Friday, February 01, 2008 Jewelry-making, new ComVal's Otop
NABUNTURAN, Compostela Valley -- The province of Compostela Valley is gearing towards becoming the next jewelry capital of the Philippines as the provincial government here is positioning jewelry making as the One Town One Product (OTOP) of the province, replacing fresh banana and banana processing.
By all indications, the provincial government is strengthening the jewelry making industry in the province.
Recently, Governor Arturo "Chiongkee" Uy allocated P1 million for the establishment of the Jewelry Making Training Center cum Enterprise in Monkayo.
This is on top of the financial assistance worth P100,000 given to Diwalwal Artisan Entrepreneurs Cooperative (Darteco), the leading Otop SME based in famous mining site of Diwalwal, Monkayo.
In September last year, Uy also created the ComVal Jewelry Task Force.
The Task Force, chaired by the governor and vice chaired by DTI Comval, has a multi-sector composition with NGAs such as DTI, Tesda, DENR, DepEd and DOST.
The Provincial Tourism Office is also helping along with the Provincial Information Office and the Provincial Governor's Office.
The Provincial Board Committee on Trade and Industry chair Paul Galicia, LGU Monkayo and Diwalwal Artisan Entrepreneurs Cooperative and Compostela Valley Jewelry Makers Association representing the private sector are also helping.
The ComVal Jewelry Task Force has made a benchmarking mission in Meycauayan, Bulacan and other adjacent jewelry making sites to study and apply the strategies to develop the jewelry industry in the province.
Moreover, the tak force has also organized the Davao de Oro Jewelry Makers and Artisans Association (Dojemaa). A strategic plan for the industry's development was also made last year.
Compostela Valley is known for its abundance in precious mineral resources and large mining industry. It is also a major supplier of gold and silver. The local DTI office here has been looking for a business to complement the already established mining industry of the province.
The series of consultations conducted has found jewelry making as the most ideal industry or sector that could fully take advantage of the multi-billion dollar mining industry of the province.
Monkayo, the town wherein the famous Mt. Diwata or Diwalwal is located, had already chosen jewelry making as their OTOP prior to the adoption of the entire province.
