“Clever” Pavilion to Carry Philippine Torch at Shanghai Expo

Designed by the firm of famous Filipino architect Ed Calma the pavilion’s façade will be dominated by the Pinoy hand as its major visual statement “to emphasize the human dimension in urbanization, and to assert the Filipino’s genius at (hand)crafting vital relationships through work, art, and play.” Hands belonging to artists, workers, peasants, women, men and boxing heroes, among others, shall be painted on all sides of the pavilion exterior and the queuing area.

“The façade is a montage of images of Filipino hands —embodying a culture of kindness and sympathy, virtuoso craftsmanship, and intelligent labor. For the Philippines, the message to be conveyed by the montage is new: that this is a country whose people understands and values the work of hands,” Roces explained.

To mirror the Philippines own theme of “Performing Cities,” its pavilion’s interior shall present a “seamless melange of exhibitions, performances and videos that showcase the assets of the Philippines’ best performing cities. These cities are Iloilo, Naga, Cebu, Manila, Malaybalay, Puerto Princesa, Davao, Calbayog, San Fernando (La Union), Makati and Taguig cities.

“These cities were chosen according to World Bank standards as the best cities in the Philippines in terms of history, being on the edge and as emergent cities,’ Department of Tourism secretary Joseph Durano said.

The Expo Theme

A survey of the other participating countries would reveal that the Philippine pavilion would present one of the most liberal interpretations of the Expo theme. And it will be inevitably compared with more literal interpretations by the other countries.

A Kontra Gapi member teaches a Beijing TV reporter how to play an indigenous musical instrument during the press conference at the Coconut Palace last April 8. (Photo by Rose-An Jessica Dioquino / bulatlat.com)

Singapore says that its Pavilion “will showcase its achievements in urban planning, water technology and environmental services while promoting closer people-to-people relations between China and Singapore.” The tiny island nation’s pavilion will also highlight the progressive city’s “ability to offer a high-quality and integrated environment to live, work and play within a compact area through sustainable planning and development.”

Hong Kong’s 2,000 square meter pavilion, on the other hand, will house an indoor wetland park replicating the Hong Kong Wetland Park that explores “green living in Hong Kong” and its unique “one country, two systems” social structure.

The United States announced its pavilion’s theme is “Rising to the Challenge.” The US World Expo 2010 website says that it will “tell the story of the American spirit of perseverance, innovation, and community-building in a multi-dimensional, hi-tech presentation. The Pavilion presents the U.S. as a place of opportunity and diversity where people come together to change their communities for the better.”

The United Kingdom boasts that with its millions of gardens, thousands of public parks and garden squares, it has pioneered the integration of nature into cities as a way of making them healthier places in which to live and work. The UK Pavilion encourages visitors to look at the role of nature and wonder whether it could be used to solve the current social, economic and environmental challenges of its cities.

Undaunted

But the POC seems undaunted.

“While we can not promise that we will again bag the gold, we can promise that the Philippine will be the most fun,” Roces explained.

There will be daily live performances by world-class Filipino artists such as pianist Cecille Licad, the Philippine Madrigal Singers, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, sopranos Rachelle Gerodiea and Joanna Go, the neo-ethnic musical group Kontra Gapi, Ballet Philippines, and many others.

The performances will be supplemented by an exhibit of Philippine musical instruments as well as various photography and video installations interpreting how Philippine cities perform.

Other exhibit features include a travel café, a “Pinoy Hilot” service, a boutique, as well as special events such as concerts, parties, gala shows, and others.

The Philippine National Day will be celebrated in the Philippine Pavilion on June 9. It will also celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China on the same day.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is expected to fly to Shanghai on June 9 for the event. It may be her last foreign trip before she steps down as President at the end of that month.

The POC could not confirm if a senior official from the Beijing Central Government would be able to attend, however.

The Philippine participation to the Shanghai World Expo would cost about PhP450 million, more than half of which is being sourced from corporate sponsors and the Filipino-Chinese chambers of commerce. (Bulatlat.com)