RP bags top prize in Japan expo

The Philippines beat more than 30 countries worldwide to bag the gold in the Nature’s Wisdom Award of the ongoing World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Nagoya, Japan.

This was revealed by Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano yesterday after receiving the good news from the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition, which has yet to announce the schedule of the awarding ceremony.

"We are very happy for winning the gold in this prestigious Nature’s Wisdom Award, which can help a lot in promoting the Philippines to the rest of the world," he said.

"The award is made even more significant as World Expo 2005 is the first for the 21st century," he added.

The award was inspired by the World Expo theme "Nature’s Wisdom," which was conceived to attract and encourage people worldwide to seek greater social and technological harmony with nature.

Competing for the award are the participating countries, whose pavilions must be uniquely designed to
carry and promote the theme.

The award focuses on the interior and exterior décor of the country pavilions and their exhibits, and how these express the theme of Nature’s Wisdom.

The selection criteria include the participants’ contributions and efforts to promote the theme’s purpose and essence through their exhibits and pavilions.

Constituting the jury are the president and secretary general of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE), four members nominated by the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition, and three members recommended by the BIE and nominated by the association.

The award-winning Philippine Pavilion used the coconut as the core of its thematic statement "Usbong: Seeds of Life." All seven of the pavilion’s major architectural and design components depicted a part of the coconut tree.

The façade, which evokes women coconut fronds, is made of aluminum strips with perforations, allowing light to radiate through the pavilion at night.

Inside the pavilion is a sphere housing the Essenses Spa, which showcases Philippine indigenous scents and essential oils and serves as a "wellness cocoon" in which visitors can experience the health-giving benefits of Philippine-style aromatherapy, massage and other forms of therapeutic healing.

The interior landscape further leads visitors around the pavilion to the Latik restaurant, featuring traditional and innovative Filipino dishes that make up the famous island cuisine of the Philippines; exhibits of Philippine artifacts that highlight the country’s past, present and future; and other interesting materials to showcase Filipino success stories on environmental protection and sustainable development.

"Our exhibits, now made even more prominent by the Nature’s Wisdom Award, will reinforce and boost our campaign in Japan to position our country as ‘Premium Resort Islands’ in every sense of the word," Durano said.