ANGELES CITY The newly-opened One Town, One Product (OTOP) hub at Ayala Marquee Mall here is expected to help

online sellers and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Pampanga.

Thus said Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Central Luzon director Leonila T. Baluyut during the launch

of the OTOP.PH Hub at Marquee Mall on Wednesday.

Baluyut, DTI Pampanga director Elenita R. Ordonio, and Ayala North Malls area head Charmaine Bauzon led the

opening of the OTOP hub at the mall's second floor.

In line with this program, a memorandum of agreement was signed by executives of DTI, Marquee Mall and

Pampanga Entrepreneur Producers Cooperative (PEPCO) which members will benefit from the business hub.

Baluyut said only 30 percent of micro entrepreneurs have business continuity plans (BCPs) based on statistics.

She advised the PEPCO members to prepare BCPs in order to survive in times of any challenges and risk like

the pandemic.

Ordonio said the Marquee Mall OTOP hub is Central Luzon's shop for MSMEs. The first three OTOP hubs in Region

3 were put up in Bulacan, Aurora and Tarlac, she said.

Ordonio said this OTOP hub will greatly help MSMEs in the province as most of them does not have physical

stores.

Unlike in trade fairs where MSMEs temporarily do business for a limited period, the mall's OTOP hub will run for one year or longer.

"Saan pa kayo, andito kayo sa Marquee Mall, andito kayo sa Ayala," Ordonio said.

Bauzon, for her part, said Ayala is always committed to help the small entrepreneurs not only in Pampanga but

other parts of the country under their Alagang Ayala program.

Engineer John Balingit, who represented PEPCO during the event, thanked DTI and Ayala Malls

for establishing the business center for online sellers and MSMEs in Pampanga which are now starting to

recover from the effects of COVID 19 pandemic.

Displayed are local brand food products and Pampanga delicacies, novelty items and soveiners, bags, slippers,

hats, herbal medicines, food supplements, necklaces, ornaments, beauty products, cooking wares among others.

Officials of DTI, Marquee Mall and PEPCO invited the Kapampangans to visit OTOP.PH Hub and support local businesses.