Los Baños, Laguna – The Department of
Trade and Industry – Laguna Provincial Office (DTI
Laguna), through the One
Town, One Program Next
Generation (OTOP Next
Gen) Program and in partnership with the University of the Philippines Los
Baños (UPLB) and UPLB
Alumni Association, successfully conducted the
MSME Boot Camp 2023:
Entrepreneurship and
Packaging Design Mentorship Program for the Suppliers of OTOP Hub UPLB
last 4 and 5 May 2023 at
UP Los Baños.
The 2-day activity aimed to empower the
MSMEs assisted by DTI
Laguna, UPLB, and UPLBAA which included manufacturers of different food
and non-food products
and the products which
were developed and innovated by the Income Generating programs (IGPs)
of UPLB. The participants
were also the suppliers of
the products showcased in
OTOP Hub UPLB located
at the UPLB Technology
Hub and One Stop Shop
(THOSS). The MSME
Boot Camp focused on improving and strengthening
the branding, marketing,
and packaging of OTOP
and UPLB products which
are showcased in the
OTOP Hub.
A short program
was held in lieu of the
opening of the 2-day activity. On behalf of UPLB,
Dr. Jennifer Marie Amparo, Assistant to the Vice
Chancellor for Administration and Director of the
UPLB Business Affairs
Office (BAO), welcomed
the participants and gave
a brief overview of how
this activity was conceptualized. She also shared
the humble beginnings
of the partnership of DTI
Laguna, UPLB, and UPLBAA in the establishment
and launch of the OTOP
Hub UPLB, the first OTOP
Hub established in partnership with a higher education institution (HEI).
Captain Mauro Barradas,
President of the UPLB
Alumni Association, also
welcomed the participants
and expressed that the
UPLBAA will always provide the necessary support
to UPLB, its alumni, and to
the MSMEs who are diligently and courageously
bouncing back despite the
pandemic. Afterwards, Mr.
Christian Ted Tungohan,
OIC-Provincial Director of
DTI Laguna, welcomed
the participants and expressed gratitude and appreciation to the partners
and mentors of the MSME
Boot Camp. The activity
was also graced and supported by Dr. Eileen Mamino, UPLB Assistant to the
Chancellor, and Dr. Resty
Collado, Vice President of
the UPLBAA.
The first day of
the MSME Boot Camp
2023 was dedicated on
building up the entrepreneurial mindset and
skills of the participants.
The first lecture, Entrepreneurial Mindset and
Innovation, was given by
Go Negosyo mentor and
creative serial entrepreneur, Mr. Jorge Wieneke.
He emphasized the importance of having the
right mindset so that the
MSMEs will be enabled to
overcome challenges, exercise sound judgement,
and accept responsibility
when it comes to business
decisions. Afterwards, Ms.
Jenny Wieneke, also a
Go Negosyo mentor and
advertising expert, gave
a talk about Marketing
Mindset and How to Market your Brand. She discussed about the 4Ps of
marketing, product, place,
price, and promotion. She
also shared her own 4Ps
of Life, pag-ibig, passion,
positivity, and prayer, as a
guide for MSMEs through
their entrepreneurial journey.
After the first two
lectures, Mr. Erlito “Lilit” Reyes, an advertising
creative and movie scriptwriter, shared his insights
about branding and packaging trends. He engaged
the participants in an activity wherein the group
was asked to enumerate
the ABCs of products. The
participants actively joined
the activity and was able
to complete the alphabet of products in five (5)
minutes. After the activity,
he discussed about how
branding will affect the
identity, impression, and
perception of consumers
about their products and
their business. To further
guide the participants in
complying with the regulatory requirements,
Go Negosyo mentor and
homegrown Laguna OTOPreneur, Mr. Clarke Nebrao, gave an in-depth
talk and discussion about
the Mandatory Label and
Packaging. Mr. Nebrao
gave a comprehensive
explanation about each of
the eleven (11) mandatory labelling requirements
required by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA)
as declared in their Administrative Order No. 2014-
The 2nd day of the MSME
Boot Camp 2023 was devoted to the one-on-one
mentorship and consultation with the DDB Group
Philippines and Tribal
Worldwide Ph, one of the
world’s largest and most
influential advertising
and marketing networks.
In support to the participants, a team of creative
and art directors from
DDB Group Philippines
and Tribal Worldwide Ph
sat down with each of the
participants to impart their
knowledge and inputs
for the overall look of the
logo and packaging. They
also provided a consultancy with the UPLB Income
Generating Programs
(IGPs) in support to their
efforts in harmonizing
the UPLB brand and in
levelling up their branding and packaging. Also
present to provide consultancy were mentors Mr.
Jorge Wieneke, Ms. Jenny Wieneke, and Mr. Lilit
Reyes. The participants
were given tips and pointers on how to strengthen
their businesses, innovate
their products, and take
advantage of the different
social media platforms to
expand their market reach.
Over-all, the MSME Boot
Camp was able to assist
fifteen (15) MSMEs from
the different sectors including processed fruits
and nuts, wearables,
homestyle, gifts, decors,
coffee, Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program
(CARP) beneficiaries, and
six (6) UPLB IGPs for their
developed products ranging from dairy products,
bee products, seeds, fertilizers, juices, and wines.
This activity is part of the
collaborative efforts of DTI
Laguna and DTI CALABARZON under the leadership of OIC-Regional
Director Marissa Argente
and OIC-Provincial Director Christian Ted Tungohan to provide assistances to MSMEs for them to
level up their products and
sustain their enterprises.
(AFRRodriguez, DTI Laguna)
