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03 April 2008—Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, in his capacity as the
Philippine Commissioner General to the World Expo 2010, signed the
Philippine Participation Contract in ceremonies at the Shanghai World Expo
Coordination Bureau on 27 March. Signing for the Chinese side was Prof. Zhou
Haimin, Deputy Director General of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo
Coordination.
The Philippines is the 16th country to sign the participation contract. In
his speech following the signing, Secretary Durano stated that the
Philippine National Pavilion will have as its theme “Performing Cities.” He
said that the Philippine National Pavilion in World Expo Shanghai 2010 will
be integrating musical performances with city planning. It will present how
the Filipino people integrate music and performances into urban planning and
make them an essential part of the landscape.
One of the most unusual aspects of the pavilion is that it will have not
only restaurants and cafes, but also spas and a massage center. "The
Philippines is famous for its therapy spa and a kind of massage called
hilot. Hilot, as one of the Filipino healing arts, is the oldest
practice in the Philippines.
Citing its popularity during the Aichi Expo in Japan in 2005, Secretary
Durano said that visitors to the Philippine Pavilion will be able to
experience a brief massage at the pavilion.
The Philippines confirmed a 2,000-square-meter pavilion in the Expo site.
"The pavilion in Shanghai Expo is the biggest ever in the history of
Philippine participation in global expos in terms of both size and budget,"
said Durano.
Philippine Consul General to Shanghai Maria Rowena Mendoza Sanchez said that
the Philippines will be organizing activities to drum up interest about the
Philippines among the Chinese people in the run up to 2010. Citing the
projected 70 million people who will attend the six-month-long 2010 Expo,
Consul General Sanchez noted that “the Philippines’ participation in the
Shanghai World Expo is a tremendous opportunity to promote not only
Philippine tourism and culture but also for Philippine companies to showcase
their products to the Chinese market.”
The
Philippines has set aside June 9 as Philippines Pavilion Day, an annual
celebration date for the friendship of China and the Philippines. END |
