San Pablo City has officially secured a Guinness World Record for the largest number of coconut seedlings planted simultaneously, with thousands of residents participating across multiple barangays.
This historic achievement was officially confirmed by Mr. Swapnil Dangarikar, an official adjudicator from Guinness World Records, who traveled all the way from India to personally witness, verify, and approve the record-setting event.
Approximately 10,000 coconut seedlings were planted in 11 rural barangays across the city. This massive effort supports the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to plant millions of coconut trees nationwide as part of the National Coconut Week celebration and the broader push to rehabilitate the coconut industry in the Philippines.
🌱 A Greener Mission Behind the Record
đź“Ł San Pablo City Mayor Loreto “Najie” Gapangada emphasized that the world record is just one part of a much larger vision.
“Securing the Guinness World Record is only one aspect of this event. What’s even more important is the environmental impact and raising public awareness on the importance of coconut tree planting to help rehabilitate our coconut industry. Once, San Pablo was the top producer of coconuts. Our goal is to bring back that title and expand the development of coconut-based products,” said Mayor Gapangada.
đź’Ľ The Economic Impact of the Coconut Industry
According to Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Region IV-A Director Bibiano C. Consibido Jr, public awareness and participation are crucial to strengthening the country’s coconut sector.
“We need greater awareness so more people can support this industry. Coconut is an agricultural crop that generates over two billion dollars annually in export earnings. While we import several agricultural products, coconut is one of our major exports to various countries. That’s why this industry is vital—it provides both income for the country and livelihood for over 25 million Filipino farmers,” he stated.
🤝 Continued Support Across the Province
The Provincial Government of Laguna expressed its full support for this initiative and plans to replicate the same activity in various municipalities across the province, aiming to sustain the momentum and further promote the coconut industry revival.
