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SPEECH DURING THE 3rd CALABARZON OTOP CONGRESSSeptember 24, 2008Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen; Good morning! It is my honor and privilege to join you on the 3rd CALABARZON OTOP Congress. I would like to commend DTI Region IV-A, led by Director Marilou Quinco-Toledo and Provincial Director Marcelina Alcantara; and the local government units led by Governor Rafael Nantes and Governor ?Ayong? Maliksi for mounting this kind of activity, which is elemental in the advancement and expansion of our local OTOP entrepreneurs. I see here today the men and women who fuel our country?s economic engine. And as we drive our way towards the global market, your theme today of ?Enhancing Competitiveness of MSMEs through OTOP? couldn?t be more appropriate. Many of our MSMEs today are sources of good news by blazing new trails in the economic horizon. Allow me to share an interesting story of how one local talent, an entrepreneur of Lucena at that; was able to create innovative and globally-competitive soap pastries. Yes, you heard me right, soap pastries. These body soaps, which take in the forms of mouth-watering cakes, are made of locally-available virgin coconut oil and other organic materials. This ingenuity of Mary Grace Sia-Llamas, owner of Coconut Health Farm Kitchen immediately caught media attention. Suddenly orders poured in. Soap making might not have been a chartered territory for her but she worked harder -- underwent training, conducted researches, and joined trade fairs just to satisfy the eager market and grow her business. Two years after, Ms. Llamas was able to penetrate the international market and recently bagged the prestigious 2007 People?s Choice Award for Outstanding Coconut-based Consumer Products Enterprise. Ms. Llamas is certainly one of you ? thriving entrepreneurs who work your way to establish your global footprint. The road may be bumpy, sometimes too narrow to pass through. But I tell you, fear not, for your government will gear you up for the challenges ahead. We, at the Department of Trade and Industry, Regional Operations Development Group recognize the need for our MSMEs to grow and take a huge leap forward in order to compete head to head with global players. That is why our doors have always been open to assist MSMEs through the OTOP program. In 2004, we said that OTOP Philippines program had big dreams. Now, I am proud to report that these dreams have been made true. In fact, to date, a total of P6.88 billion investments were generated and 246,672 new jobs created. A total of 314 million US dollars were earned from export sales and 7.453 billion pesos in domestic sales. Government initiatives, in collaboration with private stakeholders were able to assist at least 22, 445 MSMEs nationwide. This year, we aim for even bigger dreams as we strive harder to reach new highs for the OTOP program. We are committed to more than double the P1.28 billion investments and 33,460 new jobs already created within the first six months. In line with job generation, I am happy to report that out of the new jobs this year, 11% were created here, making Region IV-A one of the top three performing regions in terms of creating jobs. Congratulations! At least 1,350 MSMEs were developed this year and 5,296 were given assistance. Region IV-A bagged the highest number of MSMEs served and assisted at 1,121. Again, my congratulations! This means that your DTI Regional and Provincial Offices; and your local government units have been directly involved in stimulating entrepreneurial undertakings. With the 103 MOAs signed and 139 resolutions passed recently, more developmental activities are anticipated to take place. The DTI, together with our partners in OTOP would like to assure you of our continuing support as we intensify our efforts to promote OTOP; seek collaborative partnership with more organizations for developmental undertakings; conduct more marketing activities to stage OTOP products, bring together business-matching activities; and enhance the OTOP website to enable online shopping of OTOP products. Likewise, we are strengthening our partnership with financial institutions to help our OTOP entrepreneurs introduce innovation in their businesses. The robust 104% increment in loan releases this year, amounting to P49.77 million for 240 MSME beneficiaries nationwide bespeak of our relentless efforts to bring these financial assistance packages closer to our entrepreneurs. To enhance the capabilities of MSMEs, which is our main focus for this congress, you can count on our on-going product research and development initiatives. Benefiting 748 MSMEs this year does stop us from doubling our efforts and reaching more entrepreneurs. We also continue to organize trainings on entrepreneurship, management, quality and productivity, technology and skills, and other relevant trainings, in partnership with local government units and other partner institutions. Other capability building programs available to MSMEs include benchmarking activities, technical consultancy services, business studies and researches. I suggest that you exploit this opportunity and make full use of this wide array of assistance before you, as you navigate the complexities of an increasingly globalize and more challenging marketplace. But more than government support, it is really YOUR active participation that makes the big difference. Thus, I encourage all of you to commit yourselves fully to our program. We can only get to the finish line if we have your unwavering commitment?with your collective talents and passion not only in driving our economy forward, but more importantly in relentlessly pursuing our goals of improving the lives of our countrymen. Thank you and I wish you all a fruitful OTOP congress and Trade Fair.
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