By Venus G. Villanueva
The One Town One Product (OTOP) is a strategy Aklan government has adopted to hasten entrepreneurship development and create jobs. It took off in Aklan with the complete identification of priority product by each municipality in the province of Aklan.
Through OTOP, local chief executives of municipalities will take the lead in identifying, developing and promoting a specific product or service, which is of competitive advantage. As validated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with all Mayors of Aklan, current priority products and services for each municipalities identified for OTOP are the following: Altavas – Swine/Livestock; Balete – Kabuhian Livelihood Skills Training and Exhibition Center; Banga – Organic Vegetables, Citrus-Calamanci and Rambutan; Batan - Seaweed Culture; Buruanga – Eco-Tourism; Ibajay – Coco-based products; Kalibo, Piña Cloth/Loomweaving Industry; Lezo – Potteries; Libacao and Madalag – Abaca Fiber; Makato and Tangalan – Organic Rice Farming; Malay – Tourism; Malinao – Abaca Slippers; Nabas – Bariwcraft; New Washington – Deboned Bangus and Numancia – Organic Vegetable/Vermicasting.
As seen by the DTI, all these products and services the municipal mayors have prioritized have competitive advantage over other products and services of other provinces and cities. Malay’s Boracay Island, for example is a major tourists destination of the country and brings in the bulk of local and foreign tourists to Panay Island while Kalibo’s Piña cloth has already captured the foreign market and won for many piña producers various awards. Piña producers are also the top sellers at trade exhibits during the celebration of the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival and Aklan Day, and at regional and national product showcases in Iloilo and Manila.
Supporting OTOP-Philippines, aside from the DTI are the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Land Reform, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Tourism and the Techinical Education and Skills Development Authority.
These agencies, together with other government offices and the private sector will work together to sustain this program.
The concept of OTOP-Philippines is similar to Japan’s successful One Village One Product (OVOP) project, which was started in 1979 by Governor Morihiro Hiramatsu of Oita Prefecture as a form of people’s participation in the regional development. Its success prompted other countries to adopt the concept in their own areas as an effective tool for poverty alleviation in the rural areas. OTOP has been established in Thailand, Vietnam, Malawi, Cambodia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com
The One Town One Product (OTOP) is a strategy Aklan government has adopted to hasten entrepreneurship development and create jobs. It took off in Aklan with the complete identification of priority product by each municipality in the province of Aklan.
Through OTOP, local chief executives of municipalities will take the lead in identifying, developing and promoting a specific product or service, which is of competitive advantage. As validated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with all Mayors of Aklan, current priority products and services for each municipalities identified for OTOP are the following: Altavas – Swine/Livestock; Balete – Kabuhian Livelihood Skills Training and Exhibition Center; Banga – Organic Vegetables, Citrus-Calamanci and Rambutan; Batan - Seaweed Culture; Buruanga – Eco-Tourism; Ibajay – Coco-based products; Kalibo, Piña Cloth/Loomweaving Industry; Lezo – Potteries; Libacao and Madalag – Abaca Fiber; Makato and Tangalan – Organic Rice Farming; Malay – Tourism; Malinao – Abaca Slippers; Nabas – Bariwcraft; New Washington – Deboned Bangus and Numancia – Organic Vegetable/Vermicasting.
As seen by the DTI, all these products and services the municipal mayors have prioritized have competitive advantage over other products and services of other provinces and cities. Malay’s Boracay Island, for example is a major tourists destination of the country and brings in the bulk of local and foreign tourists to Panay Island while Kalibo’s Piña cloth has already captured the foreign market and won for many piña producers various awards. Piña producers are also the top sellers at trade exhibits during the celebration of the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival and Aklan Day, and at regional and national product showcases in Iloilo and Manila.
Supporting OTOP-Philippines, aside from the DTI are the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Land Reform, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Tourism and the Techinical Education and Skills Development Authority.
These agencies, together with other government offices and the private sector will work together to sustain this program.
The concept of OTOP-Philippines is similar to Japan’s successful One Village One Product (OVOP) project, which was started in 1979 by Governor Morihiro Hiramatsu of Oita Prefecture as a form of people’s participation in the regional development. Its success prompted other countries to adopt the concept in their own areas as an effective tool for poverty alleviation in the rural areas. OTOP has been established in Thailand, Vietnam, Malawi, Cambodia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com
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