LEGAZPI CITY, May 7 —The First Bicol One town One Product (OTOP) Convergence will be held on May 14 at the Concourse Convention Center, Legazpi City. The theme of the Regional OTOP Convergence is "OTOP ko, Orgullo ko".
    Department of Trade and Industry Regional Director Jocelyn L. Blanco said that "through the convergence efforts of OTOP Partners, we have jointly and sustainably improved the competitiveness of our locals entrepreneurs and made notable dent on entrepreneurship development in Bicol".
     The LGUs have taken the lead in identifying, developing and promoting their specific product or service that has a competitive advantage while other partners have provided relevant assistance within their mandates. Thru OTOP, MSMEs or producers were assisted in areas of production, marketing, capability building and provision of common service facilities.
     The OTOP Convergence will highlight important updates and the gains so far achieved by the program in the region. Citation will be given to commendable OTOP entrepreneurs per province. It will also stress the convergence endeavors of all partner stakeholders in the program and also, look into new insights for OTOP.
     The highlight of the Convergence will be the awarding of the following: (1) Most Supportive OTP Municipal/City LGU in the region who have shown enthusiastic support for the OTOP program in their localities; have committed resources and taken concrete action towards the attainment of the program objectives; (2) Outstanding OTOP MSME partner who has cooperated with the LGU and partner agencies and invested their resources in the program thereby effectively and effenciently running their operations and contributing to the local economy in terms of employment, sales and investment generation; and (3) Most supportive OTOP Partner Organization who has provided crucial assistance in terms of resources, support programs the linkages and other means which influenced positively in the progress of the program.
     Blanco said that 250 delegates are expected to attend the convergence coming from the six provinces of Bicol and the different line agencies of the government both local and national.

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     Mulling to extend product development support through packaging, processing, and nutritional tests to the Regional Integrated Fisheries Research Center (RIFRC) in Bicol.
    In a statement, Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) said four new products from seaweeds were developed by the center: jam, pickles, tart and infant food similar to Gerber."These products, though newly-developed, have competitive advantage in the market considering the uniqueness of the products, taste, and nutritional value.
     They can also add on to the list of One-Town-One Product (OTOP) products from the Bicol region alongside pili and abaca products," the statement read quoting RIFRC head Aida S. Andayog.
     A priority program of the government, the OTOP promotes entrepreneurship and create jobs through a specific product or service in each city and municipality of the country.
     The BAR's technology commercialization unit, which facilitates the funding and monitoring of viable technologies on agriculture and fisheries from the different research and development institutions, evaluated the project last month.
     "The products, once commercialized, will have the 'first mover' advantage in the market which can compete against other processed products not usually found in the region; therefore, assuring its market share and competitive edge relative to the price," the statement read.

(GMANews.TV)