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Monkayo, officially the Municipality of Monkayo (; ), is a municipality in the province of Davao de Oro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 93,937 people, making it the most populous town in the province.
Monkayo is an agricultural town, with vast tracts of land planted to rice and banana. The municipality is also host to the gold-rich barangay of Mount Diwata, popularly known as "Diwalwal" (which in the local dialect means one's tongue is hanging out due to exhaustion), a 1,000-meter high range known for its rich gold ore deposit.
In the other related version, it is believed that a certain Fr. Ladour, the first missionary priest assigned in the area, gave the place the name of Moncayo Massif, a snow-topped mountain dividing the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile, in Spain, probably as an analogy to the high mountains in the area that reminded him of his own place of birth.
Monkayo became a Municipality District in 1917. The position given to the highest official was District President. The first one appointed to the position was Adolfo Mongado, the first Mandayan educator who served from 1917 to 1925. The other prominent leaders who held the same position were : Ignacio Cervantes – 1926–1933; Ildefonso Labrador – 1934–1935; and Pedro Aroma – 1936–1937. The title of the position was changed to District Mayor in 1938 with the following officials: Jose Ibañez who served from 1938 to 1939, followed by Feliciano Cervantes who held the position from 1940 up to the end of the World War II.
During the Second World War, Monkayo was made an important military outpost. The 81st Military Division under the command of Col. Kangleon was established in the Poblacion and was named Camp Kalaw.
On September 4, 1954, Monkayo became a separate district and founded as a Municipality by virtue of a Presidential Executive Order No. 65 by then President Ramon Magsaysay of the Republic of the Philippines. The first mayor was Angelo Ortiz (Sept. 1954–Oct. 1955), who also was responsible for making Monkayo an independent municipality. Alejandro Peñaranda (Nov. 1955-Dec. 1955) was the shortest reigning mayor for only one month, the next appointed mayor who donated portion of his land which became part of the Municipal Town Site. He was followed by Severino Lacson (Jan. 1956-Nov. 1964), Jose T. Amacio (Nov. 1964-Mar. 1972), and Anastacio C. Basañes. After the EDSA Revolution, Mayor Anastacio Basañes was succeeded by Constantino Alcaraz (April 1986 – 1992) as Officer In-Charge by virtue of the Freedom Constitution implemented under President Corazon Aquino. He was succeeded by Rizal G. Gentugaya, and Avelino T. Cabag (1998 to 2001).
In September 1983, gold was discovered by a Lumad named Camilo Banad at Mount Diwata in the town's mountainous eastern portion. The deposits found were estimated to have contained $1.8 billion worth of untapped gold reserves. The discovery of such massive gold deposits triggered a massive gold rush of unprecedented scale by people from all over the Philippines into the mountain, that at one point the mining community at the mountain's slopes became home to some 100,000 to 130,000 "The Diwalwal gold mining community is built on stilts along the hill slopes, without any water or sanitation. Over 130,000 people lived there during its hey-days in late 1980's. Today there are less than 30,000. In 12-hour shifts, 10,000 miners dig for gold more than 200 meters underground. The work is dangerous and cave-ins are common. In 1989, 1,000 people were killed in just one landslide. Miners chip away with hammers and metal spikes at the white rock from which the gold will be extracted. They carry 75-kg bags of ore for several kilometres through tunnels often only a meter wide. Salary is either 15% of the gold found, or more recently 130 pesos a day (less than US$ 3). Mercury inhalation and methyl-mercury ingestion have sent many miners and people living near mining camps to either their sick or death beds." Getty Images - Diwata inhabitants and prospectors by the late 1980's, making Monkayo one of the largest towns in Davao Region during this time. This led to the incorporation of the mining community on Mount Diwata into a barangay of Monkayo in 1987 via Provincial Proclamation No. 01 of the province of Davao del Norte, in which the town was a part of prior to the creation of the province of Compostela Valley, the present-day Davao de Oro, in 1998. The unorganized gold rush resulted in deaths of miners from mercury and lead poisoning, accidents and mine collapses, as well as killings from various groups including Lumad tribal militias, Communist rebels, segments of the Moro National Liberation Front, other paramilitary groups, mercenaries at the hire of giant corporations vying for the control of the numerous mines in the area, and government forces including the Philippine Army, police and the Constabulary trying to maintain or restore order. To prevent further incidents from happening as well as to regulate the otherwise unregulated mining in the area, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Proclamation No. 297 in year 2002 declaring a huge part of the mountain as a mineral reserve and an environmentally critical area. Despite the presidential proclamation and prior regulatory Republic Acts, however, the mining in the Diwalwal area continues to the present day. DENR, COMPOSTELA VALLEY LGU TEAM UP FOR NABOC RIVER
On June 28, 2003, Mayor Joel Brillantes was assassinated by lone gunman Aniceto Dejeto Jr. in Davao City. Dejeto himself was shot dead shortly after by three unknown men according to Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Chief Eduardo Matillano.
It is the most populous among the municipalities of Compostela Valley.
Ethnic groups:
There are 37 public elementary schools within Monkayo, namely;
There are also three private elementary schools, namely;
Public High Schools:
Private High School:
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