In a celebration marked by festive beat of drums, colorful flags, and vibrant cultural performance, the Philippine Coconut Authority kicked off its 2024 Coconut Week Celebration on August 27 at the PCA headquarters.

The event celebrates 𝟑𝟖 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, honoring the industry’s contributions to the nation’s economy and gathering key stakeholders and valued partners, including representatives from the Department of Agriculture, led by Undersecretary Roger V. Navarro, standing in for Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. alongside key figures from the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) implementing agencies and industry leaders, all of whom played a role in launching new initiatives aimed at strengthening the coconut sector.

In his address, PCA Administrator Dexter R. Buted, represented by PCA Deputy Administrator Roy T. Devesa (Research and Development Branch), highlighted the significance of these initiatives, linking them to the agency’s "BAYANIyugan" campaign. “𝑇𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑃𝐶𝐴, 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦, 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠. 𝐵𝐴𝑌𝐴𝑁𝐼𝑦𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑔𝑛; 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛—𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝐶𝐴, 𝐶𝐹𝐼𝐷𝑃 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝐿𝐺𝑈𝑠, 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒-𝑜𝑓-𝑡ℎ𝑒-𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦.”

The weeklong celebration features several activities, including the 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 (𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲) 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 on August 27 at the PCA Central Office, 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 on August 28, 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 & 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜 via Zoom on the same day, 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 on August 29-30 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), and 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 on August 30.

National Coconut Week is rooted in Proclamation No. 142, Series of 1987, which designates the last week of August as a time to honor the enduring existence of the coconut industry. This annual event pays tribute to the farmers, workers, traders, processors, and policymakers who contribute to the industry’s growth and underscores its lasting significance to the nation's economic and social fabric.

A major highlight of this year’s celebration is the nationwide simultaneous coconut planting activity, a key undertaking by the PCA to secure the long-term supply of coconut—a critical component of the country's food security and sustainability efforts. This initiative is aligned with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s directive to reinvigorate the coconut industry by planting 100 million coconut trees by 2028, reinforcing the administration’s commitment to revitalizing the industry and ensuring its sustainability.

This celebration is not just a reflection of the past 38 years but a powerful statement of the unity and strength driving the industry forward. The PCA's efforts, in collaboration with its partners, promise a brighter and more sustainable future for the coconut industry and the millions of Filipinos who depend on it.

As the 2024 Coconut Week unfolds, the PCA calls on all stakeholders and the Filipino public to participate in the nationwide planting activity on August 28, symbolizing a collective commitment to the future of the coconut industry and the nation’s agricultural resilience.