WORLD-CLASS PRODUCTS. Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands Jose Eduardo Malaya and Department of Trade and Industry-Regional Operations Group Undersecretary Mary Jean Pacheco open the Bicol One Town, One Product (OTOP) Nook at the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands on Wednesday (May 8, 2024). Various products and delicacies that have helped make Bicol a popular tourist destination are on display at the Nook. (Photo courtesy of DTI Bicol)
LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced Thursday that the Bicol One Town, One Product (OTOP) Nook showcasing the region's various products and delicacies has opened at the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands.
In a statement, DTI-5 (Bicol) Regional Director Dindo Nabol said the collaborative project aims to promote the unique and distinct products of the region to the international market. The products on display include sweets made from pili nuts and abaca products such as bags and accessories.
Nabol said their partnership with Philippine Trade and Investment Centers through the different Philippine Embassies is a cost-free platform to promote products to different markets with the mantra "From Bicol to the World".
The DTI-5 plans to establish additional OTOP Nooks in other Philippine Embassies and trade offices in the coming months, further
expanding the reach of Philippine products and showcasing the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit of the country.
The OTOP Nook started as a Covid-19 response project in 2022 in the province of Albay to provide the struggling local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the pandemic and other natural disasters an additional means to sell their products.
Local hotels and other tourism-related establishments are tapped as partners where they provide permanent exhibition spaces
at no cost to the participating MSMEs and local artisans to display and sell their
products on a consignment basis.
There are already 16 OTOP Nooks established and operating in the Bicol region with an additional eight in the pipeline for establishment within the year.
The OTOP Nook trademark is registered with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) by the DTI-5. (PNA)
