This week, San Pedro City, Laguna is set to once again celebrate what was once its most important traditional industry through the Sampaguita Festival.
The 2024 Sampaguita Festival is anchored on the efforts of the current leadership of San Pedro City under Mayor Art Mercado to revive the planting and trade of sampaguita flowers in the city.
With activities including a “Shark Tank” where aspiring entrepreneurs can pitch in their products made from sampaguita flowers, the city government is banking on this year’s festival to rekindle the interest of San Pedrenses in what was once the main industry in their city.
The harsh reality, however, is that almost all lands in the city – once vast sampaguita plantations – have given over to commercial, residential and industrial complexes that now define the landscape of the city.
Still, there are opportunities for the city’s sampaguita sector to grow – and not just through encouraging every San Pedrense to plant sampaguita flowers in their backyards and vacant spaces, which is the main tactic of the current Mercado administration.
The city government, for instance, could forge partnerships with other towns in Laguna province, particularly in the eastern side where vast portions of land are still available for flower plantations.
It could be actually the “win-win” solution everybody is hoping for: the city government can not only revive what was once a thriving sampaguita trading industry in San Pedro City but provide much-needed opportunities for these towns where income is generally below that of major cities in the western portion of the province.
The current administration, to its credit, has given hope for the traditional sampaguita farmers and traders in San Pedro City that their way of livelihood could be passed on to future generations.
However, it doesn’t hurt to “think outside the box” (literally) and explore more opportunities beyond the confines of the city if the local government is serious in making sampaguita flowers bloom again – and not just in San Pedro but all across the country.
After all, sampaguita is the National Flower and Filipinos must be proud of it.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonEditorial #SampaguitaFestival2024