DTI-8 provided marketing assistance, like product training and development, to refine MSME’s product preparation and presentation following the market standards.

The provincial governments and DTI-8 also provided transportation assistance going to Manila, accommodation, and hired trucks to load the products of the MSMEs.

DTI-8 tagged their trade fair in Manila as ‘Bahandi,’ a local term for treasures and wealth, where tradition meets innovation. It started in 1987 and continued in 2023 after a three-year hiatus from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The trade fair will also highlight the certification of the ‘BAHANDI Eastern Visayas Trade Fair’ trademark registration granted by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

In a statement, DTI-8 Regional Director Celerina T. Bato encouraged the Eastern Visayas people with friends and relatives living in Manila to drop by, visit their booths, and buy the local products at the Bahandi Trade Fair. (LDL/AAC/PIA Leyte)