This is the first time LGU-Mabini joined the 3rd Tourism and Trade Expo held during the provincial Pista’y Dayat (Sea Festival) celebration and garnered 3rd Prize in the Best LGU (Local Government Unit) OTOP booth category. The expo, named “Aliguas ed Turism tan Ekonomiya,” is open to all Pangasinan LGUs and MSMEs (Micro-Small-Medium Enterprise) to showcase their prime tourist destinations, tourism services and local products. This year the expo runs from 29 April to 9 May with the awarding of prizes scheduled on 7 May.

The One Town One Product (OTOP) is a priority program of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs. Through OTOP, local chief executives of each city and municipality take the lead in identifying, developing and promoting a specific product or service, which has a competitive advantage. OTOP Philippines supports MSMEs to manufacture, offer and market distinctive products or services through the use of indigenous raw materials and local skills and talents.

Last year LGU-Mabini had identified its OTOP as eco-tourism primarily because of the numerous limestone caves and the Balincaguin River (its tributaries and waterfalls) within its borders. The LGU used the assets and knowledge of the Balincaguin Conservancy (BC), a caving group based in Mabini, to transform its 3 meter by 3 meter nipa booth into a replica of a cave. The booth was decorated as a cave entrance complete with cave walls, stalactites, and vines. Inside the photos of Mabini caves were displayed along with cave survey maps by BC. A popular display for photo ops was BC Buddy, a rice straw stuffed mannequin donning climbing equipment needed to go into vertical caves.

The 1st and 2nd places for the LGU OTOP category went to the Municipalities of San Fabian and Bautista respectively. The cash prizes were P10,000 for 1st, P7,000 for 2nd and PhP5,000 for 3rd places. Next year the LGU and BC hope for a higher placing especially with the ideas and lessons learned from their first try at this competition.