World’s Biggest Coin Mosaic by Western Union
An anniversary for any brand is always something to look forward to. This is especially so if it is marked with an extraordinary feat and an undeniable benefit to the public. This is exactly what Western Union sought and achieved during the celebration of its milestone 25th year of service in the Philippines. Last September 29-30, 2015, Western Union attempted and successfully created the world’s biggest coin mosaic with the accompanying goal of providing multimedia learning tools to 25 elementary public schools across the country.
Official Attempt for GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™
Western Union’s attempt to create the World’s largest coin mosaic for validation by GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ was by no means easy. It took the painstaking efforts of 25 teams, working for 25 hours in order to provide the promised equipment to 25 public schools. The image was formed by Php 5- and 10-centavo copper coins, the bronze colored 25-centavo coin, the silver finish of P1, the gold finish of P5, and the dual tone silver and gold face of the P10 coin.
The total value of the coins used in mounting the coin mosaic will be part of Western Union’s Technology Aiding the Nation’s Youth to Accelerate Growth program or TANYAG. The company tapped the Knowledge Channel Foundation in providing both the hardware and content of the multimedia libraries with each of the 25 public schools receiving a multimedia package, consisting of a 32” LED television with a set of speakers, and a laptop preloaded with Knowledge Channel’s educational videos. The recipients of the multimedia libraries will be 25 public schools, with five in Metro Manila, ten in Luzon, six in the Visayas, and four in Mindanao.
Confirmed by GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ judge Jack Brockbank, Western Union’s record-breaking coin mosaic is indeed the world’s largest ever made in terms of surface area. Western Union’s coin mosaic forms the image of the company’s 25th anniversary logo with the image of a rising sun to represent hope and a brighter future while the abstract of a dove symbolizes the company’s ambition for the young children who will benefit from this project. The logo celebrates and reaffirms the company’s commitment towards bringing a better life for the Filipino through financial progress.
Other highlights of the 25th anniversary celebration includes the printing of special anniversary stamps by The Philippine Postal Service (Philpost), specially designed and freshly minted commemorative medals by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Heroes for better campaign, a program launched to recognize and celebrate Filipino heroes from around the world who have dedicated their lives to serving their Fellow Filipinos without anything in return.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of June 30, 2015, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined network of over 500,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories and over 100,000 ATMs and kiosks, and included the capability to send money to millions of bank accounts. In 2014, The Western Union Company completed 255 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $85 billion of principal between consumers, and 484 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
Western Union started operations in the Philippines in 1990 and has expanded to more than 8000 locations nationwide. Across the globe, Western Union has over 500,000 agent locations in over 200 countries and territories.
My Say
This was actually the first time I witnessed first-hand the breaking of a world record and to have such record officially recognized by GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™. It was a very exciting experience as we all waited with bated breath for the judge to officially announce the recognition. The exhilaration was felt by all since we all knew the great effort that went to it. It has been 25 years that Western Union has been moving the Filipino for better. This event is just but one evidence of that.
