STAKEHOLDERS of Davao Ecocrafts are optimistic this initiative will boost the productivity of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Davao Ecocrafts, which is the pilot of the Tindahang Pinoy program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), is a store that carries various quality, all Filipino-made products. DTI partners with the Department of Tourism (DOT) in this project.
DTI 11 regional director Marizon S. Loreto explained that 70 percent of the total consigned products at the Davao Ecocrafts store will be from the Davao region while only 30 percent will be from other parts of the country.
During the Davao Ecocrafts store soft launching and logo unveiling recently, DOT 11 regional director Arturo P. Boncato, Jr. said the Davao Ecocrafts store is geared towards changing the landscape of the region’s hospitality.
Boncato added that in developing the region as a tourism destination, a pasalubong center is important.
Meanwhile, Loreto said that Davao Ecocrafts store will carry authentic Davao products ranging from processed foods, gift items and stationeries, fashion accessories, furnishings and home decors, furniture, to other items found in a typical souvenir shop.
“While there are many pasalubong centers in the region, we have to develop the standards. This will also help us ensure the promotion of the One Town One Product (OTOP) program and the SMEs behind these products,” she said.
Loreto also said that in this endeavor, the government acts as the enabler while the private sector as the implementer. Thus, the Davao Ecocrafts store will be managed by Davao Ecocrafts, Inc., a private organization.
Its president, Mary Ann M. Montemayor, said the project was born out of a meeting of the tourism cluster of the Davao Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Project (DICCEP), an initiative spearheaded by the DTI in cooperation with other government agencies and the private sector and funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
“What we have here is a product of grasp, of the stakeholders’ desire to make a commitment and contribute to the development of the industry,” she said.
The DTI, DOT, and Davao Ecocrafts Inc. agreed that the store is not just about the products but the people and communities behind each creation.
With the promising stance of Davao Ecocrafts, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo said that he wants the enthusiasm of the Davao stakeholders to reverberate throughout the country.
“I’m so glad to see the energy of people here. I hope to see the same energy in all parts of the country. With that energy, you’ll definitely go places,” he said.
Domingo said that energy is very important since success is only five percent idea and 95 percent execution.
The Davao Ecocrafts store will be located at the Aldevinco Shopping Center and operation will start within the semester. [DTI 11]
