A car with a body made of coco flower stalks is displayed at the APEC expo.
A car made of coco flower stalks, a bench made of “balay sa anay”, and a larger-than-life horse sculpture made of driftwood are some of the products made in Mandaue City that stand out in the World Trade Center in Manila for the APEC meeting.
Mandaue’s display with the theme “Designing for the World” opened Wednesday evening with Mayor Jonas Cortes leading a ceremonial toast with Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., National Organizing Committee Director of APEC 2015.
Rep. Luigi Quisumbing (left), Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes (3rd from left), and Mandaue City Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Donato Busa (right) lead the ceremonial toast with Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr. (7th from left) at the opening of the APEC expo.
Mandaue City is the only local government unit given a slot in the APEC exhibit.
Clayton Tugonon, curator of the exhibit and a director of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, earlier said this was a “breakthrough” for the city, which is known as the furniture and design capital of the Philippines.
Tugonon owns the unique car assembly made by Classical Geometry.
During the launch, Presidential Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma Jr., took the driver’s seat with Mayor Cortes as his passenger.
At least 10 Mandaue firms participated to show world class furniture, gifts, décor, houseware and fashion accessories.
The exhibit includes a large horse sculpture by Englishman James Doran, whose driftwood works of art are made in a studio in Mandaue and exhibited each May in the Chelsea Flower Show in London.
The exhibit was mounted by the MCCI and Mandaue City government.
Mandaue furniture are also displayed at the APEC expo.
Tugonon said the P4 million expense of the city for the exhibit, in partnership with MCCI, was nothing compared to the international exposure it gets.
The exhibit space was provided free by the Department of Foreign Affairs and is located beside the International Media Center and along the passageway to the meeting area.
Paynor invited Mandaue City to display its unique designs in furniture, fashion accessories, and décor after visiting the Expo Mandaue at Oakridge Pavilion in Mandaue.
Marlene Bedia, executive secretary of MCCI, said this aligns with the vision to make Mandaue the primary source of high quality manufactured consumer products by 2020./With Mandaue PIO
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