Guinness World Records Recognized a Filipina: Largest Collection of Jigsaw Puzzles

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Today the Guinness World Records recognized Ms. Gina Gil Lacuna as the record holder for "The World's Largest Collection of Jigsaw Puzzles in any Size, Shape or Form". The awarding was held at the very prestigious The Puzzle Mansion located in Tagaytay City.

The award was handed by no other than Guinness World Records Adjudicator and Representative of Turkey, Seyda Subasi Gemici, with the official Guinness Certificate attesting to the new record she has set in this category. Ms. Gina Lacuna's collection boasts 1,030 jigsaw puzzles.  All the puzzles in the collection were completed by ma'am Gina herself and are all housed at the Puzzle Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Tagaytay City.  The previous record for jigsaw puzzles was 238, collected by Luiza Figuereido of Brazil on May 21, 2010.

The puzzles in Ms. Lacuna's collection were adjudicated this morning in the presence of two official witnesses, Sister Angeline Ilagan and Professor Monette Narciso of the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts.  The puzzle collection includes mural-sized puzzles that are 14 feet long and 5 feet tall and smaller pieces of various shapes and sizes, some in 3D and 4D.

Ms. Lacuna is currently working on one jigsaw puzzle that is acknowledged also by Guinness to be the biggest jigsaw puzzle in existence in the world : Keith Haring’s Double Retrospect with 32,000 puzzle pieces – 17 feet long and 6 feet tall.

According to ma'am Gina she began doing jigsaw puzzles 27 years ago, says she is able to finish two 500-piece puzzles a day and a 1000-pieces puzzle overnight. “If the puzzles have only 300 pieces, I am able to finish five of them in one day,” she said.

The awarding ceremony was also witnessed by local and foreign dignitaries, like Tagaytay Mayor Abraham Tolentino and Director Luella Jurilla of the Calabarzon Region who represented Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez. Friends from local and international media were also present during the occasion.

Mayor Tolentino said, “We are very proud to have this awesome puzzle collection in our City and this recognition from Guinness World Records, the ultimate authority on record-breaking achievements, will place Tagaytay on the world map. The Puzzle Mansion will now be included in their local package travel offerings such as the Lakbay Aral. We congratulate Ms. Lacuna on her singular feat and salute her for the role that her puzzles will play in boosting tourism in this part of the country,” 

For her part, Ms. Lacuna said she wants to turn more people – especially the youth – into solving jigsaw puzzles. “They are very rewarding to do because they are educational and have many psychological and health benefits as well. They relax you even as they make you think. According to doctors, working on difficult jigsaw puzzles exercises your brain. The more you work your brain, the better off your mind will be. Solving jigsaw puzzles can help stave off memory loss and brain aging.”

The event ended with a very beautiful fireworks display brightening the Tagaytay skyline.

The puzzle collection is on view daily at The Puzzle Mansion from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Sunday with minimal entrance fee of P100.00.  For more information about the puzzle collection and The Puzzle Mansion, visit www.Facebook.com/puzzlemansion

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