Hyacinth Flagship Project:

• San Miguel Water Lily Producers Association from Calumpit Municipality, Bulacan province.
• Baby’s Water Lily Handicrafts of Calamba City, Laguna province.
• Buhi One Town, One Product Key Players Association from Buhi Municipality, Camarines Sur.

Aside from giving awards and recognition to outstanding OTOP stakeholders, the OTOP Congress also served as a venue where commitments were renewed through the sharing of learnings and insights. In one of the learning sessions, DTI Undersecretary for Regional Operations and Development Group (RODG), Merly Cruz, discussed the milestones and challenges in implementing the OTOP program, renowned businessman Joey Conception also shared some inspirational message and business insights.