In 1904 the Americans exhibited over 1,100 native Filipinos, including Negritos, Igorot, Moros, Bagobos, Tagalogs and Visayans over 47 acres at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis, Missouri Dubbed as the “largest and the finest colonial exhibit,” the Philippine Exhibition. Let's try to gather as much photos and information about this exhibition and learn a lot from it.

Here is a map showing the location of the Philippine exhibit.

http://www.lyndonirwin.com/map700.jpg

Here is another one

http://encyclopedia.quickseek.com/images/Worlds-fair-st-louis-1904.png

Check this link for a closer look of the map:

http://tlaupp.com/philmap.html

^^

wow..

Here is a link that shows some of the pictures taken at the exhibit

http://exhibits.slpl.org/lpe/data/LPE240023313.asp?thread=240029456

^^ Oh I guess, these are the same postings.

Here is a link on the Philippine Exhibit during the 1904 Louisiana State Fair.

Celebrating the Louisiana Purchase - Philippine Exhibit (http://exhibits.slpl.org/lpe/data/LPE240023313.asp?thread=240029456)

There was an account that the term "dogeaters" was attached to Filipinos eventhough not all the Filipino populace eat dogs, because the Igorots in the exhibit were shown to slaughter dogs everyday and cook those for their meals.

A play had been made on this by Ma-Yi Theater to show how the Igorots who joined that exhibit felt used by such display.

DOGTOWN U.S.A.: AN IGOROT LEGACY IN THE MIDWEST
By: VIRGILIO R. PILAPIL
Originally published in: Journal of Filipino American National Historical Society, Vol. 2, 1992. This version is from: Heritage, Jun 1994, Vol. 8 Issue 2, p15, 4p, 3bw

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, also called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the purchase of Louisiana from France by the United States.

At that time, Louisiana comprised nearly one-third of the present continental United States which presently includes the States of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Montana, and parts of Minnesota, Wyoming, and Colorado.

The Fair was dubbed as the greatest of expositions, surpassing all others in size, in beauty and grandeur, and in variety. It lasted for seven months, from April 30 to December 1, 1904, with all states and territories participating, along with 45 nations and some 50 tribes from all over the world.

The Fair took six years to build and employed as many as 20,000 workers. There were 1,500 buildings sprawled in 1,275 acres of the fairgrounds. The total length of the aisles of the eight palaces alone was 142 miles.

There were about 3.5 million publicities in the first six months of the Fair with some 52,706 journalists participating. Attendance at the Fair totalled nearly 20 million with an average daily census of about 100,000 a day.

The Fair cost 15 million dollars to build, the same price that the United States had to pay for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. After the Fair, the restoration of the grounds took three years at a cost of one million dollars.

From these staggering statistics, one can sense the immensity of the St. Louis World's Fair, at a time when the world was said to have come to St. Louis.

THE PHILIPPINE EXHIBIT
During the process of recruiting for the Philippine Exhibit, there was evident use of trickery on some occasions in order to gather tribal people for the Exhibit. Some of the recruits were not aware of their destination until they arrived in St. Louis. Similarly, a knowledgeable recruit had signed up as belonging to an Igorot tribe to which he does not belong in his desire to come to America.

The trip from the Philippines to the United States was by ship across the ocean and by train across the main land. The trip was long and difficult for some. In general, the recruits were well treated and well fed. Some became ill during the train ride due to the cold weather to which they were not accustomed. At least two people died due to illness.

The St. Louis World's Fair was the grandest of all Fairs and the Philippine Exhibit took the honor of being the largest and most popular one at this Fair. It occupied 47 acres of land, had 100 buildings and was the most expensive to build at a cost of two million dollars.

There were about 1,100 Filipinos at the Philippine Exhibit that included the Tagalogs, Visayans, Muslims, Igorots, Tinguianes, Pampangans, Kalingas, Mangyans, Negritos, and Bagobos.

The Filipinos were shown at their various stages of cultures, from the primitive to the highly cultured, such as one may find in many big cities of the world. Their homes at the Fair were built exactly as they were in the Philippines in a setting that simulated their traditional environment.

Additionally, they lived in a fashion that they would have back home. While the Philippine Constabulary Band's performances and many other Filipino programs and exhibits were highly regarded, the one that attracted the most interest and publicity were the Igorots.

The head-hunting, dog-eating Igorots were the greatest attraction at the Philippine Exhibit, not only because of their novelty, the scanty dressing of the males and their daily dancing to the tom-tom beats, but also because of their appetite for dog meat which is a normal part of their diet.

The city of St. Louis provided them a supply of dogs at the agreed amount of 20 dogs a week, but this did not appear to be sufficient, as they had also encouraged local people to bring them dogs which they bought to supplement their daily needs.

The poaching of dogs became so common in the area near the Igorot Village such that the neighborhood was warned to watch for their dogs; even then, many dogs were disappearing in this neighborhood, angering and upsetting many people.

There were obviously many people who objected to the supplying of dogs to the Igorots, particularly the St. Louis Women's Humane Society, but there were also many people, perhaps much more, who sympathized the Igorot's need for dog meat.

As one Missourian, who had been to the Philippines and realized the difficulty of not being able to eat the food that one is used to, noted, "Every dog has his day, and every man his meat." He donated 200 fat Missouri dogs to the Igorots!

A PLACE CALLED DOGTOWN
Dogtown is a small community in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, south of Forest Park where the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair was held. There has been many reasons given for the origin of the name Dogtown. In fact, it appears that some of these reasons were valid.

It also appears that various overlapping areas in the vicinity of the present Dogtown and even an outlying one had been referred to as Dogtown at some point in time in St. Louis, for different reasons.

However, these areas that were referred to as Dogtown appear to have faded with time. In fact, one area called Dogtown that was located northeast of Forest Park was reported in a St. Louis newspaper as being an area of shacks and shanties and was razed to the ground by police.

The present Dogtown and the only one that survived in St. Louis, however, is the one ascribed to the Igorots. This Dogtown has its beginnings at the juncture of Oakland Avenue and Graham Street and towards Crescent Avenue, south of Forest Park, but eventually expanded to its present area bounded by Oakland Avenue to the north, Manchester Avenue to the south, McCausland Avenue to the west and Hampton Avenue to the east, with its present community center at the junction of Tamm and Clayton Avenues.

THE IGORROTE YEARBOOK AND THE IGOROTTE FOOTBALL TEAM
When the Igorots were at the Fair, their village was actually located in the city of Clayton next to Forest Park which belongs to the city of St. Louis. After the Fair, the whole village was razed to the ground and, years later, a private girl's school was built there called Hosmer Hall.

This was bought by the Clayton School District in 1936 and named Wydown School, serving as a ninth grade center until 1958 and an eighth grade school until 1965. In 1965, the seventh and eighth grades came together in the new Wydown Junior High School and the old Wydown School was razed to the ground. In 1988, the school's name was changed to Wydown Middle School.

The Wydown School students started the Igorrote Yearbook in 1937, and at about the same time, the Igorrote Football Team was formed. The use of the Igorrote name probably lasted until 1974 when interscholastic football games were prohibited and only intramural football games were allowed.

The use of Igorrote as the yearbook and football team's name was in memory of the Igorots and their village whose former site is now the present athletic field of Wydown Middle School.

WHAT ABOUT THE HOT DOG?
The hot dog, one of the most popular American foods, appears to be another legacy of the Igorot presence at the St. Louis World's Fair.

It first appeared at the St. Louis World's Fair among several other firsts such as the first ice cream cone, the first iced tea, the first Olympic Games in America (Third World Olympics), the first sliced bread, and the first coin changer. Even though many people will claim that the hot dog has been known for a long time before the St. Louis World's Fair, it is not so.

What was known, even as early as the late Middle Ages in Europe, was the making of sausages and it was a German butcher, Johann Georg Lahner, who developed prototypes in Frankfurt and later in Vienna, that were called frankfurter and wiener.

These franks, along with other types of sausages, were later brought to America by German immigrants in the nineteenth century. In New York, in 1900, a concessionaire sold a Lahner-type frank tie called a "Dachsund sausage" that was later sketched by a cartoonist in the form of a dachsund in a roll.

However, it was not until the St. Louis World's Fair that a sausage-on-a-bun was made up to be called the "hot dog" for the first time. It is evident that sausages were known for a long time and were called by various names, but it was the St. Louis World's Fair that gave the name "hot dog" to America.

Why was it called a hot dog instead of the already known names with which it has been associated? Was it because the sausage was made of dog meat? No, certainly not. The American public would just be horrified at the time to think of eating dog meat.

Was it then because the sausage was crafted to look like a dog or the bun shaped into the form of a dog? Again, the answer is no. Then why was it called a hot dog when there is nothing that could be associated with a dog in a hot dog? To me the answer is simple.

We have said earlier that St. Louis World's Fair was the greatest of expositions that there ever was. We also said that the Philippine Exhibit was the largest one at the Fair and was considered as a Fair within a Fair.

Then we also said that the Igorots were the top attraction at the Philippine exhibit, not only because of their primitive skimpy attire and their constant dancing, but also because of their dog-eating custom.

The city supplied them with dogs and they also bought dogs from the neighborhood, in addition to receiving donations of dogs from other sources, for their food supply. The people in the neighborhood near the Igorot Village were concerned, upset, and angered at times because of the disappearance of dogs in their neighborhood.

The people in the city of St. Louis and surrounding areas were engaged in an on-going debate about the use of dogs by the Igorots. This was evident in the newspapers of the day which carried regular news, letters, and comments concerning the eating of dogs by the Igorots.

In short, the atmosphere in and around the Fair and in the newspaper media was saturated by the thoughts of the dog-eating custom of the Igorots. Their dog-eating activities at the Fair had been referred to as the "Bow-Wow Feast" and we may look at it now as the first "Bow-Wow Feast" in America by the Igorots, or perhaps even just the first "Bow-Wow Feast" in America.

I have no doubt that the name "hot dog" was picked as a label for the sausage-on-a-bun to attract the attention of potential customers at the Fair by riding on the popularity of the eating of dogs by the Igorots, which had inspired the creation of the name.

Thus, it would appear that in the hot dog, the sausage is German, the sausage-on-a-bun is an American label inspired by the dog-eating custom of the Igorots.

AFTER THE FAIR
The Exposition was an educational experience for the Filipinos at the Exhibit as well as for the viewing American public. There were many instances at the Exposition that displayed the similarity of people regard less of origin or degree of civilization, or showed the basic human values in everyone, and at the same time having customs and ways that may be shocking to each other.

At the end of the Exposition, the Filipinos went home apparently satisfied and happy for their experiences in America, but also glad to be safely back home. Upon their return to Manila, they were given clothings and paid a sum in silver money.

Dogtown, a still thriving small community in the city of St. Louis with its own chamber of commence, has had a poor reputation for a long while due to the impression that it began as an area of shacks and shanties and, later, of taverns and bars. However, the area has gradually improved with time although the reputation has held. Recently, a movie based on a book was made where Dogtown was the setting of the story and where the filming was also done.

In closing, I dedicate this poem to the Igorots who came to America.


THE IGOROTS AT THE FAIR


The Igorots are long gone
From the scene at the Fair
And the Fair itself
Is no more
But the Igorot legacy
In the heart of America
Will be there
Forever more.

ACKOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to acknowledge the special help of Dr. Jere Hochman and Mrs. Marti G. Ribbins from Wydown Middle School, Clayton, Missouri for their help in providing me information about the school yearbook and football team; of Atty. William Quinn of "Dogtown"; and of Dr. Benito Rivera of St. Louis, Missouri for his guidance in gathering information from other sources.

By Virgilio R. Pilapil, M.D.

Dr. Virgilio R. Pilapil, contributing editorand Columnist of Heritage, is a pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist with private practice in Springfield, Illinois.

He is the founding president of the Springfield-based Filipino American Historical Society, an affiliate of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), the national organization.

More information about Dr. Pilapil is available in the June 1992 issue of Heritage magazine where he was the cover story. Dogtown U.S.A. was first published in the Journal of Filipino American National Historical Society, Vol. 2, 1992.

^^ Oh, another theory that most probably, the Igorots in the Louisiana World Fair were responsible for changing the name of frankfurters and wieners to "hotdogs". Perhaps, it was also around that time that they started pouring catsup/ketchup on it to make it appear bloody. Bloody good hotdog. :D

Yeap, eating dogs was very popular when they introduced it so that's probably the reason they named it as such. :)

Samal Moros at the exhibit

http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE01069.jpg

Samal Moros

http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE01072.jpg

A Lanao Moro boy paddling a canoe under a bridge with spectators observing

http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv3/LPD00905.jpg

Here are some photos of the Igorots

http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE01015.jpg

http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00692.jpg

Igorots slaying a dog for food
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00212.jpg

Dog feast
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00213.jpg

Igorot village
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00204.jpg

Here are the Visayans

A Visayan Woman
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00170.jpg

A Visayan boy riding a water buffalo
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00172.jpg

The Visayan village
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00168.jpg

Visayan women
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00173.jpg

Visayan women weaving
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE01137.jpg

Visayan street and houses
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00169.jpg

Here are photos of the Bagobos of Mindanao

Bagobo house and family
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00174.jpg

Datu Bulon, chief of the Bagobos
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00176.jpg

Bagobo dance
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00185.jpg

Bagobo head hunter
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00178.jpg

Bagobo hunting bags
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00184.jpg

Bagobo musical instruments
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00183.jpg
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00181.jpg
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00182.jpg

Bagobo shield dance - parang shield ni Lapu-lapu
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00180.jpg

Bagobo woman
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00179.jpg

Bagobo women making bead ornaments
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00175.jpg

Mangyans in the exhibit

Mangyan man and his house
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00252.jpg

A Mangyan
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00254.jpg

A mangyan woman in a ceremonial dress
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00253.jpg

The Negritos from Abra

Practicing archery
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE01039.jpg

Negrito bride and groom
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00250.jpg

A Negrito house
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00242.jpg

^^ Nice @D'Transporter. That is quite an effort to post all of those pictures here. It would seem a good storyline to create a film, this time, from the perspective of the natives who were transported to the Louisiana Fair for exhibition. What were they thinking, how they coped being ogled at, how strange the weather and the people were for them. Remember the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy"? It was from the point of view of the member of the bushmen tribe of Australia's Kalahari dessert.

Has anyone seen the documentary "Bontoc Eulogy (http://www.itvs.org/external/bontoc/bontoc.index.html)"? This is a film by Marlon Fuentes whose ancestor, a Bontoc Igorot warrior, was sent to St. Louis in 1904 to be part of the "exhibit". In the film Fuentes, traces his ancestor's journey and shows lots of footage from the exhibition.

Looking at the pictures, it makes me feel sad for our ancestral Filipinos. I'm just hoping that they were treated with dignity and were able to go back home after the World's Fair was finished.

^^ So, it has been done. I wonder where they have shown that independent film. I have not seen it on Public Television yet.

^^ Nice @D'Transporter. That is quite an effort to post all of those pictures here. It would seem a good storyline to create a film, this time, from the perspective of the natives who were transported to the Louisiana Fair for exhibition. What were they thinking, how they coped being ogled at, how strange the weather and the people were for them. Remember the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy"? It was from the point of view of the member of the bushmen tribe of Australia's Kalahari dessert.

I would really love to see a film based on a well researched, documented storyline or maybe based from a true story as mentioned by Terrapin.

There are a lot of photos out there that I havn't posted or need to be rediscovered and posted here.

Hopefully people can start digging up more information about this event and contribute it here.

Has anyone seen the documentary "Bontoc Eulogy (http://www.itvs.org/external/bontoc/bontoc.index.html)"? This is a film by Marlon Fuentes whose ancestor, a Bontoc Igorot warrior, was sent to St. Louis in 1904 to be part of the "exhibit". In the film Fuentes, traces his ancestor's journey and shows lots of footage from the exhibition.

Looking at the pictures, it makes me feel sad for our ancestral Filipinos. I'm just hoping that they were treated with dignity and were able to go back home after the World's Fair was finished.

I hope someone can inform us where we can rent or borrow this film.

From the article posted earlier ^^

"At the end of the Exposition, the Filipinos went home apparently satisfied and happy for their experiences in America, but also glad to be safely back home. Upon their return to Manila, they were given clothings and paid a sum in silver money."

@Lili, @D'Transporter

I did a quick search at my local university media library and it is in their collection (VHS lang). I do remember that it was making the college circuit and FAHNS was sponsoring the showings.

Likewise it is available at The Cinema Guild (http://cinemaguild.com/catalog/catalog.htm?http%3A//cinemaguild.com/mm5/merchant.mvc%3FScreen%3DPROD%26Store_Code%3DTCGS%26Product_Code%3D1335%26Category_Code%3DA3) pero $85 ang rental fee.

sa tingin ko lang ang sama tingnang...parang ginawang zoo animals yung mga kababayan natin...

i hope that they were given proper compensation...

I havn't read of anything that mention if they were allowed to roam around the whole World's Fair exhibit areas.

I'm sure our fellowmen felt tricked/fooled and used during that time but one good thing though is that they got exposed to the new world. I'm sure it was a big learning experience for them as it was for the spectators.

This is and it was a notable event that had taken place.

sa tingin ko lang ang sama tingnang...parang ginawang zoo animals yung mga kababayan natin...

i hope that they were given proper compensation...

I remember in the earlier discussions on Philippine Tourism, @Boybaha discussed something about "orientalism" or "exoticism" as a tourist attraction. I was trying to search for it to get additional perspective on things, however, I can't find his discussion the matter.

sa tingin ko lang ang sama tingnang...parang ginawang zoo animals yung mga kababayan natin...

i hope that they were given proper compensation...


It was more of a Circus. The American depiction of the inhabitants of the Philippines was poorly done in bad taste. That fair was really promoting all things in life and during those times, Filipinos were still on the stage of modernization. I believe in that World's Fair, a lot of famous American products were introduced.

The only good thing was, it was shown to the entire world that there is such a place called P.I. or The Philippine Islands.

Inabutan ko pa ang katutubo natin na ganoon ang lagay sa buhay. Even in our province of Bicol, maraming nakaapak and their clothes were mostly handmade and some remote towns don't even know about what are those metallic flying things in the air and canned goods that were dropped by the Americans during the liberation.

amongst the show i like the bagobos

^^ Yeah the Bagobos look very colorful and even their angular facial features are handsome. Isn't that where the Tales of the Manuvu came from?

with the trendy earpierce too

^^ Oo nga. Nauna pa pala sila sa ganon. Yong palakihan ng butas ng tenga.

A lot of the people from Visayas and Mindanao were decendants from the Shri Visayan empire. India had influence the empire with the Hinduism religion and one of the influence was ear piercing.

Ancient Hindus regarded a pierced ear as a sign of how cultured a family was, and all the babies were pierced in a religious ceremony. It was also used to show as a status symbol.

The peoples of the pacific islands have practised the piercing of ears, noses, genitals and lobe stretching for generations. The men of Borneo, for example, would pierce the Ampalang, as did the men in the early history of the Filipino people. Lately boletas na lang :D

The Fair's Philippine Reservation included villages for the three Igorot groups, the Bontocs, Suyocs, and Tuinguianes. In the Philippines the Igorots were farmers and miners.

Several Igorots showed an interest in the American presidential election of 1904 and asked to be able to cast their ballots.

In response, two polling places were established in the Igorot village. Photographs of the two candidates, Theodore Roosevelt and Alton B. Parker, were placed over Igorot gongs; beans serving as ballots. Roosevelt carried the election, 83 to 2.

Hourly the Igorots performed native dances for fair-goers. Fair-goers were intrigued by the Igorot custom of putting their small possessions and tobacco in the basket hats they wore.

The Igorot culture included dog as part of their native diet. While some fair-goers and the Humane Society discussed the custom in the daily newspapers, others helped assure the Igorotes were supplied with dogs during the fair.

A Suyoc Igorot family
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00228.jpg

Suyoc metal worker
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00233.jpg

Suyoc woman
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00237.jpg

Suyocs weaving
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00229.jpg

Tuinguianes Igorots
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE01139.jpg

Tuinguianes house and family
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00257.jpg

Tuinguianes village
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00256.jpg

Igorot voting for a US President
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00227.jpg

The pass to the native villages
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE05150.jpg

Philippine villages with the agricultural building at the distance
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv3/LPD00906.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/overtureph/1904WorldsFairPhilippineExpositionB.jpg

but in fairness, may pagka-authentic talaga yung look ng exhibit...imagine, nagawa nilang magmukhang pinas ang exhibition area dun sa america...galing pa rin ng pinoy!

Has anyone seen the documentary "Bontoc Eulogy (http://www.itvs.org/external/bontoc/bontoc.index.html)"? This is a film by Marlon Fuentes whose ancestor, a Bontoc Igorot warrior, was sent to St. Louis in 1904 to be part of the "exhibit". In the film Fuentes, traces his ancestor's journey and shows lots of footage from the exhibition.

Looking at the pictures, it makes me feel sad for our ancestral Filipinos. I'm just hoping that they were treated with dignity and were able to go back home after the World's Fair was finished.


That's actually a REALLY good documentary. It was very painful to watch, to see how Filipinos were treated in the Exhibits, like they were animals in a zoo. A very educational film that shows how colonialism worked.

The film starts with Marlon Fuentes, listening to an old recording done of his ancestor... they would take Ibalois being exhibited and record their stories on wax cylinder phonographs. Fuentes then tried to recreate that experience and the alienation and hardships the Filipino native tribesmen and women, being made mere objects as if they did not possess intelligence. This treatment was harsh. Many died in the US from disease, from exposure to the cold and many disappeared, never to be heard from again. Very few, if any, were able to go back to the Philippines. Fuentes's own ancestor disappeared.

The Exposition gave the viewers a myopic generalized view of how Filipinos live while stripping them of their dignity at the same time they are enjoying watching them.

^^ Yes, I was wondering how they coped with the weather seeing that the American were fully clothed and the native tribesmen and women had scanty clothing. But then I am not familiar with Louisiana weather for the duration that they had the exhibit there. It did cross my mind.

That's St. Louis, Missouri-- they also have winter there.

^^ Missouri pala. Ang lamig doon!

Lalo tuloy akong naawa sa kasaysayan nila.

That's actually a REALLY good documentary. It was very painful to watch, to see how Filipinos were treated in the Exhibits, like they were animals in a zoo. A very educational film that shows how colonialism worked.

The film starts with Marlon Fuentes, listening to an old recording done of his ancestor... they would take Ibalois being exhibited and record their stories on wax cylinder phonographs. Fuentes then tried to recreate that experience and the alienation and hardships the Filipino native tribesmen and women, being made mere objects as if they did not possess intelligence. This treatment was harsh. Many died in the US from disease, from exposure to the cold and many disappeared, never to be heard from again. Very few, if any, were able to go back to the Philippines. Fuentes's own ancestor disappeared.

Wow!! Sad to hear that and the Americans just tried to hide the truth by not mentioning any of this on their stories.

@ boybaha: Were you able to rent the film?? bought it??

but in fairness, may pagka-authentic talaga yung look ng exhibit...imagine, nagawa nilang magmukhang pinas ang exhibition area dun sa america...galing pa rin ng pinoy!

It took 6 years to prepare for that Fair and I read somewhere that the Filipinos themselves did a lot of the work in building those structures with some management of the Americans as to where structures are going to be built. The Americans just supplied them with everything they needed.

^^ Missouri pala. Ang lamig doon!

Lalo tuloy akong naawa sa kasaysayan nila.

Well, Filipinos established a settlement in Saint Malo, Louisiana.

Saint Malo, Louisiana (http://members.tripod.com/philipppines/stmalo.htm)

Wow!! Sad to hear that and the Americans just tried to hide the truth by not mentioning any of this on their stories.

@ boybaha: Were you able to rent the film?? bought it??

They had it at our university library. We showed it at a class I was helping to teach. I don't know if it's available for rental easily. But do a google on it for more info. If you have access to a good library, they may be able to get it for you through inter-library loan (since most libraries do not have this video, they can access a network of other libraries around the country that loan their material through ILL).

^^ I might check Los Angeles Central library when I have a chance.

I came across a book for sale in the net entitled 1904 World's Fair: The Filipino Experience 2005 ed. written by Jose D. Fermin. It would be interesting to know his side of the story too.

Just found this, something related to this topic

Essence of Culture in our Lives
THE ESSENCE OF CULTURE IN OUR LIVES
(The Wild Men of the Cordillera Central,
Northern Luzon, Philippines, at the
St. Louis World Fair, 1904)


Our Topic. If I go by the title of the subject assigned for discussion this morning, the Essence of Culture in Our Lives, and adhere to it literally, I’m afraid you would all be snoring in five seconds flat. You wouldn’t want that? I don’t either for the simple reason that I’d hate it if my jet lag would be all for nothing.

So this is what I propose to do. Since our celebration these days is of a very particular event, the Centennial of the St. Louis World Fair of 1904, I think it is only fitting that we talk of something not too remotely unconnected with it. And so I would like to focus on the Igorots—mountain people from the Cordillera Central of Northern Luzon—who were exhibited here and helped make the Fair the great success it is said to have been. They were billed in various ways, and one of them was as “the Wild Men of Luzon” and the huge crowds they attracted were a boon of no little moment to the organizers of the Fair. With this shift in focus, I will have to talk of their culture—our culture, rather, for I and you from the mountain region of Northern Luzon who are here today in great numbers can claim the culture of those “wild men” as ours. And I will talk too of what that culture meant to them, what it still means to us who have inherited it from them, how it molded them and us to be what we are: Igorots, People of the Mountains.

I thus append this sub-title to my talk: the Wild Men of the Cordillera Central, Northern Luzon, Philippines, at the St. Louis World Fair, 1904. Should I add: “and at Its Centennial, 2004”—to include their descendents present here today? If so, I’ll have to amend “Wild Men” to “Wild Men and Women”, just so I won’t be accused of being a male chauvinist. All of you then, members of BIMAK, men and women, in whatever country you are, count yourselves so included. And honored.

The Unasked Question

When I hear about what happened to those Igorots at the Fair and how they were the sensation at it, I can’t help asking: What did they, the crowds, see? And what was it that drew them in great numbers, what was it that sparked their curiosity? Right off I can say with the greatest certainty: They came to look at, precisely, curiosities, people different from them not just in appearance but in the way they behaved, talked, dressed, ate, danced, worked, etc. In short, the way they lived life in the transplanted village put up specifically for them. “The way they lived”, the way a particular people live—that’s culture.

Parenthetically, let me add: What people saw was a human zoo. That the human exhibits were not kept in cages did not make the spectacle of them performing daily life routines less of a zoo. People came to gawk and stare at them, just as they would do in any animal zoo. Sensibilities are offended at the thought, today. They probably were not so offended in those simpler days, at least those of ordinary Americans—although, yes, some Filipinos were deeply offended but, as we shall see, for another reason; and, yes, there was horror expressed at the Igorots’ much ballyhooed liking for dog-meat. Those mountain people, as the other groups likewise from other parts of the Philippines, were an ethnographic exhibit, and in the way the science of ethnology was beginning in those days, the great interest was in the observable customs and artifacts of a culture—racial characteristics also (culture and race not always being adequately differentiated). The exhibit, as Dr. Wolfort pointed out yesterday, was all done in the context—we have no trouble calling it an ideology—of the theory of the linear evolution of peoples and cultures that prevailed in scientific circles of the day. What we now deem degrading in the act of putting people on exhibit was pretty much on the level of freak shows, common at the time.

So what was seen at the Fair as far as our Igorot forebears were concerned? Simply put, their external culture—the same things you would see displayed in museums but this time with live people actually demonstrating their uses for the benefit of curious on-lookers. External culture, yes, but still important.

What was not seen—though perhaps guessed at by the more astute—was something more important: their inner make-up, that is, their mental processes, their values, their beliefs, the non-visible aspects of culture that compose a people’s world view and ethos and give them a spirit and identity all their own. I don’t think anybody did some kind of psychoanalytic study to find out what made them tick. Because that ticking part, that’s what constitutes the essence of a culture. So let’s talk of the essential Igorot.

The Schools of Living Tradition

Back in the Mountain Province and Ifugao, our schools are trying an experiment in culture-preservation and -promotion with their SLT programs and experiments. SLT stands for “schools of living tradition”. The idea arose from the simple realization that our educational system in the Philippines tends to de-culturate our Igorot children, to make them lose a sense of their uniqueness as Igorots as they go through school. They get educated as a matter of course out of their culture—and for what? For what is seen as the national culture but in substance is no different from what prevails in other nations, Western especially.

The gist of the experiment so far has concentrated on the training of school teachers to be conscious of their own culture, researching into it and, by the mere fact of doing so, becoming more sensitive to its nuanced realities. Incorporating what they have learned from their individual and group researches into their own classroom activities and teaching methods will, it is hoped, reverse the de-culturating effects of our current educational system.

The rationale of the experiment is obvious: Through it, our teachers, the molders of our young, learn how to understand and appreciate better their native culture so that they can in turn teach their students to do the same. This way they help preserve what is best in their culture, to work to integrate them as much as possible with the best in our national and dominant culture. Where before teachers were (quite unknowingly) agents of de-culturaton, they now are the agents of culture-recovery and -enhancement. Under their tutelage, our students should be able to learn how to operate well and succeed in the wider national culture, hence the continuing quest for quality education; but they should also be able to do so without losing their cultural identity and uniqueness altogether, hence the whole SLT enterprise. It is pioneering work, hard but not impossible, and exciting for the prospects it opens up for future action by all of us who are interested in the development of our people.

A further insight was gained as we advanced deeper into our program: the realization that what we were doing isn’t something good for cultural minorities like us Igorots only; SLTs should become a national program even for majority “tribes” like Tagalogs, Ilocanos, Cebuanos, and all other peoples of the Philippines to realize precisely that they are tribals, that is, that their distinctiveness as peoples dates back to a pre-Spanish cultural matrix which is the base of what we can call a generic Filipino culture. The de-culturation process that I say characterizes our educational system is a national problem and it is getting much worse in the globalized world in which we now live.

In the SLTs, our students are re-learning things that have been forgotten or ignored in their schooling—and in that of their parents, too, I would add. If the SLTs work out as they should, they will have to go beyond what they are doing now to the deeper aspects of native culture, to its essence: the things of the spirit that will make Igorots Igorots, wherever they find themselves. So now we ask: what are those distinctive “things of the spirit”?

The Essential Igorot: Two Stories (Og-okhod si i-Fontok)

Let me try answering that question as I think the Bontok Igorots would have done in the two institutions which in the past were quite distinctive of them: the ato and the olog. These two were for all practical purposes schools for the young: the ato, the village council house which doubled as a common dormitory for boys; and for girls, the olog, the sleeping quarters of unmarried girls. It was in these two institutions that traditional lore and ancestral wisdom were passed on to the young. And this was done mostly by what the Bontok call og-okhod—story telling. I have two stories to tell, two stories about events in our history as a people that will, I think, tell us plenty about what we are saying here is the essential Igorot.

The first deals with our colonial past—more correctly, our non-acceptance of Spanish attempts at bringing us under colonial rule. That “colonial past” was the defining moment for us Igorots, for the fact of our non-colonization is what marks us off today as “Indigenous Peoples”. The Spanish never really extended their sway in Igorot territory as they had done in most of the Philippines, despite a number of military expeditions from the early 17th century on to accomplish the stated aim of the Conquista, the subjugation of the native peoples of the Philippines and their Christianization—bringing people under the cross and the sword, as the formula of the Conquest had it. Our highland people were able to fend off both cross and sword for more than two centuries until the mid-1800s. Things changed then with the introduction of the Remington rifle: It was a gun unlike the medieval flint-lock musket that would work only when its powder was dry, a fact that allowed Igorot defenders of their land to lord it over the Spaniards during the rainy season! Our people’s spears and head axes were no match for that more efficient instrument of killing, and Spanish soldiers armed with that all-weather weapon, and missionaries with them, were able to penetrate further with greater ease into Igorot country, the soldiers to establish garrisons, the missionaries churches.

That history of resistance to both Spanish cross and sword tells us something about our people. They were fiercely independent and they detested anything that unduly curtailed their freedom. But if they were successful in keeping their independence and freedom, it was because they were also interdependent among themselves and could come together against a common enemy. This means they knew how to put individual freedom at the service of the good of their community (or clan) and even of wider groupings.

A footnote to the above story: American Anglican missionaries came into Igorot country in the early 1900s, Belgian and Dutch Catholic missionaries following later in 1907. In the 100 years since their arrival, more than 90% of our people have embraced Christianity. It was a Christianity that came to them sans soldiers and guns. The new religion, freely offered, freely accepted—that, I think, simply confirms what I just said about our people’s high valuation of their independence and freedom from any form of coercion.

If our people’s freedom and independence operated where religion was concerned, it also did in the sphere of governance. American colonial rule with its avowed aim of spreading democracy worked as well and our people did not resist its introduction. It was a more congenial political system for it was quite germane to the fundamental democracy that already obtained in their communities.

The second story to tell is something more contemporary, something that happened in the later part of the ‘70s during Marcos’ dictatorship. President Marcos conceived the bright idea of building four huge dams on the Chico River—the river that flows through the Mountain Province and Kalinga. These dams were intended to generate electricity, mainly for the Cagayan Valley, and provide that same valley with a larger irrigation system. A grandiose dream that would contribute much to the economic development of the country, so it was advertised. The only problem was that it would have entailed the destruction of all the towns and villages along the river’s route and the dislocation of tens of thousands of the population in the two provinces. It would have also resulted to the immense benefit of people outside the two provinces but not of the Bontok and the Kalinga. Just the contrary, they would have suffered the loss of property and land, cherished rice terraces especially, with no viable alternative sites to resettle them in. The rank injustice of the scheme grated on the people in a way Marcos and his technocrats, amazingly enough, had not given any thought to. The people resisted resolutely if non-violently the government’s move and succeeded in forcing Marcos to suspend the building of the dams indefinitely.

The military dictatorship giving in to the demands of “primitive tribesmen”, as some of Marcos’ minions disdainfully referred to them—this was an unheard of development when seen against the way it had, till then, bull-dozed aside all opposition. It was a victory for the Bontok and the Kalinga, the one instance during Martial Law that Marcos retreated from something he had decreed. Looking back now we see it was a tentative but giant step towards the development of what would later be called “People Power” at the EDSA Revolution of 1986.

This incident tells us in no uncertain terms that Igorots still resist coercion and un-freedom, still are as independent and free as their forebears were centuries ago. Any imposition of decisions that affect them but are made without their consent is still deeply resented.

In the two historic incidents we’ve reviewed here, we have highlighted the way our people prize certain values: freedom, independence and interdependence, justice, land, participation in decision-making about the common weal, unity in facing up to common dangers, etc. What I wanted to put in clear perspective in the two stories are the things of the spirit that motivate our people strongly in their dealings with one another, some of their values and attitudes, something of their world view and ethos, in brief, their soul. Not in its entirety, I repeat, but enough to say what their inner humanity was like. That inner humanity, their soul, I’m afraid did not come through in their exhibiting at the 1904 St. Louis Fair.

Historical Ironies

If just a little glimpse into that soul had been made, a deep irony concerning them might have been uncovered and appreciated. They were billed as “the Wild Men of Luzon”, but their “wildness”—and this is the irony—was a function of their never having been fully conquered by Spanish arms, their not having been subjugated like the rest of the Philippines.

I bring up this irony because some Filipinos resented the appearance of our “wild” pagan ancestors at the Fair, claiming (quite rightly, I might say) that their being exhibited precisely as wild people gave a very wrong—and unsavory—impression of Filipinos in general, most of whom, they claimed, were civilized and Christian. The complainers were what were in Spanish times called the Illustrados—the civilized, urbane, educated, elite of native Philippine society. But a little thought would bring out this fact: They were such, these Illustrados, because they had been conquered, colonized, hispanicized, Christianized, the very antithesis of our Igorot wild men who were such for the reason that they were just the opposite: un-conquered, un-colonized, un-hispanicized, un-Christianized. That was the irony of our first story—and it was lost, it seemed, on everybody concerned: Americans, Filipinos, Igorots themselves.

With the hindsight of a hundred years, we now see that if our insulted Filipino elite had gone beyond the surface and probed deeper into the Fair’s use of our Igorot compatriots, they might have realized what we have just said above. And they might also have appreciated the fact that the many, if sporadic, rebellions of their own Lowland ancestors against Spanish rule came from the same spirit of freedom that had kept the Igorots fighting off successfully foreign domination over them for more than two centuries. They might have recognized that the despised “wildness” of those mountain folk was due to that fact and they would have discovered themselves in them, seen that the independence they themselves sought first from the Spanish, then from the Americans, was embodied most clearly by those Igorots whose presence at the Fair they felt was too shaming and degrading of Filipinos.

There is an irony too in our second story. The New Society of Marcos was supposed to be based strongly on what he called “barangay democracy”—remember those Barangay Assemblies that were created and were touted as the backbone of the New Society and how they were convened ever so often for referendums where the people were asked to vote on issues according to “suggested answers” by the simple expedient of raising hands? Sham barangay democracy it was from the very start. But if there was any place in the Philippines where barangay democracy already and truly existed and flourished, it was in those villages along the Chico that Marcos was intent on obliterating in its dammed up waters.

That was grand irony. But grander still was the fact that if the Bontok and the Kalinga were able to successfully resist Marcos in his iniquitous dream, it was because they were precisely barangay democracies through and through!

I propose that we now remember those exhibited ancestors of ours for the inner part of them that was not given much notice at the Fair. The outer shell of their culture evoked curiosity, wonderment, possibly even amusement—and yes, indignation at the dog-eating part of it—and it was used for propaganda purposes to rationalize and justify American (or at least President McKinley’s) imperialist ambitions. But their inner selves, their spiritual legacy—I would like to think they are yours too, they are ours. And that is why I was asked to talk about “the essence of culture in our lives.”

That essence, I know, is not exhausted by the two stories I’ve told. And there are many more aspects of Igorot culture that we can talk about, aspects that are probably even more fundamental and basic than what I have chosen to dwell on here. But as I’ve said above, my choice of facets of Igorot culture to dwell on here was what lay below the surface of the “wildness” that Fair-goers in 1904 went to wonder at.

But let me end with another story, this time a personal one and most revealing of something about our people I hadn’t given much thought to until it happened.

A Third Story

I was visiting one day a remote mission parish in the diocese to meet the people over a crisis they were going through: they had just lost their priest who had gone on leave to sort his life out after a scandal he had created, leaving them without a pastor.

They asked me for a replacement. And I asked: “Any priest, so long as he can perform the religious rites you are so used to?” That gave them pause. Then one old lady answered: “No, we don’t want one who will cause the same trouble as the last one.” “Fair enough,” I said. But as we talked on, I realized that it was not the “trouble” that was really at the back of their problem with their former pastor. When I pressed them, the same old lady replied: “We don’t want priests who do not live up to their word. The last one declared his priestly vows in public before all of us when he was ordained. We hold him to his word.”

The word, the priest’s word. To them, this was more important than the trouble itself. That had me thinking all the way back home. Soon after in Bontoc, as I was preparing for Mass one Sunday, the title of the Bible translation in the Bontok language that I was using made me stare at it for a long time and in a flash I understood more fully what the old lady had said about holding their priest to his word. The title of the Bible? Nan Kali nan Chios isnan Kali Tako—"the Word of God in Our Own Language”. The Bontok word kali means “word, speech, language”; but it also means “promise, vow, oath”. The English saying “my word is my bond” (from Shakespeare?) was much truer—and more binding, to risk a tautology—in our language in the fact that “word” and “bond” are expressed by one and the same word, kali.

Keeping one’s word: this was a key value among our people and it was what kept possible the peace pacts (pechen) that they entered into to put an end to tribal wars that now and again erupted among them. “The Wild Men of Luzon”, such were those Igorots advertised at the Fair. If the term was used of them there, it was because Igorots were commonly called and dismissed as salvajes—savages—by the Spanish who couldn’t subdue them! (It was a term that was still being used of us by Lowlanders of the time—and later.) But that dismissal did not bring out the fact that beneath it was a character trait that would have done credit to civilized people of honor everywhere: Igorots were (still are?) people of their word—or at least they put a high value on fidelity to one’s word.

That’s one more irony to add to what we noted earlier about our “Wild Men” at the Fair.

The Essence of Culture in Our Lives

I said I’d end with that third story. And I deliberately chose to end with it because fidelity to one’s word is still, I believe, a prime value among most of our ordinary folk. But it is in grave danger—like many of the other values I’ve mentioned in this talk—of being weakened and disregarded more and more as our people, the schooled ones especially, forget their roots in the de-culturating process of their education and get swallowed up in alien cultures they have to survive in. The Philippines has the unenviable reputation of being one of the most corrupt nations in Asia and unfortunately we in the mountains are being sucked into its culture of corruption. Unavoidably so? Maybe. But this does not stop us from wishing (and working) that the old value of fidelity to one's word would still mark us as a people, especially our elected government officials. For when they swear in their oaths of office to be "public servants”, and they lived up to their word, there would be less stealing from the public purse for private gain—the most common form of corruption at this time.

So back to the un-revised title of this talk: “the Essence of Culture in Our Lives”. If there is any sense to those words as they apply to us, it is this: An Igorot is an Igorot, and a blue-blooded one (or red-blooded one?) if he is faithful to the distinguishing values of Igorot culture and lives them as fully as he can wherever he goes. Those values are by no means unique to us. They will be found in other cultures too, though perhaps manifested in different ways, held on to with greater or lesser affect, practiced with varying intensity. But by that fact alone an expatriate Igorot, if he is faithful to his roots, will be able to contribute everywhere to the enhancement of those same values in his chosen land of residence if his special possession of them shines through in his life and actions. Real citizens of Igorot-land—real citizens of the world: come to think of it, that is exactly what our SLTs, schools of living tradition, seek to make of our young back home.

That’s the end of my talk, but whether you allow me or not, I still have one last story to tell! Back in late December I was in Hapao, a barangay of Hungduan in Ifugao, to bless the mission’s new church. For the occasion, the parishioners gifted me with a two-foot carving of an elderly Igorot warrior, clearly a Bontok native: stocky, stout of legs, heavily muscled, rather balding, with a spear at the ready, sangi (backpack) at his back but without a soklong (basket hat). I brought it home and put it in the dining room. Passing it by one day, I was puzzled by its face—I’d seen it somewhere but couldn’t place it. I got to my room and happened to look in the mirror, and there staring at me was the carved warrior’s face!

I ask all of you: Can you look into a mirror and recognize an Igorot’s face—even if it’s your own?



Francisco F. Claver, S.J.
Centennial of the St. Louis World Fair of 1904
St. Louis, Mo.
July 3, 2004


Created on 06/22/2005 10:34 PM by admin
Updated on 06/22/2005 10:35 PM by admin

Can anyone find any pictures of the Tagalogs at the 1904 World's Fair??

That's actually a REALLY good documentary. It was very painful to watch, to see how Filipinos were treated in the Exhibits, like they were animals in a zoo. A very educational film that shows how colonialism worked.

The film starts with Marlon Fuentes, listening to an old recording done of his ancestor... they would take Ibalois being exhibited and record their stories on wax cylinder phonographs. Fuentes then tried to recreate that experience and the alienation and hardships the Filipino native tribesmen and women, being made mere objects as if they did not possess intelligence. This treatment was harsh. Many died in the US from disease, from exposure to the cold and many disappeared, never to be heard from again. Very few, if any, were able to go back to the Philippines. Fuentes's own ancestor disappeared.

sad

Can anyone find any pictures of the Tagalogs at the 1904 World's Fair??
I think I still have some, some Pinoys wearing Barong and Saya, but it needs to be converted to jpeg, the promotion made on the Filipinos was really poorly done.
I'm trying to force myself to believe that the Igorots have boats.:) So I called my friend who used to worked and live near Ambuklao dam, he said, meron daw, but just for fishing. (so, I agree).

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/4752/igorotboataf7.jpg
Festival Hill, from Across the Grand Basin, on Transportation Day, Igorot Boat in Foreground, World's Fair, St. Louis, 1904.
Universal View Co., 1904.



Maybe they call everyone as Igorots even though they are from Mindanao or maybe they were put in a float.

That's actually a REALLY good documentary. It was very painful to watch, to see how Filipinos were treated in the Exhibits, like they were animals in a zoo. A very educational film that shows how colonialism worked.

The film starts with Marlon Fuentes, listening to an old recording done of his ancestor... they would take Ibalois being exhibited and record their stories on wax cylinder phonographs. Fuentes then tried to recreate that experience and the alienation and hardships the Filipino native tribesmen and women, being made mere objects as if they did not possess intelligence. This treatment was harsh. Many died in the US from disease, from exposure to the cold and many disappeared, never to be heard from again. Very few, if any, were able to go back to the Philippines. Fuentes's own ancestor disappeared.


Thanks for the stunning review of the film. I will now definitely go out there and make good use of my university library card. Years ago I was able to borrow Carlos Bulosan's America is in the Heart and it dawned on me how little of the early Filipino experience in America is documented. We need to honor them and not forget their struggles and achievements.

Philippine Constabulary Band
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00258.jpg

Filipino Scouts Band passing reviewing stand, November 26, 1904
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00347.jpg

Filipino Scouts
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00259.jpg

Philippine sugar cane mill at the Fair
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00346.jpg

Souvenir of the Philippine Exposition
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE06026.jpg

The Musical "St.Louis Loves Dem Filipinos"




Datu Bulon, chief of the Bagobos
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00176.jpg

They changed Datu Bulon to Bulan.



“St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos”: Bigger, Better at AFP Theater in November. (The hit Filipino musical ‘St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos’ goes mainstream at the Teatro Aguinaldo Theater on November 18, 19, 20, 24, 25 and 26.) As far as musicals go, ‘St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos’ is a rarity. A Filipino musical partly in English, with virtually no name stars in the original production, but with a story and music so moving that it continued to play to packed houses in UP Diliman during its first run last July and August. Critics were unanimous in describing it as a moving, and powerful production that spoke to Filipinos of all generations, as it dealt with the St. Louis World Exposition of 1904, where tribal Filipinos were sent to Missouri as live exhibits.

For the November run, the show’s creators, librettist Floy Quintos, composer Antonio Africa, and director Alex Cortez have streamlined the production, shortening it from three acts to a more powerful two. Most welcome addition of it all is the fact that the songs will now be sung to the live accompaniment of the UST Symphony Orchestra, which will be conducted by Africa himself. The power of the musical will shine through even more with the twenty-five piece orchestra, instead of the minus-one created for the original run.

Popular singer Franco Laurel and TV host Joaquin Valdes, new additions to the cast, alternate as Fred Tinawid, a third-generation Fil-American who serves as the show’s narrator. Originally played by theater stalwart Jake Macapagal, the role of Fred is assigned such big numbers as “Hold Your Head High” and “If I Could Change.”

The role of the sympathetic anthropologist Gustavo Nierderlein, which was originally created by Leo Rialp, will be played by tenor Glenn Gaerlan. Miguel Castro and Arnold Reyes will still alternate as Bulan, the Bagobo chieftain who went to the St. Louis World’s Exposition in 1904. Still portraying their original roles are Richard Cunanan as Dean C. Worcester, sopranos Rina Saporsantos and Agnes Barredo as Maude, Mae Ann Valentin as Bulan’s wife Momayon, James Paolelli as Gen. Clarence Edwards, Raffy Tejada and Don Karingal as Bontoc chief Antonio.

This new production of ‘St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos’ promises to be bigger and better than the original. It goes onstage on Nov. 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26 at 8 p.m. with 3 p.m. matinee shows on Nov. 19, 20 and 26.

It's good to know that Universities in the Philippines these days are actually doing theatrical plays about the life of our countrymen's experiences during the 1904 World's fair. I myself didn't know about the involvement of Filipinos not till I was already here in the US. I still think there are a lot of stories left untold about the event including the way the americans treated our countrymen.

One of the stories I read somewhere is that non-Tagalogs were treated as second class citizens of the Philippines during that time by the Americans. I'm starting to think this must be the reason why we couldn't find photos of Tagalogs because they were treated by the Americans as a more civilized group. The Americans didn't want to show the world that there are no civilized group in the Philippines. They wanted to portray the Tagalogs were the elite class that was representative of the government of the Philippines just like they do in the US. Even the exhibit itself didn't have a Tagalog village to represent the group but they instead have a replica of Walled Intramuros, Santo Thomas, Manila house and Philippine government building. One of the common characteristic of Colonialism was grouping citizens into different class and during that time the White Americans thought of themselves as a higher class citizen than the the colored race.

Here are photos of the Bagobos of Mindanao

Bagobo house and family
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00174.jpg

Datu Bulon, chief of the Bagobos
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00176.jpg

Bagobo dance
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00185.jpg

Bagobo head hunter
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00178.jpg

Bagobo hunting bags
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00184.jpg

Bagobo musical instruments
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00183.jpg
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00181.jpg
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00182.jpg

Bagobo shield dance - parang shield ni Lapu-lapu
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00180.jpg

Bagobo woman
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00179.jpg

Bagobo women making bead ornaments
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/LPE00175.jpg

may mga taga dabaw palang napadpad sa america as early as 1904.

heto mga bagobo ngayon:

http://www.thelandofpromise.com/dvosur/kadayawan-nigo-P8244881.jpg

http://files.myopera.com/chicosolitario/albums/63528/Kadayawan%20Festival,%20Davao%20City.jpg

http://www.thelandofpromise.com/dvosur/kadayawan-bagoboknife-P8255091.jpg

http://www.thelandofpromise.com/dvosur/flowerparade02-PICT0114.jpg

http://www.atfdavao.com/images/photos/DSC_2155.jpg

http://www.atfdavao.com/images/photos/DSC_2546.jpg

http://www.atfdavao.com/images/photos/DSC_2561.jpg

http://www.atfdavao.com/images/photos/DSC_2585.jpg

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Cynthia/dances/7321.jpg

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Cynthia/dances/7373.jpg

Thanks for those new photos Kaluskusgan, very good contribution.

Philippine Constabulary Band
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00258.jpg

Filipino Scouts Band passing reviewing stand, November 26, 1904
http://exhibits.slpl.org/scanned/deriv2/lpe00347.jpg

this is a bit saddening because it reminds me of the americans' attempt to use indigenous mercenaries (makabebe and later the philippine constabulary) to supress the Filipino revolutionaries up until 1913. to think that the our armed forces today is the descendant of the colonial Philippine constabulary and the Philippine scouts.

The Filipino scouts of the World's Fair looked like they handed down the design of their uniforms to the present PMA cadets. :)

It's good to know that Universities in the Philippines these days are actually doing theatrical plays about the life of our countrymen's experiences during the 1904 World's fair. I myself didn't know about the involvement of Filipinos not till I was already here in the US. I still think there are a lot of stories left untold about the event including the way the americans treated our countrymen.

One of the stories I read somewhere is that non-Tagalogs were treated as second class citizens of the Philippines during that time by the Americans. I'm starting to think this must be the reason why we couldn't find photos of Tagalogs because they were treated by the Americans as a more civilized group. The Americans didn't want to show the world that there are no civilized group in the Philippines. They wanted to portray the Tagalogs were the elite class that was representative of the government of the Philippines just like they do in the US. Even the exhibit itself didn't have a Tagalog village to represent the group but they instead have a replica of Walled Intramuros, Santo Thomas, Manila house and Philippine government building. One of the common characteristic of Colonialism was grouping citizens into different class and during that time the White Americans thought of themselves as a higher class citizen than the the colored race.

I read somewhere that Datu Bulon(Bulan) stayed in US worked and became a citizen .

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this is a bit saddening because it reminds me of the americans' attempt to use indigenous mercenaries (makabebe and later the philippine constabulary) to supress the Filipino revolutionaries up until 1913. to think that the our armed forces today is the descendant of the colonial Philippine constabulary and the Philippine scouts.

Well, it's interesting that you say that. The contingent of Philippine Scouts in the St. Louis World's Fair was not just for show. In fact, they were deployed there to help reign in any rebellious tribesmen and women. The Philippine Scouts were ordered to stand guard around the Philippine village and "pacify" anybody who was giving problems. There were military actions against Filipino tribesmen and women who would try to leave their camps. I believe some were also killed by the Philippine Scouts. So even then, Philippine arms were used against Filipinos who wanted a better way of life.

An interesting note also: some of the tribespeople decided that they liked western clothing and started wearing them, as they did their regular thing. The audience did not like it, so they were forced to wear the native attire during the day time-- it was not right to see Filipinos out of their native clothing and heaven forbid if they started to look educated.

Hello D'transporter,

Do you know if the ethnographic items (clothes, untensils, swords, knives, shields and such) that the filipinos used during the exhibit were collected and in a museum somewhere or where they able to bring them back home??

I have no idea Ibeam, that's why we have this thread so it will help us come up with answers to all unanswered questions. I do know some of the tribesmen decided to stay in Louisiana but I don't have any idea how many of them did. There might be a museum in Louisiana that might have kept some of the items and I'm sure the US Immigration must have documented those Filipinos who remained in the US.

Just found another article about the fair.



'Living Exhibits' at 1904 World's Fair Revisited
Igorot Natives Recall Controversial Display of Their Ancestors
by Greg Allen

Photo Gallery: Igorots at the 1904 World's Fair

© CORBISA group of Igorot villagers from the Philippines on display at the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904.

Morning Edition, May 31, 2004 · In St. Louis this year, residents are commemorating the centennial of the 1904 World's Fair, an event originally held to mark America's progress. Among those returning to the city to mark the occasion are the descendants of tribal peoples put on display in so-called "living exhibits" that recreated their native villages.

The largest of these exhibits was the Philippine village, a 47-acre site that for seven months in 1904 became home to more than 1,000 Filipinos from at least 10 different ethnic groups. The biggest crowd-drawers were the so-called primitive tribes -- especially the Igorots, whose appeal lay in their custom of eating dog.

Mia Abeya, a Maryland resident whose Igorot grandfather was among those on display, says Igorots ate dog only occasionally, for ceremonial purposes. During the fair, they were fed the animals on a daily basis. "They made them butcher dogs, which is really abusing the culture of the Igorots," Abeya tells NPR's Greg Allen.

But Abeya says the experience had a positive side, too. She notes that many Igorots attended school for the first time while in St. Louis. After returning to the Philippines, Abeya's grandfather made sure all of his children and grandchildren received an education.

Many Igorots plan to return to St. Louis in July to commemorate this controversial chapter in their history.

http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/5844/pinoydudesearly1900sqf0.jpg

This must be how the Pinoy dudes in America looks like in the 1900s.

^^ They looked very sharp and handsome. Where was that taken?

^^ No definite year was noted but It was from the collection of the Maria Orosa family.

Oldies, 1900's (http://www.orosa.org/Oldies,%20more.htm)
More, Oldies (http://www.orosa.org/Oldies%20from%20a%20bygone%20era.htm)
Oldies, more (http://www.orosa.org/Oldies,%20more%20and%20more.htm)

Who knows who these guys are but found this picture in the University of Washington files of Maria Y. Orosa. My guess is that they were students.

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/825/1904dn7.jpg (http://www.boondocksnet.com/gallery/wfe1904/philippines.html)

Photographs of the Philippine Reservation at the St. Louis World's Fair
~ Just Click on the photograph above and see the collections from the past ~.

^^ Imagine they built the Fair and those structures for 6 years only to be exhibited for 7 months.

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/825/1904dn7.jpg (http://www.boondocksnet.com/gallery/wfe1904/philippines.html)

Photographs of the Philippine Reservation at the St. Louis World's Fair
~ Just Click on the photograph above and see the collections from the past ~.


Thanks for the new link Tsinoy, very good contribution.

^^ Imagine they built the Fair and those structures for 6 years only to be exhibited for 7 months.

Then most of it was demolished afterwards.

Yeah a lot of the attention to detail used int he exhibition was a way for the US government to display what it had acquired in the Philippines-- exhibiting the empire it all of the sudden had. So one could say it was a huge PR campaign for US imperialism.

^^ True, It was more of a showing-off of their prized possessions from all around the globe. My great-grandfather's relative who were asked and promised a good life to work on that fair were not able to join, thus some regions were not represented. But they soon were able to sneak in to California to trace down some relatives in Baja and interior Mexico.

It was noted that the Philippine Reservation was the most famous attraction on that fair. Now, what happened to the next World's Fair?

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1418/jailju9.jpg

Nice jail.... :) In and Out system...

^^ Yeah but once the prisoner goes out, he will be shot with an arrow. (joke, but may be true) :dunno:

Imagine this fair costed $15 million to build and $1 million to restore (without the additional costs for maintenance, incidentals and demolition) while the US paid Spain $ 20 million dollars for possession of the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris of 1898.

kasing presyo na lang pala ng Pilipinas ang St. Louis Fair. :lol: Hindi pa kasama inflation (ok hangover ng econ).

Pero joking aside, naaawa ako sa mga pinadala sa fair na iyan. Nalaman ko lang ito nung nanoood ako ng play na: "St. Louis loves dem Filipinos." Sa totoo lang, pati naman yung mga Filipino elites dati na mostly mestizos, siyempre, may kasalanan din. Actually, hindi nila tinuring na Filipinos yung mga tribes na pinadala sa US. Para sa kanila, mga "barbarians" lang sila. Yan yung mga nakita ko sa play. Pero siymepre one-sided lang iyon. Di natin alam kung ano talaga nangyari.

Kaunting mga tao lang ang nakakaalam na may ganito palang nangyari noon(kasama na ako). Hindi ko pa malalaman kung hindi ako nanood ng play. Sana naman nilagay nila sa Phil. History books ito. Kahit footnote kasi wala eh.

^^ That's what I was trying to relate to some people here. Hindi natin alam ang lahat na tunay na pangyayari.
What we learned about our history during our school years are different from each year that has come. Lalo na ngayon na maraming naglalabasan na bagong kasaysayan na malamang ay may halong karagdagan para ito ay maging kapanipaniwala na madalas ay kathang isip lamang.

But this 1904 Fair as I've said was like a circus. ginawang parang primal attractions ang mga Pilipinos at Native Americans and some Caribbean’s people.
Primal attractions might not be the right term, but you know what I was trying to say.
At least after less than half a century, Filipinos have proven themselves not as savages but as part of a hard working force globally. Filipinos are almost everywhere around the globe.

kasing presyo na lang pala ng Pilipinas ang St. Louis Fair. :lol: Hindi pa kasama inflation (ok hangover ng econ).

Pero joking aside, naaawa ako sa mga pinadala sa fair na iyan. Nalaman ko lang ito nung nanoood ako ng play na: "St. Louis loves dem Filipinos." Sa totoo lang, pati naman yung mga Filipino elites dati na mostly mestizos, siyempre, may kasalanan din. Actually, hindi nila tinuring na Filipinos yung mga tribes na pinadala sa US. Para sa kanila, mga "barbarians" lang sila. Yan yung mga nakita ko sa play. Pero siymepre one-sided lang iyon. Di natin alam kung ano talaga nangyari.

Kaunting mga tao lang ang nakakaalam na may ganito palang nangyari noon(kasama na ako). Hindi ko pa malalaman kung hindi ako nanood ng play. Sana naman nilagay nila sa Phil. History books ito. Kahit footnote kasi wala eh.

Yeah, we can't blame just the Americans coz I don't think these Filipinos would be sent there without consenting the Philippine government at that time. So there were a group of people here in the P.I. who allowed our kababayans to leave probably not even knowing what was going to happen upon arriving in the US.

^^ I think there was no Philippine govt in 1904. Under US govt yata ang Pilipinas nun.

^^ Yeah, we were under American Rule then and the governor general of the Philippines was Luke E. Wright. The fair was meant to showcase Philippines as a territory of the US.

^^ I know, I didn't mean to use the "Phil government" literally, what I really meant was the governing authority at that time in the Philippines.

Savage Acts: Wars, Fairs and Empire. New York: American Social History Project (http://www.ashp.cuny.edu/), 1995. 30 min. VHS video. $75.00 ea. Pennee Bender, Joshua Brown and Andrea Ades Vasquez, directors. Pennee Bender, Joshua Brown, Andrea Ades Vasquez, and Stephen Brier, producers. Oscar Campomanes, Amy Kaplan, Roy Rosenzweig, Robert Rydell and Marilyn Young, historical advisors.

Savage Acts is an important and timely addition to the educational multimedia resources available for classes in American Studies, Ethnic Studies, and U.S. history. In a quick 30 minutes, it demonstrates the interaction between the United States' creation of an overseas empire at the turn of the century and the accompanying changes in domestic culture expressed in the major world's fairs held from 1893 to 1904. The video is part of a series building on the American Social History Project's earlier two-volume textbook (New York: Pantheon, 1989, 1992) and CD-ROM (Irvington, N.Y.: The Voyager Co., 1993), both entitled Who Built America?

The video tells the story of the country's shift from expansion across the continent justified by a sense of manifest destiny to the creation of an overseas empire and the new concepts of national and racial mission that supported it. Responding to both a new wave of European imperialism and domestic problems cause by rapid industrialization, the United States declared war on Spain after the explosion on the battleship "Maine" in Havana Harbor. Although the war was ostensibly fought to "free Cuba", the first battle took place in Manila Bay. The decision to annex the Philippines and the resulting three-year Philippine-American War (1899-1902) is given more attention than the three-month "splendid little war" with Spain. The war with Spain created heroes and symbols of national power and greatness, the war in the Philippines divided the nation as the new policy of "imperialism" was debated by citizens' groups, politicians, and soldiers.

Beginning with the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, the world's fairs promoted globalization, world trade, and a national identity that supported overseas expansion. They highlighted the country's industrial growth at a time when the frontier was declared closed, and drew a sharp contrast between the "progress" and "civilization" of the United States and the "savage" and "primitive" peoples from other countries who were classified into racial "types" and put on display in midway exhibits of "Darkest Africa" and "Mysterious Asia." At the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, the Philippines exhibit was the largest and most popular midway attraction. Decorated with American flags, it celebrated the newly consolidated empire, displaying, in the words of a contemporary review, "savages made by American methods into civilized workers."

Of course a 30-minute format does not allow the full stories of the wars or the fairs to be told, but the film makes the connections between the two remarkably clear. It does this by shifting back and forth between the war in the Philippines, domestic reaction to it, and the fairs. The contrasts presented are striking. For example, quotations from Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo's plan for the establishment of an independent Philippine government are followed by McKinley's famous account of his decision to annex the Philippines to "educate, uplift and Christianize" the Filipinos. Photographs of Filipino leaders and of Filipino citizens reading newspapers in Manila cafes are contrasted with contemporary editorial cartoons published in the United States that consistently portrayed the Filipinos as children needing guidance from a benevolent Uncle Sam. Similar images of the Filipinos were presented at the world's fairs. Using archival film, photographs, and images from contemporary publications such as the Chicago Times Portfolio of Midway Types, the video examines the use of contemporary views of racial hierarchy to establish new concepts of national identity and mission. "Viewing man in his primitive state -- black, half-clad -- it occurs to you why you are the only race not on exhibition," one visitor relates. "The exhibit is for you and you are the crowning glory of it all." Another visitor realizes that "if you were not an American you would be a savage of that type."

The video makes clear, though, that the United States was not as white, homogenous, and trouble-free as the fairs seemed to indicate. African American and Native American groups protested their exclusion from the 1893 Chicago fair. Frederick Douglass spoke at the fair to address the issue of racism. Racism within the United States also affected the war in the Philippines. Filipinos made appeals for racial solidarity, calling for African American soldiers to desert the U.S. army. The story of David Fagen, an African American who became a successful general in the Filipino army and whose capture became an obsession to the U.S. military and the press at home, is told briefly here.(1) Within the United States, the African American Press also divided on the issues of imperialism and the war. Some opposed the war on the grounds of racial solidarity while others argued that patriotism to the country should come first.

Throughout most of the video, contemporary texts, still graphics and contemporary film clips are allowed to tell the story, with narration and occasional headlines used primarily for transitions and to mark significant historical events. The debate about imperialism in the United States is told with quotes from an AF of L Trade Union Delegate, Susan B. Anthony, a resolution by the Colored Citizens of Boston, and William Jennings Bryan representing anti-imperialist thought, and by Theodore Roosevelt, Senator Albert J. Beveridge and General Frederick Funston representing the imperialists. The debate about the war within army ranks is demonstrated with powerful quotes from letters written home by soldiers in the field expressing either sympathy for the Filipinos and opposition to the government's policy or racist sentiments about the "hot game" of "killing ******s." The Philippine side of the war is presented with quotations from Aguinaldo, Philippine Envoy to the United States Felipe Agoncillo, and the Filipino Central Committee that operated throughout the war from offices in Hong Kong and Toronto. The impact of the fairs is presented with quotes from contemporary guidebooks and letters written by visitors to the fairs.

The historical advisors for the video have produced some of the most important works related to its subject. Among these are Robert W. Rydell, All the World's a Fair: Visions of Empire at American International Expositions, 1876-1916 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984); Amy Kaplan and Donald E. Pease, eds., Cultures of United States Imperialism (Durham: Duke University Press, 1993); and Marilyn B. Young, The Rhetoric of Empire: American China Policy, 1895-1901 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1968). Oscar V. Campomanes co-edited and contributed the "Afterward" to the special Spring 1995 issue of Critical Mass: A Journal of Asian American Cultural Criticism on U.S. Filipino Literature and Culture; and Roy Rosenzweig co-authored the American Social History Project's CD-ROM. Pennee Bender, who wrote the script, and the other directors of Savage Acts are to be congratulated for producing a video that makes its own contribution within this field by combining the wars and fairs more closely and thereby bringing the interaction between foreign policy and domestic culture into sharper focus.

Unlike the American Social History Project's earlier textbook and CD-ROM that were designed for individual use, this video is ideal for in-class use. Its 30-minute format provides plenty of time for discussion, and its attention to both the wars and the fairs will undoubtedly make it a useful supplement to assigned readings in classes dealing with U.S. culture, U.S. history, race and ethnicity, and nationalism. People looking for diplomatic history will not find it here, but that is the easiest resource to find on this era. Instead, Savage Acts focuses on the cultural ramifications of turn-of-the-century foreign policy, a subject that is rarely represented even in specialized studies.

Philippine Commissioner Vicente Nepomuceno is allowed to give the last statement of the film, and it highlights what may be an unintentional benefit of the video. Commenting on the portrayal of Filipinos as savages at the 1904 fair, he says: "It was never intended that the true advancement be disclosed. The impression has gone abroad that we are barbarians . . . and no matter how long we stay here we cannot convince the public to the contrary."

Today, this statement has a more profound meaning than it did in 1904. Filipinos are now the seventh-largest racial or national group in the United States, ranking just behind Chinese in the 1990 census as the second-largest Asian American group. They are also the fastest growing Asian group and are expected to outnumber Chinese before the next full census is taken. While the video is an important resource for understanding the creation of racial stereotypes within the United States more generally, it is especially useful for understanding the social history of white American-Filipino American relations. Those relations essentially began in 1898 when, as Finley Peter Dunne's "Mr. Dooley" put it, the people of the United States first learned whether the Philippines "were islands or canned goods." Numerous recent studies have argued that "whiteness" and "blackness" are inextricably connected in American culture.(2) This video argues that the concept of U.S. national mission developed at the turn of the century (an "imperial whiteness") was inextricably connected to how Filipinos were defined. Both the increasing prominence of Filipinos in American society and the approaching centennials of the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War make this aspect of the video especially timely.

http://www.boondocksnet.com/expos/wfe_savacts.html

^^ Yeah but once the prisoner goes out, he will be shot with an arrow. (joke, but may be true) :dunno:

Imagine this fair costed $15 million to build and $1 million to restore (without the additional costs for maintenance, incidentals and demolition) while the US paid Spain $ 20 million dollars for possession of the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris of 1898.

It was needed to justify the promise of 'civilization and christianization' for the island's inhabitants. We should also take note that many (USA) American's were not educated about the situations and cultures of the world. The denizens needed proof or for 'show' what the inhabitants of the new territory that they have acquired from the war.

^^^^
Part of the St Louis Exposition materials from the Smithsonian Institute was repatriated a few years back. I saw some items which I think were better left with the institute, for now, since it will deteriorate rapidly here in our country. One of them was a a dried anahaw leaf, which was used for something. Although specimens are still readily available, the particular item still has its own historical association as part of the early 20th Phil expo.

^^ I think so too. But I do hope items could be lend for a certain amount of time to Philippine museums. Especially the one in the Madrid exposition.

http://www.fotoMadrid.com/temp/150/indianaforti_005.jpg.jpeg (http://www.fotoMadrid.com/ver/792)

Palacio de Cristal (Cristal Palace)

Descripción: Situado a la orilla de un pequeño estanque, fue construido en 1887 a instancias del Ministerio de Fomento por el arquitecto Ricardo Velázquez Bosco. Se trataba de un invernadero-estufa que servía de pabellón para albergar una gran muestra de plantas exóticas traídas con motivo de la Exposición General de Filipinas,queaquel año se celebró en Madrid.

Inaugurada el 30 de junio de 1887, la exposición filipina pretendía mostrar a los madrileños la exótica vida cotidiana de aquellas islas, que por entonces seguían siendo colonia española. Para ello, se construyó en el Retiro un auténtico poblado indígena, e incluso se trajo desde la isla de Luzón a buena parte de una tribu de igorrotes, a quienes los madrileños podían ver habitando en sus cabañas de troncos, o navegando con sus piraguas por el estanque del palacio. También se trajeron caimanes, una gran boa, y una completa muestra de su flora, que fue la que se expuso en el palacio.

http://www.fotoMadrid.com/temp/150/ntp_0005.jpg.jpeg (http://www.fotoMadrid.com/ver/899)

Lago del Palacio de Cristal (Cristal Palace Lake)

Descripción: Los Jardines del Buen Retiro, popularmente conocidos como El Retiro, es un parque de 118 hectáreas situado en Madrid. Es uno de los lugares más significativos de la capital española y dentro de él, el Palacio de Cristal y su lago, son sin lugar a dudas el punto de interés más sobresaliente de los jardines. El Palacio de Cristal, junto con el lago artificial, fue levantado en 1887. Ambos nacen con vocación internacional, con motivo de la Exposición de las Islas Filipinas, donde se dieron a conocer flores diversas de ese lugar. Fue la respuesta española a los magníficos invernaderos ingleses como el Palm House de Kew Gardens.

Indigenous art at the Philippine Exposition of 1887 (http://jhc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/2/283)
Arguments for an ideological and racial battle in a colonial context
Luis Ángel Sánchez Gómez1

1 Dpto. de Prehistoria y Etnología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, Universidad Complutense, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain. langel@ghis.ucm.es

The Philippine Exposition was held in Madrid in 1887 with the aim of increasing commercial and economic relation between the archipelago and the metropolis, but also with the objective of showing its indigenous population to the Spaniards. In this sense, one of the Exposition sections was devoted to fine arts of the Philippines. Assessment of the artistic quality of works of art exhibited was the subject of very disparate interpretations. For conservative Spanish critics – and even for some liberals – the low quality of the woodcarvings was presented as a consequence of the inherent abilities of the Filipinos, and this circumstance was explained exclusively in ethnic terms. However, for some liberal Spanish critics and, above all, for members of the Filipino intellectual elite – the ilustrados – the responsibility for this artistic underdevelopment lay with the Spanish colonial system, and more specifically with the Spanish regular clergy, whose educational strategy was basically aimed at the repression of Filipino intellect.

I didn't even know there was a Philippine exposition in Madrid 1887, thanks for the information Animo!

I didn't even know there was a Philippine exposition in Madrid 1887, thanks for the information Animo!

Actually during the Spanish era 'Filipinas' has several exposition in Europe: London (1851), Paris (1855 y 1867), Viena (1873), Philadephia-USA (1876), Barcelona (1888), Amsterdam (1883). The country also participated under the Spanish banner in the Chicago Exposition in 1893. Another exhibition called 'Exposicion Regional de Filipinas' in 1895 occued too.

Here is a great site with photos: http://www.seacex.com/catalogo.cfm?idExposicion=296

The expositions shows different stages of Filipino development from Pre-Hispano to Hispano Filipino. You can see the development of the country (achitecture, policies, government stuff etc. ) and culture (clothings, arts, literature, etc.) in those photos in contrast with the 'Native' only 1904 American exposition.

^^ It is under 'Un imperio en la Vitrina' (Showcase of an empire). Items such as these are in the Anthropology Museum in Madrid.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/24/47153794_fd385e4587.jpg?v=0
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/47153837_5f56e75403.jpg?v=0

^^ The bolos were very ornate. Such craftsmanship.

Great Stuff Animo. Here is a close up of the intricately carve handle.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v43/ibeam/Luzon%20Weapons/HPIM2248.jpg
Do u mind sharing some more pictures from the museum?

D'T
According to J. Fermin, the entire ethnological collection from the show was purchased by the American Museum of Natural History in New York from the US War Department. The AMNH museum opened a permanent full sized hall Philippine section/exhibit and was on display until 1961. And now only a few items are shown in the Asian section and most of the other items are laying in storage. This must be quite a collection. The AMNH musuem had all the items shipped back from St. Louis to New York in 20 railroad cars.

^^ Oh so that collection is in AMNH but in storage. I wonder if those are still there. It would be nice to exhibit those again. When I visited last there, there was one exhibit case for Philippine ethnological items.

^^^
They may have defined ethnological collections differently from how we use them today, or the collection could have been parceled when they reached AMNH, or whether the Smithsonian a part of AMNH. There is a specific item in the Inculcation exhibition at the National Museum which could have been part of the fair, most likely part of the collection that was repatriated a few years back.

The First Philippine Exposition and What It Accomplished

An epoch in American colonial history was marked by the opening of the first Philippine Exposition, held in its own grounds and buildings on the outskirts of Manila, during the first weeks of the present year. The progress made by the islands under American guidance in all the arts of peace were shown by native processes and products.
The exposition, under the general presidency of the Hon. C. E. Elliott, Secretary of Commerce and Police of the Islands, was the medium through which the four chief Philippine agricultural products, hemp, sugar, cocoanut, and tobacco, were exploited. Under the management and through the hard work of Mr. W. W. Barclay, the Director General, the exposition indicated what the native Filipinos can and will do under American direction, education, and encouragement. Even the buildings were of native material, chiefly sualie and woven bamboo. More than 100,000 pesos' worth of handiwork by the pupils of the public schools, made under the direction of American teachers, and more than 50,000 pesos' worth of goods from the provincial exhibits were sold during exposition week.
products marked the buildings, and their beauty was noted by Western visitors. It would be difficult to describe to those not familiar with the tropical East the color effects produced by the combination of the cream tints of the hemp fiber, the pale green of the sugar cane, the gray of the cocoanut and the dark brown of the tobacco, particularly when used as coverings for the pillars and other structural work of the buildings.

The chief exhibits were from the Pangasinan and Moro provinces. Pangasinan is known as the granary of the Philippines, and its wheat exhibit was remarkable. Among the industries from this province were represented the famous Calasio hat. Moro Province exhibit won many first prizes, chiefly for rubber, hemp, corn and tobacco. This province also sent samples of coffee, pronounced by experts to be equal in flavor to any in the world. Peanuts, tapioca, beans, and barley were shown in brilliant profusion. From a number of separate localities native brasswork was exhibited, and much admired, as was also pottery products from Lanao.
The exposition, which was a surprise even to many of the Manilans themselves, apparently justified itself. It seems probable that the easy success of this exhibition will encourage and stand as a model for the working out of the Filipino native section at the coming Panama-Pacific Exposition at San Francisco, to mark the opening of the canal.

http://www.boondocksnet.com/expos/wfe_philippineexpo.html

Photos and information of convention facilities, such as multipurpose rooms and conference halls, seminar rooms, meeting lounges, etc. Post away. :)

CICC open house tour
05.08.07

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CICC open house tour
05.08.07

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CICC open house tour
05.08.07

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another one is on the rise...



CAGAYAN DE ORO INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/Slide3.jpg


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/Slide1-1.jpg


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/Slide2-1.jpg


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/Slide4.jpg


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/Slide5.jpg

^ Looks promising, any renderings?

i once saw a project board.. it shall have a glass facade.. cant find something on the net..

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/2089/latestpics033zm4.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2981/latestpics038ew0.jpg

^ Wow, that's nice, is that project backed by the government or is it a private initiative?

I will soon post my rendering of the CDO Int'l Convention Center. Hopefully this week.

^ Wow, that's nice, is that project backed by the government or is it a private initiative?

That is the project of our governor here. This convention center is a part of a complex which will also have a hotel, the cost of which will is roughly 400M. But a bigger convention center-hotel complex will soon rise at the Dumaguete Business Park.

^^ ritch post more pics of the negor convention center..

I'd like to see Cagayan de Oro International Convention Center's rendering. Interesting shape.

Im waiting for the rendering from Sera... ^^

another find for CDOICC

http://www.nenepimentel.org/project%20of%20OSP/Convention-Center.gif

the plenary hall is really huge...

^^ How come it looks like an abandoned project site? Is the construction on hold or something? :dunno:

the construction started in 2000, but was then frozen.. They're finishing it right now...(what is, politics).. the target completion date is Nov 4, 2007.. Im giving it till January of next year..:D

sorry for the quality folks...

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5412/copy1ofimage000nz1.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9965/image017xm0.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/6021/image002lz9.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/7828/image015ie6.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/5808/image020mt9.jpg

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/4294/image013br1.jpg

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/4230/image005qh2.jpg

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/8852/image006oe3.jpg

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/5294/image001or6.jpg

^ Since when was this operational?

The plenary hall was usable since the international rondalla festival last February, but the skin, the exteriors, the hotel and other parts are still being finished...

The CDO Int'l Convention Center is really huge. The area that surrounds it might will hopefully have lush gardens & beautiful surroundings. Since the area around it is spacious that space might also be utilized to build commercial/leisure facilities that will create Mindanao's counterpart to the Cebu Int'l Convention Center.

another find for CDOICC

http://www.nenepimentel.org/project%20of%20OSP/Convention-Center.gif

the plenary hall is really huge...

bitaw... is it just me or looks more like a sports arena than for formal conventions... (no insult intended, just a question)

found these pics on the net (thanks, google)

Cebu City International Convention Center (at the Waterfront Hotel) (http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/functionrooms.html)

http://www.asiatravel.com/cebu/waterfront/gifs/convcent.jpg

http://www.ngkhai.net/cebu/wp-images/ballroom.JPG

http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/images/popp_pacificgrandballroom_0.gif

Grand Convention Center of Cebu

http://www.ngkhai.net/cebupics/albums/userpics/10144/normal_grand%20convention.jpg

http://www.esprint.com/Images/mid-year-awards01.jpg

Shangri-la Mactan (http://www.shangri-la.com/cebu/mactanisland/meetings/en/index.aspx)

http://www.shangri-la.com/projects/uploadedImages/Hotels/Cebu/Shangri-La's_Mactan_Island_Resort/en/Meetings/pic_mac_meeting01.jpg

http://www.shangri-la.com/images/hotels/content/MAC/photo/pic_mac_pt_exterior.jpg

Cebu City Marriott Hotel (http://marriott.com/hotels/event-planning/travel/cebph-cebu-city-marriott-hotel/)

http://cache.marriott.com/propertyimages/c/cebph/phototour/cebph_phototour05.jpg?Log=1

http://cache.marriott.com/propertyimages/c/cebph/phototour/cebph_phototour11.jpg?Log=1

Marco Polo Plaza Hotel (http://www.marcopolohotels.com/cebu.html#meetings)

>> feel free to add more! thanks :)

bitaw... is it just me or looks more like a sports arena than for formal conventions... (no insult intended, just a question)

Siguro this convention center can serve dual purposes. It can be used to host Int'l Conventions & it can also be used for concerts/sports events like the Araneta Colloseum. :)

found these pics on the net (thanks, google)

Cebu City International Convention Center (at the Waterfront Hotel) (http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/functionrooms.html)

http://www.asiatravel.com/cebu/waterfront/gifs/convcent.jpg

http://www.ngkhai.net/cebu/wp-images/ballroom.JPG

http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/images/popp_pacificgrandballroom_0.gif



Since when was the Waterfront CICC renamed to "Cebu City" International Convention Center?

*I also read in Wikipedia, when the PICC was completed it was Asia's first. :)
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/9091/picc2jf7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/9500/248145983c4c73b5039hz0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Map of the inside:
http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/7831/picc3lf8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^^ such a beautiful structure. :banana:

^ Finally, something about the famed Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Asia's first. They need to revitalize that place. Plus, they need to have an active website. It seems that they are allowing this structure and its facilities to fall into neglect once again. Just because it was built during the 70s, does not mean that they have to overlook it. It is already part of Philippine historical architecture for having hosted a lot of "firsts" in terms of international conventions -- the first UNCTAD delegation in Asia, the first Worldwide Justices' convention, National Quiz Bee, etc. etc. They have to keep its facilities modern and up to date in order to host a lot of these national and international conventions.

I haven't been inside yet.. Is it very grand?

^^ All I remember are like multitude of tube-like lights (modernist light fixtures) hanging from the ceiling as you enter the Plenary Hall. It seems like any other convention centers to me coz there were so many people when I was there and I was not that keen on interiors around that time that I saw it. I just remember that my mother served as an usherette in one of those conventions and my sister had her convocation there.

I haven't been inside yet.. Is it very grand?

I'd say the facility is more functional than being aesthetically appealing. The lobby looks grandiose yes but lightings leave more to be desired.

bitaw... is it just me or looks more like a sports arena than for formal conventions... (no insult intended, just a question)

Yeahh, it sounds like that. The name actually is Cagayan de Oro Convention and Civic center. That's why it maybe half convention center and half sports arena... :D:D

Since when was the Waterfront CICC renamed to "Cebu City" International Convention Center?

Maybe just to give a distinction between this one and the new CICC in Mandae. Although the signage at the Waterfront is still CICC.

stand alone convention centers in davao city...

davao convention and trade center
http://www.davaocity.gov.ph/doingbusiness/Images/davaotrade.jpg

bangko sentral convention center
http://www.davaocity.gov.ph/doingbusiness/Images/bankosentral.jpg

The Bangko Central CC looks like PICC.:)

Yeahh, it sounds like that. The name actually is Cagayan de Oro Convention and Civic center. That's why it maybe half convention center and half sports arena... :D:D

If so it would be a very Grand Civic Center and maybe it can even play host to an international sporting event like Basketball/Volleyball. It can also play host to an International Ballroom Dancing Competition.

The Bangko Central CC looks like PICC.:)

Cebu City you mean?

^ He meant Bangko Sentral Convention Center in Davao :)

^^Yeah. :D

^^my bad, sowee...hehe

Anong hall ba ng PICC yung pinagdadausan ng canvassing ng COMELEC? It seems na low kasi ang ceiling :)

The Bangko Central CC looks like PICC.:)

coz it was designed by Locsin :)

Ohh.. i see.:)

Grand Mindanao Ballroom, Pryce Plaza Hotel

http://www.cagayan-de-oro.com/PrycePlazaGrandBallroom_small.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/pph.jpg


As the most ideal venue to combine business and pleasure, the Grand Mindanao Ballroom is unsurpassed in Cagayan de Oro. With capacity of 400 to 1,500 people, convention and banquet facilities at Pryce Plaza are still the best in Northern Mindanao. In addition to an 806 square meter ballroom which is the largest in the region, there are also function rooms which are best suited fro smaller meetings and events. All theses rooms offer contemporary visual and lighting facilities. Combined with a team of highly-trained and capable staff with over 10 years experience in conventions, meetings and exhibitions, Pryce Plaza will ensure that your functions always run smoothly.

bitaw... is it just me or looks more like a sports arena than for formal conventions... (no insult intended, just a question)

I agree that it looks more of a sports arena rather than a truly convention center. Of course, conventions (especially involving thousands of delegates) can be held in sports centers. However, I'm just concerned about acoustics. Sports arenas normally have bad acoustics, unless they really pump up the volume like in ball games. The plenary hall must also have booths or spaces for translators/ interpreters (if it's designed as an "international" facility). Also, a good convention center should also have several ancillary facilities (smaller rooms) as support to the plenary hall, like secretariat, breakout rooms, business center, even dining facilities, lounges, VIP or executive rooms, etc., travel agencies. With CDOICC design, I wonder where they would put all these?

I agree that it looks more of a sports arena rather than a truly convention center. Of course, conventions (especially involving thousands of delegates) can be held in sports centers. However, I'm just concerned about acoustics. Sports arenas normally have bad acoustics, unless they really pump up the volume like in ball games. The plenary hall must also have booths or spaces for translators/ interpreters (if it's designed as an "international" facility). Also, a good convention center should also have several ancillary facilities (smaller rooms) as support to the plenary hall, like secretariat, breakout rooms, business center, even dining facilities, lounges, VIP or executive rooms, etc., travel agencies. With CDOICC design, I wonder where they would put all these?

Yes, the CDO Convention and Civic Center is designed well to meet "internatoinal standard facilities". I just quote this article publish in PIA (http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&sec=reader&rp=10&fi=p070202.htm&no=91&date=) below:



...The Cagayan de Oro Convention and Civic Center is the first ever world class Trade and Convention Center being constructed in Mindanao. It was implemented utilizing the Design-Construct Scheme and is ideal for national, international and trade exhibits, as well as seminars and conventions.

Boasting of a 7,700 seating capacity, the Convention Center has several amenities like a multi-purpose hall that could accommodate 1,000 guests, a convertible indoor playing court, an exhibit area for 1,500 viewing guests with demountable partition for flexibility of expansion, 12 function rooms for 1,000 guests, 4 clubrooms with lockers and showers, cafeteria with approximately 100 seating capacity, and an administrative office, storage room and other support facilities.


With a few more works to be done on time, the project is expected to be completed on November 4, 2007.

That's it. But as we see the ongoing project, we are puzzled on how they put these facilities since the project is in halfway arena type and convention center. :) :)




(DPWH-10)

^^I think the CDOICC will have it's function rooms located beneath the bleachers or it may also be located in the basement (if there is one). :)

so whats its official name? CDOCC or CDOICC?

^ Or CDOCCC (Cagayan de Oro Convention and Civic Center) :dunno:

^^ I think it deserves to be called CDO Int'l Convention Center because it took so long to build and cost so much :lol:

^^ I think it deserves to be called CDO Int'l Convention Center because it took so long to build and cost so much :lol:

but what is the official name?

^^I think it is officially tagged or promoted as CDO Int'l Convention Center but the project description is CDO Convention & Civic Center because it will also cater to sports/civic events.

why not CDO International Convention and Civic Center then? :lol:

Pwede rin. O kaya Oro Int'l Convention & Civic Center (OICCC) para naman unique :banana:

CAGAYAN DE ORO INT'L CONVENTION CENTER
(SCHEMATIC RENDERING)

Completion Date: November 2007

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/683/cdoiccg1rd7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

-Most Expensive Convention Center outside Metro Manila (P750 Million+ Construction Cost)

-1st World-Class Convention Center in the whole Mindanao

-Complete amenities with multiple function rooms

-Over 7,700 seating Capacity for delegates

WOWOWEEEEEE

They need to hurry up and finish that project because the construction site looks like a war zone in the latest pictures of it. Otherwise, pretty nice design.

;13392427']so whats its official name? CDOCC or CDOICC?

CDOICC ang nakalagay sa arc sa may entry ng access road nya..


si sera ang gumawa ng rendering...ang sama mo ha..okey naman ah..:)

CDOICC ang nakalagay sa arc sa may entry ng access road nya..


si sera ang gumawa ng rendering...ang sama mo ha..okey naman ah..:)

nyak..sorry po, di ko naman alam na si sera ang may gawa ang i was just stating my opinion :D edit ko na lang yung post :D

pwede ba 'to dito?

Naga City Coliseum under construction in Naga, Bicol.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/4_20060627145501-1.jpg

damaged by milenyo:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/imgs007.jpg

photos from naga.gov.ph

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2985/multimediawf2.jpg
This multimedia center also has two theaters and various equipment for conventions and conferences.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/641/luceeh5.jpg

CDOICC ang nakalagay sa arc sa may entry ng access road nya..


si sera ang gumawa ng rendering...ang sama mo ha..okey naman ah..:)

actually, 5 hours ko lang ginawa yan...sa paintbrush lang :lol:

^^ wow galing mo naman idol! ganda talaga ng convention center na yan kakaiba yung shape

^^ Salamat, buti naman na-appreciate mo. Maganda talaga yung shape ng Cagayan Int'l Convention Center. Sana lang matapos ito this year or next year kasi talagang magagamit ng NorMin itong world-class multi-purpose facility :)

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6392.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6387.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6389.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6391.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6395.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6401.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6402.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6404.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6413.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6409.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6415.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6416.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/IMG_6421.jpg

cebu international convention center

^^ great pics! and its amazing to know that it is owned and operated by the government of cebu!

a shot of CICC taken on 10/20/06, less than two months before its target completion date
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/cicc.jpg
COMPLETED IN LESS THAN 8 MONTHS!

^^ Salamat, buti naman na-appreciate mo. Maganda talaga yung shape ng Cagayan Int'l Convention Center. Sana lang matapos ito this year or next year kasi talagang magagamit ng NorMin itong world-class multi-purpose facility :)

Bai, if your convention center will be finish by the end of 2007 or anytime of 2008. I think that CDO can bid to host for the 2009 AdCongress if your convention center can handle 4,000.00+ delegates. Since 2007 AdCongress is either Cebu (5th time to host) or Subic (2nd time to host).

Do you think bai that there will be no problem with the accomodations? Because that would be another thing to consider aside from the convention center.

It's good bai if CDO can host the AdCongress because it will surely have a great impact on CDO's economy, just like the impact of it to Cebu and Baguio's economy. And CDO will be the first city in mindanao to host it. It will really bring a lot of TV mileage for CDO.

the adcon will be in subic, confirmed na. i saw their AD on the inquirer. if the adcon will be in cdo.....

mag-rafting bai! but no donut bai, pastel lang bai! (mura mag pastilan bai)

:lol:

Bai, if your convention center will be finish by the end of 2007 or anytime of 2008. I think that CDO can bid to host for the 2009 AdCongress if your convention center can handle 4,000.00+ delegates. Since 2007 AdCongress is either Cebu (5th time to host) or Subic (2nd time to host).

Do you think bai that there will be no problem with the accomodations? Because that would be another thing to consider aside from the convention center.

It's good bai if CDO can host the AdCongress because it will surely have a great impact on CDO's economy, just like the impact of it to Cebu and Baguio's economy. And CDO will be the first city in mindanao to host it. It will really bring a lot of TV mileage for CDO.

The Convention Center is probably the Biggest Outside Metro Manila because it can already handle 7,700+ delegates. In terms of the convention facility for Ad Congress the CDO Int'l Convention Center can definitely handle this. Pwede pa nga yung ASEAN Conference. :banana:

If the Ad Congress would be in CDO by 2009 the accomodations in CDO will already be sufficient kasi this year alone reported na mag-ground breaking yung 15-16 storey Limketkai Hotel (250+ rooms) & yung rumored 20 Storey Maxandrea Hotel Expansion. Kung hindi matapos yung mga hotel na ito by 2010 sure ako na may enough accomodations na ang Cagayan de Oro for any big Int'l or Local Convention :)

I've read somewhere that CDO got only a little less than 2000 hotel rooms. I dont think it's sufficient enough to accomodate delegates of ad congress, even with the addition of these upcoming hotels by Limketkai and Maxandrea.

^^ Malay natin magtayo pa ng hotel aside from Limketkai or Maxandrea. But I should think CDO should start hosting at least a regional convention with its CDOICC for the meantime before venturing to National Conventions like the prestigious Ad Congress.

how about the next MICT..:D..

What's MICT ?

the adcon will be in subic, confirmed na. i saw their AD on the inquirer. if the adcon will be in cdo.....

mag-rafting bai! but no donut bai, pastel lang bai! (mura mag pastilan bai)

:lol:

Yup! Agree! It's confirmed! Subic will host the 20th AdCongress.

^^ By the way do you have pics on Subic's Convention Center?

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/3180/latestpics088zo7.jpg
Bethel Guest house is your convention hotel in Dumaguete. Website: http://www.bethelguesthouse.com/index.php.

What's MICT ?

Mindanao Information and Communication Technology Congress

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/6014/dscn1349zr3.jpghttp://img509.imageshack.us/img509/1750/dscn1322pw4.jpghttp://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5959/dscn1320ww6.jpg
Eon Centennial Convention Center

http://www.sarabiamanorhotel.com/assets/images/home.gif
Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center

^
Nice one IloIlo :cheers:

Quezon Convention Center -So far the most Modern and State of the art Basketball Facilities outside Metro Manila.10,ooo seating capacity.
Houses: Function Hall,Boutiques,Xerox Copy Center,Quezon Metropolitan Water District Center, Childs learning Center,Land bank ATM....
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/4130/quetx1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/9603/qcyv9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Mindanao Information and Communication Technology Congress

Yes CDOICC can host the MICT, given CDO is a pioneer in the ICT in Mindanao :)

Yes CDOICC can host the MICT, given CDO is a pioneer in the ICT in Mindanao :)

CDO actually hosted it last year.. Grand Caprice Convention Center & Resto was the venue. This year, i believe Davao is hosting it.

Silliman Business Presentation room
http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/3396/54861146ec6.jpg

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/7176/17893292oz5.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9379/42091840yp7.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9262/73013317qu4.jpg

Inside the Multimedia Center of Silliman
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2985/multimediawf2.jpg

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3120/11gh5.jpg

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/3016/12pl6.jpg

^^ it looks like our classroom

wow silliman is really something else

Check this link out: http://www.geoplan.ph/onegpmrs/pano/panorama09.php

http://www.geoplan.ph/onegpmrs/_pubimg/statusimages/gproj12_main.jpg

^ Nice. Any specifications for the said project?

Oriental Negros Provincial Convention Center and Sports Complex

http://www.geoplan.ph/onegpmrs/_pubimg/statusimages/gproj12_main.jpg

General Objective:
The province will create modern convention and sports facilities of a standard which allows to attract and host major regional, national and eventually international sports and convention events. The integrated convention and sports complex will provide an important stimulus to the local tourism industry.

General Description:

Components of the project are the construction of a 2,000 seats convention center, a 45 bed room hotel with restaurants and the upgrading and rehabilitation of the track and sport field area. These facilities complement the already existing indoor sport hall and the Olympic size swimming pool.

^^ that Oriental Negros Provincial Convention Center and Sports Complex is actually almost done. present construction is already concentrated on the hotel, rubberizing the oval and little more furnishings on the convention center and stage.

the building also includes a mall and a provincial tourism center. all parking areas are undergroud.

^congrats! ang ganda ng rendering. sana may pics talaga. I'm excited for negros!

CDO actually hosted it last year.. Grand Caprice Convention Center & Resto was the venue. This year, i believe Davao is hosting it.

Yes, but the CDOICC should at least host local/regional conventions first to test the facilities :)

if it get finished as scheduled, baka dun kami mag graduation come march08... :D

Wow, that will be a Grand Graduation! Siguro naman tapos na talaga yung CDOICC by March next year :)

hopefully bai.. :D

nga pala, nag ooperate na pala ang Nanuri International School sa vicinity ng CDOICC. 5:1 ang student teacher ratio.. Sosyal..

Oriental Negros Provincial Convention Center, Hotel and Sports Complex update

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/3969/convention1lv8.jpg

Hotel
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8120/optimusprime043tn4.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/2861/optimusprime045rd2.jpg

Parking areas situated underground
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2146/optimusprime049xn4.jpg

Oriental Negros Provincial Convention Center, Hotel and Sports Complex update

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1179/convention2kv7.jpg


http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/2518/optimusprime085iq7.jpg


http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4499/optimusprime089sq5.jpg


http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/9284/optimusprime090mn9.jpg

Oriental Negros Provincial Convention Center, Hotel and Sports Complex update

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7169/convention3uj2.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9778/optimusprime093kn2.jpg


http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/938/optimusprime097as4.jpg


http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/268/optimusprime098to3.jpg


http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/938/optimusprime097as4.jpg


http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/6599/optimusprime100tv2.jpg

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6581/optimusprime096co0.jpg

Oriental Negros Provincial Convention Center, Hotel and Sports Complex update

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1108/convention4vl6.jpg

This will be the only 9-laned oval in the country. The extra lane will be reserved for the early morning joggers

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9378/optimusprime101yw1.jpg


http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/1073/optimusprime102wy9.jpg


http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2707/optimusprime104qx7.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2240/1724992992_749e18e83f.jpg


The Baguio Convention Center is reputed to be the most modern and most spacious facility of its kind north of Metro Manila. It is often used for conventions, programs, conferences, graduations, and other types of indoor gatherings or activities requiring a large seating capacity. It can comfortably seat 3,000 persons.

This imposing Center is located in the southern part of the city and is within short walking distance from the Baguio Tourism complex and the Baguio campus of the University of the Philippines which is just across the street. The Center, which was designed with an Igorot motif, initially gained international prominence when it became the venue of the 1978 World Chess Championship series between two Russian grandmasters - Anatoly Karpov and Victor Korchnoi. It was inaugurated by President Ferdinand E. Marcos during the opening of this championship match on July 17, 1978.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2304/1724547931_b96d653429.jpg

Cap-John Hay Trade and Cultural Center stands nestled amist surrounding tall pine trees and stategically located at the of the future commercial and entertainment center.

The Main Hall seats 1,500 guests and the balcony provides for additional 1,000 tiered seats. The 405 square meter stage features a 12 x 16 feet movie screen and a motorized curtain and a remote controlled video projector. State of the art sound and video equipment, movable partitions and a centralized air conditioning system make Cap - John Hay the ideal venue for conventions, seminars, exhibits, stage plays and concerts and social events. The garden wing extension offers an additional 1,500 square meters of covered space ideal for banquets "al fresco" or exhibition space.

Cebu International Convention Center


CICC - pic by @shutter888 of flickr


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2081/1636259512_d90b48b881_o.jpg

^^ i love this shot! i can still remember when i went there with SSC cebu forumers and the landscapers were still working on the fountain area, that was several days before the original date of the ASEAN summit

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel
Convention Facilities (named after world oceans and seas)
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/flashheader.jpg

Pacific Grand Ballroom
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/grandpacificballroom01.jpg

Atlantic Hall
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/atlantichall.jpg

Artic Hall:
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/arctichall.jpg

Mediterranean Hall:
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/mediterraneanroom.jpg

Adriatic Room:
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/adriaticroom.jpg

Aegean Room:
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/aegeanroom.jpg

Caspian Room:
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/caspianroom02.jpg

Coral Room:
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/coralroom.jpg

Carribean / Baltic / Balearic / Tasman / Sidra / Riga Rooms:
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/carribeanroom01.jpg

Business Center:
http://www.waterfronthotels.com.ph/cebu/images/businesscenter01.jpg

Watch out for SM-X Cebu

^^ give us an idea what's SM-X?


edit: X as in Exhibition Center?

^^SM-X is a convention center currently u/c beside Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Are there any plans to build another one in Cebu?

Watch out for SM-X Cebu

will this be built on a parking lot in front of Sheraton? :)

Oriental Negros Provincial Convention Center, Hotel and Sports Complex update

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7169/convention3uj2.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9778/optimusprime093kn2.jpg


http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/938/optimusprime097as4.jpg


http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/268/optimusprime098to3.jpg


http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/938/optimusprime097as4.jpg


http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/6599/optimusprime100tv2.jpg

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6581/optimusprime096co0.jpg

President Arroyo will be here tomorrow including foreign dignitaries mostly fom Germany and Africa to join in the 2-day International ITAX Conference.

will this be built on a parking lot in front of Sheraton? :)

I think so. SM said months ago that they'll be utilizing the parking lot in front of Sheraton for future projects.

^^SM-X is a convention center currently u/c beside Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Are there any plans to build another one in Cebu?

Yeah, van1975 represents SM in the forums. :D

... in front? or at the back?

I think so. SM said months ago that they'll be utilizing the parking lot in front of Sheraton for future projects.

^^SM-X is a convention center currently u/c beside Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Are there any plans to build another one in Cebu?


Yeah, It was published in a local dailies months ago.


Cebu's going to have it's won Mall of Asia...what you've seen in MOA will be all here....

Watch out for Cyberzone guys!!! :lol:

... in front? or at the back?

In front

http://www.ngkhai.net/cebupics/albums/userpics/10014/normal_sheraton2.JPG

^^ that's not the "front" @sinj....that's back of the hotel....hehehhehe! ....hotel generator's exhausts, the storage room, docking area for delivery of goods...all of them you can see on that side of the building.... so, it' back portion of the hotel, not in front...


http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sofitel.jpg

BTW is the Cebu version bigger than SM MOA ?

no.. i think: cebu will have its own MOA in the sense that the SM complex in the Reclamation Area will replicate the ambiance /environment/development of MOA... not necessarily a new mall

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2268/9ballsqj7.jpg

by: sonic07

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p82/Exile_NDC/ciccold.jpg

^^ that's the CICC at Waterfront Hotel Cebu City..... the other one which is in Mandaue City is the province's official convention center .... explain ko na lang baka maraming ma-confuse...hehehhehe! (it's about time Waterfront should rename their convention center)

October 03, 2007 04:02 PM Wednesday
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?issue=2007-10-03&sec=8&aid=33597

P50-M SBMA convention center inaugurated
By: Jess V. Antiporda
THE country’s biggest convention and trade exhibition center which can accommodate 5,000 people was inaugurated Friday by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority in time for the holding of the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress on November 21 to 24.

“The coming Ad Congress will be the acid test for the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC),” said SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza.

“After this, we expect to host more conventions and trade exhibitions here, especially since Subic is more accessible than the usual convention hosts like Cebu and Davao or even Baguio,” Arreza added.

The SBECC rose from the shell of a former computer parts factory at the Subic Bay Industrial Park and was renovated at a cost of P50 million.

SBMA deputy administrator for tourism Raul Marcelo said the SBECC’s plenary hall, which has a floor area of 2,456 square meters, is bigger than any of the three convention halls at the Cebu International Convention Center.

He said the 8,000-square meter exhibit area at the World Trade Center in Manila pales in comparison to the SBCC’s at 12,000 square meters.

The combined floor space of SBECC’s plenary and trade exhibit halls is also bigger than the usable floor area at the Philippine International Convention Center, which totals 4,292 square meters.

The SBECC will also have several smaller function rooms and hospitality suites and a separate administration building, said Marcelo.

Arreza turned over the symbolic key of the convention center to Yoly Villanueva-Ong, chair of the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress.

However, Areza said the management of the SBECC will eventually be handed to the Philippine Exhibits & Theme Parks Corp. to better market the convention facility.

“We’ll have all the support facilities and services of an international convention and exhibition center, which we’re positioning Subic to be,” Arreza added.
____________________

Got any pics of this?

The Pasig Convention Center

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/7690/imgp0974ui9.jpg

Sayang... Thread 11 refuses to die, but we must move on.

Albay Astrodome getting a fresh coat of paint...
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r244/Legazpeep/DSC00429.jpg

The 2010 Expo will be held in Shanghai two years from now. Countries are setting up booths with unique, innovative designs. One of the best way to promote The Philippines especially the country, culture and products is by showcasing especially in this major event.

First of all, the booth. What should The Philippine booth would look like?

Here's a sample thread of booths from other countries.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=401827&page=20

Will the Philippines participate??

Hopefully it will cause its one of the best ways to promote the country

The last time I am aware of the Philippines participating in such an event was the 1900s one in St. Louis. :D

The last time I am aware of the Philippines participating in such an event was the 1900s one in St. Louis. :D

That really sucks!! That's why The Philippines isn't getting too much promotions or getting recognized.

Don't tell me the country can't afford to participate! Nepal which is less developed is participating, why can't The Philippines?

The last time I am aware of the Philippines participating in such an event was the 1900s one in St. Louis. :D

Not true. I believe there was a 30 year period where the Philippines didn't participate between the 1970 Expo in Osaka and the Hannove Expo in 2000. I read somewhere that Leandro Locsin designed the Philippines Pavilion in the 1970 Expo. More recently, the Philippines participated in the 2005 Expo in Aichi. The Philippine Pavilion in the Aichi Expo was designed by Lor Calma firm.

Here's two pictures from Flickr:

http://i30.************/20ifdb5.jpg
By Xares (http://www.flickr.com/photos/godfather/)

http://i28.************/9ptjsz.jpg
By Roderick Lopez (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lopez_roderick/)

Universal Expositions are every five years. Last one was Aichi in Japan, and the next big one is the thread's topic. :D But there's a smaller Expo 2008 this year in Zaragosa, Spain and the Philippines is participating! The theme of Expo 2008 is water and sustainable development. I found this video on Youtube showing the Philippine Pavilion. Again the design is by Lor Calma Designs. BTW, I hope they will show something about Pasig, our reefs and seas, and how to restore them to their former glory.

BhZ_qhYrLHk

For the Shanghai Expo, I really hope the Philippines will give more effort(and money) into their Pavilion. If you haven't seen other pavilions of the past, they are pretty much a symbol of the country. A lot of the countries in the past have had pavilions with radical designs, and a good way to gain attention in a Pavilion is by having something completely out of this world. Several architectural styles have appeared in Expos initially and spread all over the architectural world. Maybe we should get a young Architect to make a name for us by designing something really out there. It would be a tremendous boost to our tourism and investments.

^^I do love our pavilion in Aichi. I think it received an award.

Not the best video Fly! :lol:

This is the overview of Expo Zaragoza 2008:

lpN0XosQWPI

I love the whole theme. I wish I can go but I hope to visit the Ciudad de la Cultura (http://arqhoy.blogspot.com/2007/05/ciudad-de-la-cultura-galicia-espaa.html) in Galicia, Spain.

2Wp4T_WrNMo

La adhesión de Filipinas eleva a 65 el número de países participantes en la Expo (http://expo-zaragoza.blogspot.com/2006/12/la-adhesin-de-filipinas-eleva-65-el.html)

Filipinas ha confirmado su participación en Expo Zaragoza 2008. Este país asiático se convierte en el participante número 65 que tendrá presencia en la Muestra Internacional.

Cuando Zaragoza presentó la documentación como candidata ante el Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), en París, aportó precisamente la cifra de 60 países participantes en la Exposición Internacional , con lo que las expectativas iniciales están más que superadas a fecha de hoy.

Filipinas eleva la cifra de países asiáticos participantes, que ya asciende a 13 e incluye a Jordania, Turquía, Malasia, Kazajstán, Yemen, China, República de Corea del Sur, Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Japón, Vietnam, Indonesia y Arabia Saudí.

Can we make this as the Philippine-related World Exposition thread? Sorry Wanch Shanghai has to wait until 2010! JK! :lol: The pavilion designs or the pavilions themselves are still covered according to our Spanish friends.

Here is a thread about the International Exposition Zaragoza Spain 2008: Water and sustainable development (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=272361&highlight=expo+zaragoza+2008).

Not true. I believe...

Tis true. I was never aware of any others. But now I am!

^^I do love our pavilion in Aichi. I think it received an award.

Yeah it did. It's for the best design in the small booth category. We won first, I think. My mum and dad also went to Aichi to see the expo in 2005. They were impressed. Not only was the Philippine booth good-looking, but it was also one of the most popular. Pila-pila daw. Kakaawa nga raw yung sa Myanmar ata at Indonesia kasi nilalangaw.

After reading this thread I visited the website. Andun naman Pinas sa list of participants nila.

http://i30.************/20ifdb5.jpg
By Xares (http://www.flickr.com/photos/godfather/)

http://i28.************/9ptjsz.jpg
By Roderick Lopez (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lopez_roderick/)

The Philippine Pavilion at Aichi Expo

The theme of the Philippine Pavilion is 'USBONG', a Filipino term that means 'the seeds of life'. The Philippine Pavilion takes coconuts as its structural elements and visual symbols, intending to fuse seeds with USBONG-inspired Filipino handicrafts and arts and trying to connect these seeds to human beings as well as the earth, the largest organization of seeds in the world to reinforce the Aichi 2005 World Expo's theme of 'Nature's wisdom' via the exploration of the relationship between humankind and nature.

The facade or the exterior of the Philippine Pavilion is designed around two keywords: weaving and poetry. The slim chestnut-colored aluminum strips stand for the fibers of coconut fronds, while the poetry of the elegant Hanunoo Mangyan tribe of Mindoro Island in the Philippines is engraved with laser-cutting instrument as adornments on the aluminum panel strips. The whole fa?ade looks grand and elegant. The interior of the Pavilion is also decorated with coconuts, with the flooring and consoles for exhibitries made out of engineered coconuts that are thick and blessed with natural embroidery of tree veins. On the walls there is a continuous weaving of fabrics using coconut fibers.

The Philippine Pavilion covers an area of 314 square meters, and houses two spheres, namely, the exhibition sphere and the experience center. Visitors could also find a Souvenir/Boutique Shop and a fast-food "Latik" Restaurant in the two spheres. The whole arrangement looks simple, bright and visually uniform.

The 41 exhibit items in the Philippine Pavilion are selected from all fronts of the Filipino lives, including handicrafts excavated by archaeologists, traditional woodcarvings, fabrics, classical books in the Filipino history, and even the wooden-soled slippers that were exhibited at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The exhibit items are in great harmony with the design of the Pavilion, as if showcasing the life stories of the Philippines and their interpretation of the nature. There are several projectors on the walls and ceilings of part of the exhibition room, casting beautiful Philippine landscapes onto the coconut-fibers-made screens, and on seeing these pictures, a spell of light, shadowy, obscure feelings could crop up in the minds of visitors, prompting them to ruminate in the most natural environments about the language of the nature and the creativity of the Philippines in their daily lives.

The experience room is the eye-catching visual center for visitors to the Philippine Pavilion. Visitors could enter into the giant coconut-shaped shell to experience the alluring coconut beds that are covered with coarse coconut fibers, and resting on them, people may leisurely appreciate these wonders jointly created by the nature and the Filipinos. Amongst these exquisite Filipino exhibitries, the theme of 'nature's wisdom' is showered upon the visitors from visual to sensory experiences, and visitors, under the massage of the nature, are grateful for these natural endowments.

There are also some other eye-catching things in the Pavilion. The food billboards are woven out of long coconut fibers, and are pasted with circle-shaped pictures of foods. Consoles of the exhibit items are made out of organic glass to highlight the effect of wholeness, avoiding any visual mismatch due to the addition of other colors.

All in all, the Philippine Pavilion takes coconuts as its structural elements, and the natural white color as its base color. The decorating materials are made out of the branches, trunk, fronds and fruits of trees, while the exhibit items are selected from the nature of the Filipino life, with the modern film and sound installations being only adornment and accessories. This kind of exhibition design, looking simple and coarse at first glance, is actually thought-provoking when you think about its underlying concepts.

In fact, the so-called forms, means, and effects in the creation of arts are all there to serve the purpose, and in the arts of exhibitions, how to balance the lay-out of exhibit items with the exhibition methods is particularly noteworthy. Improper treatment of a minor part of the exhibition could be a drag to the whole exhibition, while the total harmony of each part will result in a complete success for the whole.

The Philippine Pavilion won the "Category C" Gold Prize in the Nature's Wisdom Award announced on the Aichi World Expo, teaching us that 'harmony is beauty'. :applause:

Yeah it did. It's for the best design in the small booth category. We won first, I think. My mum and dad also went to Aichi to see the expo in 2005. They were impressed. Not only was the Philippine booth good-looking, but it was also one of the most popular. Pila-pila daw. Kakaawa nga raw yung sa Myanmar ata at Indonesia kasi nilalangaw.

the theme was coconut. pila-pila daw kasi only phil booth offered massage using coconut oil. yong mga napagod sa kakaikot sa expo site, sa phil booth ang bagsak para magparelax.

Yeah it did. It's for the best design in the small booth category. We won first, I think. My mum and dad also went to Aichi to see the expo in 2005. They were impressed. Not only was the Philippine booth good-looking, but it was also one of the most popular. Pila-pila daw. Kakaawa nga raw yung sa Myanmar ata at Indonesia kasi nilalangaw.

di kaya madami tayo dun:lol:
i wanna see what was inside tho

^^ here's how it looks like inside.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302959352.jpg
a giant coconut?

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302959351.jpg
whose ethnic dress is this in the philippines?

why cant our government offices be like that? its so soooo good

Cool! I wonder what our pavilion in Zaragoza is gonna look like! It should be good! We're good with water since we're an island nation based on agriculture. :D

http://www.expo2005.or.jp/en/nations/6h.html

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302959351.jpg
whose ethnic dress is this in the philippines?

yes its from philippines... from lumads of mindanao.

could be:
a. tboli
b. manobo
c. mandaya
d. bagobo

Cool! I wonder what our pavilion in Zaragoza is gonna look like! It should be good! We're good with water since we're an island nation based on agriculture. :D


BhZ_qhYrLHk

more videos here: http://wowfilipinas.net/index2.php

FILIPINAS TO MAKE AN IMPACT AT EXPO ZARAGOZA 2008

Citing the Philippine’s long history of cultural ties and strong bilateral relations with Spain, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has expressed her full cooperation and support to Spain through the country’s participation and strong commitment to make an impact at Expo Zaragoza by presenting a unique showcase of Philippine culture, tradition, history and innovations in line with the Expo theme of “Water and Sustainable Development.”

The Philippine government hopes to gain trade and tourism benefits by joining Expo 2008. “Our participation at Expo 2008 will provide an excellent opportunity for the Philippines to present itself and create awareness about its natural and cultural heritage, business and investment potentials to a wide audience across the world,” President Arroyo said. The President added that Expo 2008 will also provide valuable insights and new learning opportunities on the recent trends, best practices and innovative concepts on water technology that can be emulated by the country to improve its policy and development framework on water and sustainable development.

President Arroyo’s enthusiasm was shared by Tourism Secretary Joseph H. Durano. “Being an archipelagic country, Expo 2008 augurs well with the Philippines since the event’s theme is about water and sustainable development. I am confident that Expo 2008 will boost the country’s strong foothold as the world’s number one site for scuba diving as the center of marine biodiversity of the world,” Durano enthused. To prove his point, Durano cited a recent study conducted by a pair of noted American biologists that acknowledged the Philippines as the center of the center of fish biodiversity and the home of the most diverse marine ecosystem in the world.

The Philippines boasts of a string of records to underscore the richness and diversity of its water resources: the world’s largest pearl, the “Pearl of Lao-Tzu,” (14 pounds), was discovered in a giant mollusk under the Palawan Sea in 1934; the world’s longest underground river system accessible to man can be found also in Palawan province; the world’s shortest and lightest freshwater fish, the dwarf pygmy goby (4-5 mg., 8.7 mm.), in the streams and lakes of Luzon, to name a few.

While the Philippines endeavors to make a good impression in Expo Zaragoza to meet its objectives in increasing tourism traffic and investment to the country, they also hope that their presentation is reflected to contribute in enhancing the success and image of Expo Zaragoza 2008 in general.

Towards this end, President Arroyo has signed Administrative Order No. 177 that created a National Organizing Committee (NOC) composed of heads of different government bodies that would make preparations for the Philippine’s participation in Expo 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain. The NOC is chaired by the Department of Tourism, through its Secretary Joseph H. Durano, with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto Romulo as Vice Chair.

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/PavilionEntrance.jpg

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/PavilionLocation.jpg

The Expo organizers have allocated a Pavilion space of 247 sq. m. located in the area called “Islands and Coasts”. The Philippine Pavilion will have the following components:
Exterior: Façade Interior:

* Exhibit Area
* Boutique Area (where Philippine Merchandise items will be sold)
* Restaurant Area (fast food category offering quickly prepared food)
* Health & Wellness Area
* Office Area
* Restroom

General Layout and Design

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/FloorPlanTopView.jpg

The general layout and design of the Pavilion will project the BEST of the Philippines and mirror a theme that will conform and revolve around the over-all Expo 2008 theme: “Water and Sustainable Development” touching in particular to the following points/themes as selected by the NOC:

1. Water as a Unique Resource
2. Water for Human Development
* Water Governance
* Scientific and Technological Innovation
3. Waterscapes - Protection of Special Natural Areas
4. Water for life
* Water Ecosystems
* Conservation and Recovery
* Reassessment of the Traditions, Culture, Art, and Identity related to water


The Philippines: "Archipelago as future- perfect water world".

The archipelagic country, the Philippines, will be projected in this exhibition in fast forward mode. While it is understood that this nation as waterworld enjoys a wealth of traditions, particularly with reference to complex indigenous water-management systems, the Zaragoza Expo 2008 gives Filipinos the opportunity to communicate a sense of robust, intelligent and creative future. Like water itself—the most ubiquitous dimension of the Philippine environment—the pavilion design will be seamless and fluid. It will evoke shimmering, constantly moving qualities. The pavilion’s architectural aspects will be inextricably integrated with the exhibits information and moods created in both the building’s interior and exterior. All these elements will be brought together to assertively make a single statement: that an Archipelago represents a set of ideas—not merely a geographic character—that propels its inhabitants to the future! That set of ideas emphasizes multiplicity and diversity, prismatic visual fields, complex structures, fluidity of mind, the spirit of sustainability and the slow but sure action of currents. These are the very concepts stressed by all forward thinkers in the world. We might call the Philippine Pavilion, therefore, as future perfect.

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/pavilionHeader.png

EXIBIT AREA

The pavilion will be a space that plays gently on the imagination of visitors, enveloping them in an experience akin to a water world. The space will be defined on all sides by a coralline net structure, handcrafted by experts using metals and fibers. The exhibits will concentrate attention on diversity and on a small number of well selected features that show Filipino acumen in water oriented sustainable development. The exhibit content will include:

Bubbles of glass of various dimensions --- which are suspended as though in space. Showing images of bodies of water and life forms.

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/InfoPods.jpg

INFORMATION PODS

The bigger bubbles will showcase the Standard-Setting Practices of the Filipinos in water management and sustainable development. It will project ten (10) future perfect ideas:

Anilao

This is a rare story of a village council which summoned the political will to protect its famous coral reef, dive site, and marine sanctuary—proving that community effort, even without external assistance, can be successful and empowering.

Ifugao Rice Terraces

While these terraces have been celebrated internationally for their awesome beauty, it is not popularly known that this structure represents an extraordinary water management technology---a system of watersheds collectively protected by the Ifugao as a fundamental part of their culture.

Philippine South Sea Pearls

The focus on the operations of the pearl-farm operations of Jewelmer, Inc. is a focus on the unusual: the beautiful alignment of corporate interests and environmental health, since the pearls will not grow to perfection without an absolutely pristine sea.

Donsol: Whaleshark Town

A story of how a village embraced a marine creature, devoted themselves to its protection and organized a model and progressive local tourist setting.

Sarangani Aquaculture

The world’s need for farmed fish will be extreme in the coming decades (as wild fish stocks will have been depleted); and-the-state-of the art aquaculture sciences of Alson’s Inc. occupies a leading position in providing a viable solution to this global problem.

Philippine Geothermal Energy

(composite video with mini-hydro)
The Philippines—second in the world, after the United States, in the percentage of geothermal energy production and use in the total energy picture of the country—has become robust model in harnessing of a geological gift towards freedom from fossil fuel dependence.

Philippine Mini-Hydro Energy

The Philippines is among the world’s leaders in the intensive utilization of mini-hydro production units to produce very small increments of energy to power village-level life---demonstrating thus the deep logic of sustainable development. A renewable energy source which can be deployed at a local level.

El Nido Resort

Palawan Resort Extraordinaire. El Nido Resorts, cited by Conde Nast publications as one of the world’s best run and spectacularly beautiful tourism facilities, also represents a highwater mark in the field of marine conservation---particularly, in the use of ceramic structures for coral reef regeneration. One of the world’s spectacular and well- managed resorts.

Tubbataha Reef

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is known globally as a spectacular reef that maintains the heritage of the Sulu-Sulawesi Triangle (the world’s most diversed marine ecosystem) but it’s story will be incomplete without a focus on the rare cooperation among communities, regional, national and international players in environmental conservation.

Balicasag : Nation and Village

The tourism site represents successful cooperation of local and national tourism planners and custodians : the exquisite Balicasag, surrounded by waters that are home to small cetaceans and a host of other species is now a breathtaking place to visit. A Special Interest Resort showcasing a model for marine environmental conservation, ecological preservation and tourism;

SOUND PODS

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/SoundPods.jpg

Sound Pods—5 minute complete artworks based entirely on sound (music and spoken words) that convey a Philippine water and water-shaped soundscape.

SAND PODS

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/SandPods.jpg

Sand Pods—hour-glasses with contemporary jewelry made by Filipino artisans and silversmiths and a variety of sands from various beaches in the Philippines.

UNDERWATER CAFE

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/WaterCafe.jpg

Projections: glass floor and pavilion walls—shimmering images of bioluminescent animals like plankton in Philippine waters for atmospheric effects.

RESTAURANT AREA "TRAVEL CAFE PHILIPPINES"

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/WaterBar.jpg

A destination themed coffee shop featuring traditional and famous island cuisine.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS AREA

An area where visitors will undergo a unique sensory experience and feel the therapeutic and healing art of “Hilot” the Filipino massage tradition.

GIFT SHOP

http://wowfilipinas.net/image/Merchandise.jpg

The shop will be a statement of “Philippines Naturally” products for sale and will feature best selling and unique Philippine products.

Thanks Kulas! :) I love the Philippine logo and theme! It definitely fits with Expo Zaragoza. :yes:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2372/2251387678_83b0eca2c7_o.jpg






HEALTH AND WELLNESS AREA

An area where visitors will undergo a unique sensory experience and feel the therapeutic and healing art of “Hilot” the Filipino massage tradition.



the theme was coconut. pila-pila daw kasi only phil booth offered massage using coconut oil. yong mga napagod sa kakaikot sa expo site, sa phil booth ang bagsak para magparelax.

Hahaha, patok na naman tayo dahil dito! :lol:

http://www.gov.ph/news/default.asp?i=19919

PGMA cites Chan's role in strengthening RP-China trade, investments relations
SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2008 | FOREIGN RELATIONS



President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred last night the Presidential Medal of Merit on Special Envoy Carlos Chan for his important contribution to the strengthening of Philippines-China economic relations.

The Medal of Merit was awarded by the President at simple rites held at the Music Room of Malacanang.

The Presidential Medal of Merit is conferred by the President on individuals for outstanding service and selfless commitment towards enhancing the prestige of the country, government and the Filipino people.

As the Philippines special envoy for trade and investment to China, Chan plays a vital role in promoting broader trade between the two countries and attracting Chinese investments here.

As a partner of the Philippine diplomatic missions in China, Chan is also a key figure in the planning and construction of the Philippine Pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The Philippine Pavilion will showcase the Philippines as an attractive investment destination.

Chan was instrumental in the success of the President’s 2006 visit to Nanchang and Naning, and her Oct. 2007 working visit to Shanghai.

He has also openly supported youth projects, including the Loboc Children’s Choir, which won the Grand Prize at the 6th International Folksongs Choir Festival held in Barcelona, Spain in Sept. 2003.

The Loboc Children's Choir is composed of 30 school children -- ages nine to 13 -- from the Central Elementary School of Loboc town in Bohol.

Also present during the Malacanang awarding ceremony were Trade Secretary Peter Favila and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Francisco L. Benedicto.


http://www.expo2010china.com/expo/expoenglish/wem/0505/userobject1ai36174.html

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1210/1277855391_32ce059059.jpg?v=0

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1125/1277843301_21c5a06d4b_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1407/1278680686_38ce756f9a_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1026/1277810265_dad13d7cf7_o.jpg

This is a good flickr account for the Expo Zaragoza 2008 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/expozaragoza2008/sets/)

Thanks Kulas! :) I love the Philippine logo and theme! It definitely fits with Expo Zaragoza. :yes:


and looks like small version of water cube of beijing olympics.

http://www.sinaimg.cn/2008/en/news/2007-08-29/U2150P461T74D176F1661DT20070829162814.jpg

^^ganda ha

The theme of Shanghai Expo 2010 is "Better City, Better Life" The Philippines should focus on the development and sustainability of our major metropolitan areas. Look at Tokyo and Shanghai as a goal to reach.

The link to the official website of Expo Saragoza:

http://www.expozaragoza2008.es/Home/seccion=3&seccionRaiz=3&idioma=en_GB.do

The new PICC Forum Exhibition Place in Manila
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DbTOSDHXnuQ

DbTOSDHXnuQ

Cebu International Convention Center (CICC)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XaVd6dULNMg&feature=related

XaVd6dULNMg

Tacloban City Convention Center
http://gerryruiz.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/img_0811w.jpg
http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/9859/aaasq1.jpg

RP waterworld show makes a splash in Zaragoza Expo (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/philippineexplorer/philippineexplorer/view/20080715-148546/RP-waterworld-show-makes-a-splash-in-Zaragoza-expo)

Visitors to the Philippine Pavilion in the ongoing World Expo in Zaragoza, Spain are in for a surprise.

Instead of the trademark images of Filipino identity and culture—the arts and crafts, the tropical scenery, the exploding colors and smiling faces, the fruits and flowers and churches and jeepneys—the pavilion is attracting some 5,000-6,000 visitors a day with a fresh, unique offering: a nearly abstract, cerebral design of deep blues and watery touches celebrating the country’s “archipelagic imagination.”

The expo, with the theme “Water and Sustainable Development,” gathers over 100 participating countries, whose pavilions generally tend to fall into two categories: paeans to the wonders of high technology or all-out altars to travel, tourism and culture.

Japan’s panoramic multimedia presentation explains how cutting-edge industrial know-how complements its traditional reverence for nature and physical harmony.

Kuwait’s promise of a “4D Experience” in its cavernous space draws endless visitors who line up for a sensory movie experience detailing that desert country’s successful efforts at water desalination.

Thailand enumerates the royal programs of its revered king for rural Thais, especially in farming and fishing.

Vietnam displays Buddhist icons, artifacts and a gilded barge, while the Vatican (yes, it has its own pavilion) turns to its treasure vaults to make a point about water’s indispensable role in the sacraments. The Holy See’s spectacular contribution to the expo is El Greco’s “The Baptism of Christ,” exhibited with other priceless items from the Vatican Museum.

Unique

The Philippine pavilion “is all about our best practices as a people surrounded by water, which makes our presentation very unique,” says Tourism Secretary (and Commissioner General of the Philippine Pavilion) Joseph Durano.

The pavilion, designed by the firm of Lor Calma with independent curator Marian Roces and the graphic design group b+c, turns the volume down on full-throttle tourism and instead aims the spotlight on remarkable stories of ordinary folk in different parts of the country, and their pioneering efforts at water-resource conservation and management.

“Here in the West, sustainable development is all about introducing high technology, but ours is community involvement,” explains Durano. “The pavilion is our way of celebrating our small successes and sharing them with the world.”

Durano frequently cites the example of Donsol, Sorsogon, and its successful butanding (whale shark) preservation program. “From a simple fishing village, the people of Donsol have become tour operators catering to a worldwide tourism market, ensuring the survival of whale sharks in the area while making their lives prosperous,” he says.

Donsol is but one of 165 Filipino flagship grassroots projects cited in the pavilion’s “best practices” honor roll. There is also Bataan’s pawikan- conservation project; Southern Leyte’s protection of its coral reefs; various coastal management efforts in Negros, Palawan, Bohol, Zambales, Pangasinan and Camarines Sur; the preservation of marine sanctuaries in Surigao and the Tubbataha Reef; and even the country’s record as a stalwart provider of highly skilled personnel to the world’s shipping economy.

“What we’re showing here is how the Philippines is an archipelago both in geography and in the way we live,” says Roces, who curated and wrote the literature for the exhibit.

“Ordinary Filipinos have initiated these projects on their own, and the record of civil society for the past 30 years is about community involvement, empowerment and decentralization. So we’re evoking and celebrating that sense of diversity and initiative.”

Sanctuary

To express the idea of the Philippines as an archipelagic waterworld of 7,100 islands in various stages of development and challenges when it comes to harnessing water resources, the pavilion has hundreds of clear spheres suspended from the ceiling, each of which contains an iconic image made of bone china to represent one of the grassroots projects being lauded.

The spheres, forming a sea of bubbles arrested in mid-air, create the feel of an underwater sanctuary, aided by dramatic midnight-blue lighting, embroidered translucent fabric that undulates all over the walls and ceiling to suggest fluidity and movement, and atmospheric music created by Jim Paredes, Grace Nono and Bob Aves, among others.

“Like the Philippine archipelago, the pavilion space [appears] to be composed of hundreds of focal points unified by water,” explains Susan del Mundo, Deputy Commissioner General of the RP Pavilion.

Five-minute documentary videos about the pioneering water projects are played in a loop on individual pods scattered around the area, while a discreet corner hosts a shop selling Philippine gift items and fabrics.

The Filipino experience is reinforced by barako and alamid coffee dispensed from a bar, as well as a 15-minute hilot massage administered to anyone interested. The free massage has been a huge hit from the day the pavilion opened on June 14.

Work in progress

“It’s a work in progress,” says Durano of the pavilion, which will remain open throughout the expo’s three-month duration.

“We’re looking at injecting more items and elements that are distinctly Filipino. The most positive response we’ve received from visitors is that it offers a different perspective on the expo’s theme, aside from showing the creativity, sophistication and flexibility of Filipinos. And for that alone, I think we should win an award!” he says with a laugh.

The quip is in reference to the Philippine pavilion in the 2005 Expo in Aichi, Japan, made by the same design team, which won a Gold Prize for its imaginative use of coconut, local fabrics and other indigenous products to create a “cocoon” of health and wellness.

“Cocoon” may also well describe the Philippine pavilion in Zaragoza, with its evocation of the calming, enveloping atmosphere of the deep sea—the better to acquaint visitors with the country’s rich marine life.

“One of the richest in the world, in fact,” stresses Durano. “With this pavilion, we’re selling an experience where tourists to the Philippines can be good citizens of the planet as well.”

http://www.soitu.es/soitu/imagenes/2008/06/30/info/1214848101_880466_fotonoticia_grande_0.jpg

El ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Filipinas, Alberto Romulo (2i), y el ministro de Turismo filipino, Joseph Durano (d), junto al comisario de la muestra, Emilio Fernández Castaño (2d), son atendidos por una representante del Pabellón de Filipinas en la Expo de Zaragoza 2008 donde hoy se celebra el Día de Filipinas.
(EFE)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2625076879_c69cd761ea_o.jpg

Pabellón de Filipinas

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/2600950880_e328c2f3d6_o.jpg

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Fotos de daveflorendo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27888531@N04/)

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Fotos de Wendigo (http://flickr.com/photos/wendigo/)

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A river runs through it (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife1_july19_2008)

It makes sense, I guess, that a city that draws its lifeblood from a mighty river would host a fair celebrating water, the drop of life.

Snaking through the ancient Aragonian city of Zaragoza, the River Ebro is the perfect backdrop for the World Exposition 2008, which this year draws inspiration from the theme “Water and Sustainable Development.”

The world fair, billed as “the biggest water festival on earth,” pulled in more than 100 participants (including the Philippines) when it opened last June 14 and is expected to attract more than seven million visitors by the time it closes its doors on Sept. 14.

Covering 25 hectares along the Ebro riverbank, the Expo complex features 27 futuristic structures, bridges, plazas and pavilions, an 85-meter water tower and cable cars, not to mention restaurants and gift shops.

Behind the Disney theme park ambience, however, is a serious effort to address the challenge of water management and sustainability.

“This was a very difficult theme for us because there’s a lot of things we can contribute to the topic of water and sustainable development,” says Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, commissioner general of the Philippine Pavilion.

The easy way would have been to go the usual route: highlighting the various beaches and resorts in the country. But that would have had little impact amidst the plethora of tourism-themed pavilions.

In the end, the organizing committee decided to dial down the tourism aspect and go for a more cerebral approach.

In so doing, the country made a bigger splash than it had expected.

The archipelago paradigm

“For some reason we kept going back to the word ‘archipelago.’ It became like a good key. The minute we entered that word, it became fluid,” says Marian Roces, an independent curator who, together with Ed Calma (of Lor Calma Design Associates), formed the nucleus of the design team—the same group that designed the country’s pavilion in the World Expo Aichi 2005, which brought home the gold for the Philippines.

Expanding on this, the designers ventured the concept of the archipelago as more than a geographical description. It is also an attitude, a way of thinking that is interspersed with a country’s way of life.

“People who think ‘archipelagically’, appreciate diversity, value decentralization and see water as a medium of communication... Maybe this is how we are going to proceed not just as a country but as a planet. There should be more interest in how different a place is... and to respond to the specific nature of each place, and more importantly, respond to what the people are saying,” Roces concludes.

The result is a pavilion that is both visually arresting and thought provoking.

Unexpected

Visitors used to the color and gaiety of Philippine kiosks may be taken aback by the backlit drama of the country’s Expo booth, which evokes the cool fluidity of an underwater cavern.

Absent from view are the colorful posters and the ubiquitous strings of banderitas. In their place, clusters of transparent globes of varying sizes dangle like bubbles in a glass full of blue-tinted Perrier.

Inside some of the bubbles are marine creatures made of bone china, looking like fossils suspended in time. Others encase scraps of jusi embroidered with scenarios of water-sustaining projects.

Scattered around the room are information “pods” (video monitors mounted on poles) highlighting the country’s “best practices” like Anilao (example of how a village council used its own political will to protect its reef and marine sanctuary), Ifugao Rice Terraces (example of an ancient yet effective watershed system), Donsol (example of how a fishing village converted itself into a tourism destination to protect the butanding or whale shark), and Balicasag (example of how local and national tourism planners successfully joined forces to create a marine conservation resort), among other things.

All the icons and information material are expected to convey one message, says Susan del Mundo, deputy commissioner general of the Philippine pavilion: “That Filipinos are pioneers in decentralized, grassroots water resource management.”

Crowd drawer

The display is not so much an exhibit as it is an experience—a fact appreciated by Expo visitors, who have been flocking to the pavilion in crowds of 5,000 to 6,000 a day

“People are surprised when they see our pavilion. They couldn’t imagine that the Philippines, a developing nation, has all these community-based sustainable development programs that can be adapted by other countries. Because here in Spain, their concept of sustainable development is high technology. Our perspective of sustainable development is community-based. It’s usually involving the local communities, in our effort to preserve and even restore the natural assets of these islands. It makes our presentation unique and we leave them with a different perspective: that it doesn’t have to be high technology to achieve sustainable development. It shows the creativity of the Filipino, it shows the sophistication of the Filipino. Even the commissioner general of the Expo itself was very impressed with how intelligent our content and our presentation is—intelligent from the level of its creativity and intelligent in terms of the uniqueness of such a program,” says Durano, who adds that the exhibit also brings home, without belaboring the point, that the Philippines is a desirable dive destination.

“As far as tourism is concerned, the only product that we are selling here is scuba diving. One thing we learned as well is that the market today is highly sophisticated, it doesn’t like hard sell. So hopefully by promoting best practices and by them discovering for themselves the richness of our marine resources, it will attract them to become tourists.”

Country commitment

But Durano is quick to point out that tourism is not the only consideration for the country’s participation in the exposition.

“As far as we are concerned, the Expo was the right fit for the product we were promoting, so we participated. But the perspective here is not tourism. This is a country participation, this is a country commitment, to strengthen our relationship with Spain,” he says, adding that a lot of departments contributed to the effort including the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

In fact, the Expo provided the perfect opportunity for the city government of Zamboanga to enter into a twinning or sisterhood agreement with Zaragoza, which was signed during Philippine National Day festivities held on June 30 (the traditional date set for Spanish-Filipino Friendship Day).

On hand to celebrate the sisterhood agreement were Foreign Affairs Secretary Bert Romulo, as well as local executives from Zamboanga City. Also present were Philippine Ambassador to Spain Joseph Delano Bernardo and wife Conchitina Sevilla Bernardo, members of the Philippine consulate and several members of the Filipino community (largely Zamboangueños living in Zaragoza).

In his speech, after congratulating the Spanish crowd for its Europe Cup win the previous night, Romulo acknowledged the long-standing ties between Spain and the Philippines, manifested most recently in the aftermath of the Typhoon Frank disaster.

“Spain was one of the first countries to condole with us and to offer timely assistance. In fact, even as I speak, a Spanish plane is preparing to leave for the Philippines. It will bring humanitarian aid of some 10 tons of medicines, a high-power water purifier and hygienic-sanitary materials for the inhabitants and communities of Iloilo, a province severely damaged by the typhoon... On this day of friendship between the Spanish and Filipino peoples, the Philippines is profoundly grateful to Spain for your affectionate, genuine and moving gesture of brotherhood,” the diplomat declared.

The country also hosted a roundtable discussion later in the week on “Creating the Next Generation of Leaders” led by Philippine Ambassador to Germany Delia Albert, former Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun, former congressman Nereus Acosta and Eduardo Mestre, director of the Expo’s Water Tribune. The discussion, which may be included in the Zaragoza Charter as part of its “legacy,” has strengthened the country’s position as one of the pacesetters on the global stage when it comes to water management and sustainability.

“At the end of the day,” says Durano, “what we want to convey is that the world can learn from the Philippines. Even as a developing nation, we have talented people who are able to come up with things like sustainable development. And that the Filipino is in a class of his own.”

By Gianna G. Maniego (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife1_july26_2008)

If there’s one thing we Filipinos have learned from the Spanish, it’s how to throw a great party. And last month’s celebration of the Philippine National Day in Zaragoza, Spain, was no exception.

As part of the activities of the ongoing Zaragoza Expo 2008, the Philippine delegation, led by commissioner general Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, held an extravagant bash that lasted from morning till a little past midnight.

The Philippines was celebrating two things that day: the strengthening of Philippine-Spanish ties (highlighted by the signing of a sister city agreement between Zaragoza, one of Spain’s oldest cities, and Zamboanga City), and the success of the Pabellon de Filipinas at the world fair.

Festivities began with the flag-raising and playing of the national anthems of both the Philippines and Spain at the Ceremonies Plaza and followed later on by the signing of the twinning agreement, coincided with the observance of Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day.

In his speech, Romulo acknowledged the strong leadership of Durano and the efforts of the Philippine Organizational Committee in “presenting an array of the Philippines’ best practices and perspectives on water resource management and related themes, including energy, irrigation and agriculture lands, the preservation of marine resources, pearl cultivation, and water for recreation.”

He pointed out the significance of the date (June 30 is Friendship Day between the Philippines and Spain) and noted that Philippine-Spanish relations have “developed and evolved into warm and affectionate fraternal ties between two peoples sharing the same ideals of democracy and development.”

During the short reception at the Auditorium del Palacio de Congresos, guests were treated to an aural feast as opera singer Rachelle Gerodias caressed the audience with her bell-like voice. Likewise, hails of “Bravo” and “Viva” greeted dancers from the Bayanihan Dance Company, which performed the “ahwag” ritual, a ceremony that featured water being poured into earthen jars. At one point, the dance called for the participation of Secretaries Durano and Romulo, as well as Expo Zaragoza Commissioner Emilio Fernandez-Castaño, an impromptu moment which they accomplished with aplomb.

“They didn’t give us any briefing beforehand. I thought it was a drink of brotherhood, so when the commissioner asked me what we were supposed to do I told him to drink it. And then they told us to pour it into the pot!” Tourism Secretary Durano confided.

Worthy of an award

After, guests were invited to visit the Philippine pavilion, a remarkable showcase depicting the country’s marine resources and our “best practices” in water conservation. The brainchild of Ed Calma of Lor Calma Design Associates, and Marian Roces, an independent curator, the pavilion has been drawing praise not only from expo visitors, but from expo officials themselves since it opened on June 14, keeping the delegation hopeful of winning another award, like in the last expo in Aichi, Japan.

“The uniqueness is there, the intelligence of the design and content is there, and that might give us the edge,” says the tourism czar.

“Expo officials say our pavilion is an eye-opening experience for them because they did not expect a developing country like us to have community-based sustainable development programs that could be adopted by other countries, and they kept thanking Secretary Romulo and myself that the Philippines has contributed such a perspective [to the expo]. And just for that I think we deserve an award!” Durano declares, laughing.

Well-attended affair

Among those who graced the well-attended affair were Philippine and Spanish VIPs like Foreign Affairs Secretary Romulo and his wife Rosie, Secretary Durano and his wife Carmi, Philippine Ambassador to Spain Joseph Delano Bernardo, and his wife, etiquette expert Conchitina Sevilla Bernardo; Philippine Ambassador to Germany Delia Albert; Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque; Tourism attaché in London Domingo Enerio, former Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun, former Rep. Nereus Acosta, Zamboanga Rep. Ma. Isabelle Climaco, and Zamboanga Mayor Celso Lobregat, Philippine consul general Eduardo Jose de Vega and vice consul Arman Racho Talbo; Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s Dodie King, Philip Lo and retired Gen. Manuel Roxas; deputy commissioner of the Philippine Pavilion Susan del Mundo, Zaragoza Mayor Juan Alberto Belloch, Expo Zaragoza Commissioner Castaño and other expo officials.

Also on hand were members of the Spanish and Philippine prensa, including Jorge Carino and Carlo Dionisio of ABS-CBN, Susan Calo Medina of Travel Time, Ching Alano and Honey Loop of Philippine Star, Gibbs Cadiz of Philippine Daily Inquirer, Lucci Coral of Manila Bulletin, and Gianna Maniego of Standard Today.

The revelry lasted throughout the day and on into the night, culminating in the Noche Filipina, another cultural show performed at the Plaza Aragon, an open area where several plastic chairs were set up for expo visitors to sit and watch.

Spectators, and not all of them Filipinos, endured the slight drizzle to enjoy the visual feast presented by the Bayanihan, Gerodias, Himnos del Angelos (a Pinoy quartet fashioned after Il Divo), and the Gruppo Tribale (an ethnic percussion group). The night ended on a high note, as spectators gyrated the night away accompanied by the music of the Tribale.

Expo Zaragoza 2008 will end on Sept. 14.