Jewelry-making industry in Compostela pushed
ABS CBN News, Philippines
By EDITH REGALADO
The Philippine Star
DAVAO CITY – The provincial government of Compostela Valley is batting for the development of a jewelry-making industry to further tap the potential of the province as the “gold and silver capital” of Southern Mindanao.
“We have to take advantage of the resources that we have. And one way is to develop a jewelry-making industry that will also benefit the thousands who are into small-scale mining,” Gov. Arthur Uy said.
Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo town is touted to have the country’s largest deposit of gold ore.
More than 50,000 small-scale miners are still eking out a living on Mt. Diwalwal despite the existing ban on explorations in certain portions of the gold-rush site.
Mining operations on Mt. Diwalwal started in the early 1980s. Hundreds of miners have been killed in hostilities among major stakeholders in the area.
Uy said P1 million has been put up to finance the initial requirements for the establishment of a jewelry-making training center in Monkayo.
“The training center may not be that modern yet but at least it will help residents learn about the basics of jewelry-making,” he said.
Yap said those who will be involved in the training center will be sent abroad, including Thailand, to further learn the ropes of jewelry-making.
Plans are also afoot for the training center to hire a jewelry-making expert, especially in designs.
“We are just starting off with P1 million as seed money for the jewelry-making industry in our province. But hopefully, it will soon grow given the tremendous potential of the industry,” Uy said.
