PROSPERIDAD, AGUSAN DEL SUR — A delegation from Agusan del Sur traveled to Monkayo, Davao de Oro, on October 22, 2026, to examine how the municipality turned a gold-mining heritage into a structured jewelry industry. The benchmark mission, organized by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Agusan del Sur, brought together provincial trade and skills officials with their counterparts in Davao de Oro to study the systems behind Monkayo's jewelry community.
What the Delegation Came to See
The visiting group, led by DTI Provincial Director Marson Jan S. Dolendo and TESDA Provincial Director Novelieta A. Dispo, focused on two mechanisms. The first is the Shared Service Facility, a DTI program that provides machinery, equipment, and tools to cooperatives, associations, and local government units serving as facility cooperators. The second is TESDA's skills training track, particularly the Jewelry National Certificate II program. The delegation was hosted by the Monkayo local government and assisted by DTI Davao de Oro, headed by Provincial Director Art A. Heromoso.
The Monkayo Model
Monkayo's jewelry sector is built on a deliberate strategy. The town sits in the mineral reservation of Mt. Diwata, a gold-rich area that has long supported small-scale mining. Rather than exporting raw ore, the municipality has pushed jewelry-making as an industry, starting with a training center established in 2014. That center now operates as the country's first TESDA-accredited Jewelry Training and Assessment Center offering NC II certification. The Shared Service Facility, meanwhile, has provided upgraded equipment, polishing machines, ultrasonic cleaners, and a 3D printer, which improved production efficiency and expanded the capacity of local artisans. The combination of skills certification and shared equipment has positioned Monkayo as a hub for handcrafted, gold-based jewelry.
The Gap Agusan del Sur Wants to Close
For Agusan del Sur, the interest is practical. The province has its own gold resources and artisanal mining communities, but much of its output leaves as raw material rather than finished jewelry. In September 2026, DTI Agusan del Sur and the provincial environment office convened a Mines and Gems Dialogue to surface that gap and explore ways to keep more value within the province. The benchmark mission builds on that conversation by showing what a working local jewelry ecosystem looks like in practice, from training and certification to shared production equipment and market positioning.
What Comes After the Visit
The stated goal of the mission is to identify replicable approaches for strengthening Agusan del Sur's jewelry value chain. That means more than copying equipment lists. It means understanding how Monkayo's training center secured accreditation, how the Shared Service Facility was structured and sustained, and how local artisans were organized to use both. The delegation is expected to translate those lessons into proposals suited to Agusan del Sur's own context, with the broader aim of enhancing skills development, sustaining craftsmanship, and creating livelihood opportunities through jewelry-making.
