Holiday decors, trinkets

at OTOP Holiday Bazaar

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—For the holidays, the Department of Trade and Industry in partnership with the private sector has again opened its now famous marketing platform in the One-Town-One-Product (OTOP) Holiday Bazaar: a five-day crafts fair in support to local crafts and their crafts makers.

Opened at the Activity Center of the Island City Mall from December 2 to 7, the OTOP Holiday Bazaar features unique hand-crafted products for the region’s 35 exhibitors displaying newly designed Christmas-themed crafts fair that include works of local persons deprived of liberty, persons with disabilities and even families who have piously kept the traditions alive in Bohol today.

“This Christmas bazaar is more than just a marketplace-it is a platform for inclusivity and empowerment, of people who worked tirelessly to bring the best creations,” referring to works of inmates and PWDs that get into the mainstream tourism marketplace in Bohol.

Shining now the spotlight on the creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of the MSMEs in Bohol, Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, in his message read by Bohol Economic Development and Investment Promotions Officer Maria Fe Dominese, cited the bazaar as an opportunity for Boholanos to explore diverse range of treats that delight the senses and provide thoughtful choices for those looking to bring home Christmas gifts for loved ones.

“While the bazaar, a spin-away from the Holiday Crafts that started in 2021 when the DTI sought for a platform where Bohol crafts makers can still earn to support their families during the pandemic, the OTOP Holiday Bazaar name started in 2023, after the fair included furniture in its offers,” shared DTI Bohol provincial director Vierna Teresa Chiu-Ligan, during the opening ceremonies.

Sustained as an innovative marketing platform that helps the DTI connect crafts makers and MSMEs to buyers and market resellers, the OTOP Holiday Bazaar also celebrates the craftsmanship, enduring creativity of Central Visayas, cites DTI Assistant Regional Director Epifania Suralta, speaking for DTI-7 Regional Director Esperanza Melgar.

Also set in support of local innovations and skills and industry development, the marketing platform also tests local products especially those implementing government assisted product development in packaging and marketing, transforming these products into global-market-ready, according to DTI Bohol PD Ligan.

For the governor, the bazaar is not just about supporting local businesses.

“We are giving life to the spirit of giving and bayanihan. By purchasing from the exhibitors, we do not appreciate our own products and nurture a love for things local and present a united front in sharing the gift of growth and prosperity with our home grown brands,” Aumentado, in his read message, added.

Opened in partnership with Bohol’s business sector, the holiday bazaar used to be under DTI budget but the government has successfully transferred the administration of the fair to the private sector in Bohol for its operational sustainability.

Through the years, the exhibitors, excluding the furniture, have recorded gross sales reaching over a million for the exhibit, although, with furniture, sales hit the multi-million mark, DTI Bohol records show.

With Bohol earning an 8.8% economic growth rate in 2024, stirring local economies into more aggressive activities, local officials hope this helps sustain the momentum, as a good opportunity to support local crafts, find unique handmade gifts, and explore regional specialties. (PIABohol)

STARRING. At the OTOP Holiday Bazaar inside ICM, handcrafted Christmas themed products from 35 exhibitors are up for grabs, and buying from them, not only shows support local businesses and appreciation for their creativity, but also assures that the economy gets an added boost with the MSMEs tirelessly oiling the local economy. (PIABohol)