Abstract:
Amadeo is known as the “Coffee Capital of the Philippines.” In 2002, the town began
celebrating the Pahimis Coffee Festival, a thanksgiving festival for its bountiful coffee harvest.
Since then, the people of Amadeo have gathered to celebrate their rich coffee heritage with street
dancing, trade fairs, farm tours, agricultural symposiums, cultural nights, and more. However,
2019 marked the last year of its celebration, primarily due to the devastating effects of the Taal
Volcano eruption and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the discontinuation of the Pahimis
Coffee Festival, there is a need to preserve its legacy, as it has become an integral part of the
history and identity of Amadeo. Employing the historical research method, this research aimed to
explore and narrate the history of the Pahimis Coffee Festival from its inception in 2002 until its
last celebration in 2019. The findings revealed that the Pahimis Coffee Festival was part of the
provincial government’s initiative to revive the country’s declining coffee industry at the time.
Through the combined efforts of the Municipality of Amadeo and various public and private
stakeholders, it was successfully held for almost two decades. Moreover, the festival had three
significant outcomes: Amadeo was officially proclaimed the Coffee Capital of the Philippines,
the Café Amadeo Development Cooperative was established, and the Adopt-A-Farm Program
was launched. Considering the discontinuation of the Pahimis Coffee Festival and the rapid
urbanization and modernization affecting localities, this research underscores the importance of
documenting and preserving local histories to safeguard the cultural heritage and identity of
communities.