More than a hundred OTOP Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from Region 6, Region 7, and Region 8 are expected to join the 4th Visayas One Town One Product (OTOP) Fair from November 18 to 22, 2008 at the SM City Cebu atrium.
    Products for sale are souvenir items, novelty items, gift items, furniture and furnishings, natural fiber, and fashion accessories such as bags, shawls, headgears, processed food and footwear. Tourist destinations have also been included in the OTOP marketing program.
    Cebu was chosen as the venue this year because it is the center of trade and commerce in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
    Invited to attend the fair are buyers from Manila and from the regions, governors and mayors and other government officials from the National Government Agencies, among others.
     The 4th Visayas OTOP fair will focus on selling the products produced by the MSMEs of the three regions under the OTOP Philippines program.
     OTOP is one of the priority programs of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs in the countryside.
     It encourages the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to produce and market distinct products or services using indigenous raw materials and local skills of every municipality or city.
     While DTI is the project’s marketing arm, OTOP is a “collaborative” effort of all sectors in the society, with the local government units (LGUs) as the lead.
     Executives of the Local Government Units (LGUs) take the lead in identifying, developing, and promoting a specific product or service which has a competitive advantage.
     The DTI through its Provincial Offices assist the LGUs in identifying the specific product and coordinated other forms of assistance from other government agencies such as the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Science and Technology (DOST), Tourism (DOT) and the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA), among others.
     Package of assistance include business counseling, skills and entrepreneurial training, marketing, and introduction of appropriate technologies.
     The 1st and 3rd OTOP fair was held in Cebu City, while the 2nd fair was held in Boracay.It is focused on the product development initiatives of the DTI highlighting the tourism and market potentials of the Supra Region, the Central Philippines , which attracts more than half of the foreign tourists in the country.
     For businesses that lack high level of marketing, an intra-regional exhibit like the Visayas Otop (One Town, One Product) Fair is a good opportunity to showcase “the best of Philippine products. This is a venue for them to be recognized, especially that this fair covers the entire Central Philippines.

     The Department of Trade and Industry will conduct a public hearing on the Draft Administrative Order to implement the Halal Food General Guidelines or the PNS 2067:2008 on October 22, 2009, Thursday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel.
    In coordination with the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health, the activity will present a draft of the National Standards on the Halal Food General Guidelines to the public for comments.
    Since slots are limited, interested parties who wish to participate in the public hearing are requested to call Grace of the DTI 7 regional office for reservations at tel. nos. 2550036 loc. 305 or 302.
    Halal foods are foods that are allowed under Islamic dietary guidelines. Worldwide growth in Islamic populations has spurred demand for Halal foods and created new opportunities for food processors and retailers.