Four-term Senator Loren Legarda is known for her deep appreciation and respect for locally-produced products. She sees the immense value of these, the creativity of the different localities producing them, and the special role of micro, small, and medium enterprises.
"The MSMEs should be supported financially and in terms of capacity-building. They are the lifeblood of our economy, especially during this health crisis," Legarda said.
To support MSMEs, Legarda has refiled Senate Bill 247 or the OTOP Philippines Act of 2022. She filed a similar measure during her term in the House of Representatives.
"This bill seeks to institutionalize the One Town, One Product Philippines Program, which promotes local products from a sector and a locality. The program shall capacitate the MSMEs on product development, initiatives, and training, among others, to upgrade our MSMEs. It also seeks to create the OTOP Management Committee within the Department of Trade and Industry and the OTOP Program Office in each local government unit to help achieve the objectives of the law," Legarda explained.
The OTOP Program shall assist in product development, packaging and labeling, technology updating, capacity building, standards and market compliance, and market access and product promotion.
The DTI shall serve as the lead agency of the measure.