Looking for pine trees? Try Quiboloy's Glory Mountain

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Even President Aquino himself has noticed the lost glory of Baguio City, whose famous pine trees have slowly vanished due to urbanization.

The President said he would help restore Baguio, a leading tourist destination, by bringing back the “scent of pine trees.”

But unknown to many, the biggest concentration of pine trees in the country can actually be found on the slopes of Mt. Apo at the “Glory Mountain” of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ the Name Above Every Name in Barangay Tamayong here.

The 25-hectare Glory Mountain is actually just a stone’s throw away from Quiboloy’s Prayer Mountain complex that houses the pastoral houses of the congregation.

The Glory Mountain has more than 50,000 pine trees planted in an area at the foot of Mt. Apo, the country’s highest mountain.

The Glory Mountain was so named by Quiboloy as the “restored paradise on earth” in “adoration of the glory of God the Father.”

In 2000, Quiboloy, through the Sonshine Philippines Movement that he founded, decided to plant pine trees as part of his reforestation project in Barangay Tamayong, where he was born.

Every year since 2000, thousands of Quiboloy’s followers have trooped to Glory Mountain to plant more pine trees.

An average pine tree reportedly absorbs 10 kilos of carbon dioxide each year and releases pure oxygen enough for four persons each day.

Pine trees also reportedly serves as air conditioner or air purifier, as each tree could reduce as much as 7,000 dust particles in each liter of air.