ITOGON, BENGUET – Under the cool September air of the Cordillera, a quiet kind of triumph took center stage last Saturday, Sept. 26, as Baguio City artist Adelaida “Adel” Guia unveiled her Guinness World Records-recognized mandala at Mt. Camisong Forest Park and Events.
The unveiling celebrated more than a single remarkable artwork. It honored the patience and imagination behind the piece, and the craftsmanship of local artists across the Cordillera.
Guia’s piece, titled “Wishing Star,” earned her the Guinness World Records title for the largest mandala crocheted by a single person. Measuring six meters, or roughly 19 feet, in diameter and covering 28.03 square meters, the mandala is large enough for 18 people to lie down within its woven circle. It now graces the pines of Mt. Camisong.
A Celebration of Cordilleran Creativity
Mt. Camisong President Oliver Samala, UP Baguio’s Avereen Tibalao, Itogon Public Information Officer Victorio Palangdan Jr., DOT-Cordillera Regional Director Jovita Ganongan, and Baguio City Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda share their congratulations for Adelaida Guia during the unveiling.
The unveiling at Mt. Camisong drew well-wishers, art lovers, community leaders, and government officials who came to honor both the artist and the wider community she represents.
Department of Tourism-Cordillera Regional Director Jovita Ganongan congratulated Guia, noting that the achievement carries special meaning for Baguio as a UNESCO Creative City. Guia’s success, she said, shows how creativity can become a genuine source of pride, inspiration, and identity for the community.
Mt. Camisong Forest Park and Events Chairman Ludette Querubin and President Oliver Samala led the park’s welcome, extending their congratulations to Guia on behalf of the entire Mt. Camisong family. In a congratulatory speech, Mr. Samala honored the years of patience behind the work and thanked the artist for making Mt. Camisong part of her record-setting win and for choosing the park to showcase it to the public.
Congratulatory messages came from across the region. Baguio City Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda and Itogon Public Information Officer Victorio Palangdan Jr. each offered their congratulations, while Ms. Avereen Tibalao, Community Relations Officer of UPB-TTBDO and UPB Silbi, spoke on behalf of the University of the Philippines Baguio community. Together, their words underscored how widely Guia’s achievement is felt — from the city to the municipality to the academe.
That recognition runs deep in the region. Baguio was designated the Philippines’ first UNESCO Creative City in 2017 for its rich crafts and folk art, and Guia is an active member of the Baguio Creative Council formed in its wake. Alongside her husband Philip, she also built a startup artisan craft store, Abiakak — “kakaiba,” the Filipino word for unusual or uncommon, spelled backward.
A Guinness World Record Mandala Finds a Home Among the Pines
Adelaida Guia (center, with bouquet) is joined by Mt. Camisong Forest Park and Events Chairman Ludette Querubin, President Oliver Samala, and fellow officials and community leaders in front of “Wishing Star,” now on display at the park.
For Mt. Camisong, hosting the unveiling was a natural extension of what the park has always stood for. At its heart, that means nature, sustainability, and the communities of Itogon — so welcoming a work built on patience and local artistry felt like a homecoming.
“Wishing Star” is now on display at Mt. Camisong Forest Park and Events, where residents and visitors alike are invited to come and see the record-setting work in person — to stand before 28.03 square meters of color and craft, and to be reminded of what a single, determined pair of hands can achieve.
Guia hopes her recognition will shine a light on indigenous weavers and other overlooked artisans like herself, opening doors that have long been reserved for the country’s most established names. If the crowd gathered among the pines last Saturday was any indication, that light has already begun to spread.
