The province of Compostela Valley (ComVal) is gearing to become the next jewelry capital of the Philippines as the provincial government makes jewelry-making its One Town One Product (OTOP), replacing fresh banana and banana processing.
To strengthen the jewelry making industry in the province, Governor Arturo Chiongkee Uy allocated P1 million for the establishment of the jewelry making training center and enterprise in Monkayo.
On top of this, the province also provided some P100,000 worth of financial assistance to the Diwalwal Artisan Entrepreneurs Cooperative (DARTECO), the leading OTOP enterprise based in the mining site of Diwalwal, in the town of Monkayo.
Uy created the ComVal Jewelry Task Force in September last year, which he chaired and which include as members, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Education (DEPED), Department of Science and technology (DOST), the Provincial Tourism Office, Provincial Information Office, the Provincial Governor’s Office, the Sangguaniang Panlalawigan Committee on Trade and Industry represented by committee chairperson Paul Galicia, LGU Monkayo and private sector representatives from Diwalwal Artisan Entrepreneurs Cooperative (DARTECO) and Compostela Valley Jewelry Makers Association.
Task Force members visited Meycauayan, Bulacan and other adjacent jewelry-making sites to study strategies to develop the jewelry industry in ComVal. The Task Force made strategic plans for the industry’s development and organized the Davao de Oro Jewelry Makers and Artisans Association (DOJEMAA).
Compostela Valley is known for its abundance of precious mineral resources and is a major supplier of gold and silver worldwide. The provincial DTI office here has been encouraging business enterprises that will complement the already established mining industry of the province.
After a series of consultations, officials identified jewelry-making as an industry that could take advantage of the province’s multi-billion dollar mining industry.
Monkayo town, where the famous Mt. Diwata or the Diwalwal mining site is located, had already identified jewelry-making as its One Town One Product (OTOP) even before province chose to adopt it. (Kim Evangelio/DTI11) (davaotoday.com)
