President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has signed an act that institutionalizes the "One Town, One Product (OTOP) Philippines Program".
Republic Act 11960 also acknowledges the important role of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) towards advancement. MSMEs are drivers to a "self- reliant and independent national economy".
The law states "the State shall likewise promote the preferential use of Filipino labor, domestic materials, and locally produced goods, and adopt measures to make them competitive.
"The State shall further provide adequate and effective support services for MSMEs to enable communities to determine, develop, and promote products and services that are rooted in their culture, community resources, creativity, connection, and competitive advantage."
MSMEs could be provided package assistance — including, Product Development, Capacity Building Trainings, Standards and Market Compliance, Market Access and Product Promotion, and eligibility for government assistance — to innovate and improve their products for development, branding, and marketing, among others.
Withe OTOP, a boost local economies of rural communities and local government units is expected.
MSMEs in the rural areas are expected to utilize the development of indigenous raw materials, utilizing local skills and talent and feature local traditions and controls across the country
The law also provides the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the lead implementer, for the establishment of OTOP Philippines Trustmark and the qualified OTOP Products shall provide the set criterion, including, Culture. Community Resource, Connection, Creativity and Competitive Advantage.
The National OTOP Strategic Development Plan shall be developed by OTOP- Project Management Office (OTOP-PMO), under the DTI, shall create OTOP Management Committee composed of DTI- Bureau of Philippine Standards, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, Cooperative Development Authority, Department of Agriculture, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Tourism, Department of Tourism, Department of Transportation, National Economic and Development Authority, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Philippine Information Agency, Philippine International Trading Corporation, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
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