Over 100 workers from the government’s emergency employment program participated in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the “Most People Planting Bamboo Simultaneously” in Villaba, Leyte on 18 October, 2024.

Leyte 3rd District Congresswoman Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon stated that over 200 individuals joined the event in Leyte, including more than 100 beneficiaries of the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.

The event, known as Kawayanihan, was organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) with support from the Climate Change Commission. The bamboo planting initiative took place in 19 villages across Mindanao and one in Leyte, with over 20,000 participants nationwide.

Tuazon, who serves as the House of Representatives vice chair for the committees on climate change and sustainable development goals, said the initiative aims to highlight bamboo’s role in promoting a circular economy, climate resilience, and sustainability.

She is also one of the principal authors of House Bill No. 7941, the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Act, which was approved on third reading in the House on 29 May 2023 and is currently pending in the Senate.

Organizers of the Leyte site said aside from the TUPAD beneficiaries, around 100 planters from various government agencies and civic groups participated, each planting one bamboo sapling.

Tuazon emphasized the importance of the global $70-billion bamboo industry in the circular economy strategy and the creative industries platform in Leyte.

“Developing an industry around bamboo products that can replace plastics can drive green economic growth by creating jobs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, addressing plastic pollution, and improving environmental quality,” Tuazon said.

DOST’s Ocaña added that the results of the Guinness World Record attempt will be announced on 28 November, 2024, during the Circular Economy Forum at the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (NSTW) in Cagayan de Oro City.