Sorsogon has set another Guinness World, this time for creating the largest pili nut brittle or praline (Pili Kunserba), measuring an astounding 144.16 square meters.

The record-breaking feat was held at the Sorsogon Provincial Gymnasium on October 16, 2025, as part of this year’s Kasanggayahan Festival, bringing together hundreds of participants from all over the province to create the massive pili nut brittle, or conserva, as locals call it.

According to Jerome D. Dio, Curator of Museo Sorsogon and one of the event organizers, the idea came from Mayor Ester E. Hamor and Governor Edwin Hamor to further promote the province’s pride, the pili nut, to the world.

“It represents our collective effort to have our province officially declared as the 'Pili Capital of the Philippines'... It served as a platform for us Sorsoganons to showcase our unity, culture, and pride,” Dio told GMA Regional TV News.

The historic attempt began early in the morning, with a final orientation held at 7 a.m. for all participants.

The massive effort involved 260 cooks from Sorsogon’s 14 municipalities, many of whom are business owners engaged in pili-based products.

They were joined by reservists from the 505th Community Defense Center, employees from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, members of the Kalinisan Program, pili shop owners, and students from Sorsogon State University.

“We provided them with a final briefing and important reminders to ensure the success and safety of the official attempt. We made sure that each team had a complete number of participants,” Dio added.

Each team had a clear role in the operation:

• The Cooks manned 130 stations and spent over an hour and a half preparing the pili nut mixture carefully.
• The Transporters, composed of Philippine Army reservists, hand-carried the heavy woks filled with hot mixture from each station to the massive mold at the center of the venue.
• The Layering Team took over from there, spreading the golden mixture across the mold, ensuring the thickness and smoothness met their target.
• The Washing Team, mostly from the provincial government’s Kalinisan Program, cleaned each used wok and utensil to keep the operation efficient and sanitary.

After the cooking and layering were completed, official adjudicators, measurement specialists, hygiene inspectors, and independent witnesses conducted a detailed inspection and validation of the finished product.

Once the measurements were confirmed, three more teams stepped in:

• The Cutting Team divided the giant brittle into bite-sized pieces.
• The Packing Team sealed and weighed each bag as required by Guinness guidelines.
• The Distribution Team then handed the sweet treats to the public, meeting Guinness’ condition that all edible items must be distributed for human consumption.

Despite the event’s success, Dio said the journey was not without challenges. The original attempt in October 2024 was canceled due to a typhoon, and this year’s celebration once again faced the threat of bad weather.

“By the grace of God, the three-day celebration of the Kasanggayahan Festival was completed before the storm arrived,” he said.

This marks Sorsogon’s second Guinness World Record, following its 2019 recognition for staging the Largest Filipino Folk Dance, where 7,127 dancers performed the traditional Pantomina sa Tinampo in Sorsogon City.

“We always ensure that our Guinness World Record attempts are anchored in our culture and tourism... In 2025, our focus is the tourism and agricultural icon of Sorsogon: the pili nut,” Dio said.