There's still three months to go before the much-anticipated Sampaguita Festival in San Pedro City, Laguna, but the city government has decided to kick off one key item in its activity list early.
Last February 22, as the city celebrated the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, the LGU took the opportunity to launch the first salvo of the Sampaguita Festival, through the "Search for the Most Creative Sampaguita Community Garden."
"Kung noong nakaraan pong mga taon, ang naging highlight po ng ating Sampaguita Festival ay ang ‘Shark Tank’ at ang sampaguita garland-making contest, this year po, isa po sa magiging highlight ay ang 'Sampaguita Community Garden' project," Jhe-rico Sam Colina, head of the San Pedro City Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO), explained in an interview with OpinYon Laguna.
The Sampaguita Community Garden project is open to all barangays and homeowners’ associations (HOA) to all Barangay Community Organizations and Homeowner's Associations (HOA).
Under the project, these groups must plant sampaguitas in an open space with an area of no less than 30x30 square meters.
“Sobrang generous nga po ng City Agriculture Office natin, hindi lang po yung mga sampaguita saplings ang ibibigay nila sa mga participants, pati na rin po mga gamit pangtanim, ibinigay rin sa kanila,” Colina added.
From March to April 2025, teams from the San Pedro City Tourism, Culture and Arts Office (CTCAO) and the City Agriculture Office (CAgO), will monitor the status of the sampaguita gardens.
Judging period will be from April 21 to 25, 2025, while the awards for the best sampaguita gardens will be given on May 1, the first day of the Sampaguita Festival.
Strong desire
What made the Sampaguita Festival organizers decide on this program, Colina recounted, is what he described as a “strong desire” among locals to revive what was once one of the city’s main agricultural sectors.
It can be recalled that since taking over in 2022, San Pedro City Mayor Art Mercado has pushed for the rejuvenation of the sampaguita-planting and trading industry in San Pedro City.
"Marami na pong nagpahayag ng interes na muling magtanim ng sampaguita; ang problema lang po ay kung saan po sila kukuha ng seedlings. So this is one way upang maibalik natin ang mga taniman ng sampaguita, and in the future, we hope, sila naman ang magpo-provide ng seedlings o mga tanim na sampaguita sa mga nagnanais magtanim," he explained.
Given that what was once the vast expanse of sampaguita plantations had already given way to residential and industrial complexes, Colina expressed the hope that the “Sampaguita Community Garden” program will also encourage backyard planting of sampaguitas in every household in San Pedro City.
"Ang goal natin dito is to influence the public, as well as the private sector, na sumali sa ating mga effort upang maibalik ang sampaguita, especially considering that ang end goal talaga natin ay magkaroon ng sampaguita sa bawat bahay at bawat negosyo dito sa San Pedro City," he added.
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