Republic of the Philippines

House of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Twentieth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, 2010

Introduced by Representative Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes G. Matibag

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to declare May 8 of every year as a special nonworking
holiday in the City of San Pedro, Province of Laguna, to be known as
“Sampaguita Day.”

Named after its patron saint, Peter the Apostle, the Municipality of San
Pedro became a component city in the Province of Laguna by virtue of Republic
Act No. 10420, otherwise known as the “Charter of the City of San Pedro.”
Based on the 2020 census, it has a population of 326,001. San Pedro City has
been known as the “dormitory town” of Metro Manila and migrants from other
provinces travel daily through its efficient road and transport system. Despite
being one of the smallest political units in the Province of Laguna, with a total
land area of 24.05 square kilometers (km2), San Pedro City is the 5th most
populous city after the cities of Calamba, Santa Rosa, Bifian and Cabuyao. It
also has the highest population density in the province and CALABARZON
region, with 14,000 people/km2.

Having a 20-kilometer tourism belt to promote the city’s beauty and
attract more tourists, the City of San Pedro created the San Pedro Tourism
Council, a public and private sector partnership. In 1999, the tourism council
rolled out a cultural event dubbed “Manok ni San Pedro Festival” with the
theme “Unang Tilaok ng Manok.” The festival kicked off with tribal street
dancing, cultural presentations and a parade of floats that showed the iconic
rooster of St. Peter. In 2000, pomp and pageantry were added to the festival
with the launching of “Hiyas ng San Pedro.”

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The “Manok ni San Pedro Festival” was renamed “Sampaguita
Festival” in 2002 and is celebrated annually every second week of February.
The week-long celebration features various activities ranging from cultural to
sports, trade fairs, amateur singing competitions, parades, historical exhibits,
social and religious gatherings, tribal and street dances, cheering, and sports
exhibitions. The festival’s goal is to celebrate the national flower of the
Philippines, encourage tourism in San Pedro and promote the sampaguita
business.

In 2009, the Sampaguita Festival, participated by different barangay and
city officials and employees, members of different homeowners associations
and non-government organizations, and thousands of students from various
schools, formed the world’s longest ever fresh sampaguita flower lei that gained
recognition all over the world. San Pedro City holds the record of laying the
longest sampaguita line spanning 3.6 kilometers, from Bifian-San Pedro City
boundary to San Pedro-Muntinlupa City boundary on the national highway,
making them listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The City of San Pedro is acknowledged as the heart of sampaguita for its
thriving sampaguita industry. The San Pedrenses have long known the
importance of sampaguita in their lives, and it is formally recognized by the city
government through the passage of City Ordinance No. 2018-08, entitled “An
Ordinance Declaring the Month of May of Every Year as “Sampaguita Month”
in the City of San Pedro, Laguna. Likewise, the national government expressed
its support to San Pedrenses in the celebration of sampaguita festival through
the issuance of several Presidential proclamations such as Proclamation No.
1011, Series of 2006, entitled “Declaring Wednesday, February 22, 2006, as a
Special (Non-Working) Day in the Municipality of San Pedro, Laguna”;
Proclamation No. 338, Series of 2012, entitled “Declaring Tuesday, 21
February 2012, as a Special (Non-Working) Day in the Municipality of San
Pedro, Province of Laguna”; and Proclamation No. 549, Series of 2013,
entitled “Declaring Friday, 22 February 2013, as a Special (Non-Working) Day
in the Municipality of San Pedro, Province of Laguna.”

The importance of the symbolic sampaguita as a natural heritage must be
emphasized. It holds the pride of both the locality of San Pedro City and the
entire country. It is fitting and proper that the San Pedrenses be given full
opportunity to celebrate the Sampaguita Festival with appropriate ceremonies.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

MA. RENE ANN LOURDES G. MATIBAG


Republic of the Philippines

House of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Twentieth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 2010

Introduced by Representative Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes G. Matibag

AN ACT
DECLARING MAY 8 OF EVERY YEAR AS A_ SPECIAL
NONWORKING HOLIDAY IN THE CITY OF SAN PEDRO,
PROVINCE OF LAGUNA TO BE KNOWN AS “SAMPAGUITA DAY”

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of the Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. May 8 of every year is declared a special nonworking
holiday in the City of San Pedro, Province of Laguna, to be known as
“Sampaguita Day,” to commemorate the importance of the sampaguita flower
to the lives of the people of the City of San Pedro.

SEC. 2. The local government of the City of San Pedro shall conduct
community programs and activities that promote cultural identity, enrich arts
and crafts, and ensure meaningful observance of the Sampaguita Day.

SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,