ELEGANT pieces of furniture designed in Cebu were positioned around the Pavilion where the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) was held.
There were couches, chairs, tables, dividers and other fixtures made of rattan, stone, glass, wood and indigenous materials in the new Pavilion, including its lounge, the sacristy, the international media center, as well as the lobbies of the Seminario Mayor and the Seminary College of San Carlos.
The pieces are on loan from 15 members of the Cebu Furniture Industry Foundation, Inc. (CFIF) in answer to a call last July from Fr. Mhar Vincent Balili, IEC chairman of the committee on liturgy.
They added both beauty and function to the venue.
People who chanced upon the chairs and sofas in various corners of the Pavilion were welcome to sit on them.
“Without hesitation, the board of CFIF jumped to the call and rallied our members to lend furniture and furnishings to the event. The rest is history,” said Ruby Salutan, executive director.
Some of the locally-designed furniture and IEC Pavilion. (CDN PHOTO/EILEEN G. MANGUBAT)
The sacristy in Fort San Pedro, where clergy members gathered before proceeding to the altar in Plaza Independencia for the opening Mass last Jan. 24 and the Benediction on Jan. 29, was also “dressed up” by Cebu furniture-makers.
The altar or retablo was designed by Cebuano furniture maker, Glenn Mendiola.
The participating companies include Casa Cebuana, Cebu Fil-Veneer, Coast Pacific, Dedon, Design Ventures, Detalia Aurora, Diamond Cane, Giardini del Sole, Lenbert Mfg., Mehitabel, Murillo’s Export International, Obra Cebuana, Pacific Traders & Mfg., Stonesets International Inc. and Vito Selma.
Vikki Rodriguez of Co-Creatives, design arm of Detalia Aurora, Inc., was appointed lead curator in charge of the general layout.
“We were honored to be made part of such a historic event in Cebu’s Christendom. We were willing to support the Cebu Archdiocese also by putting Cebu’s best foot forward. Cebu is home to some of the world’s most creative industries, the furniture industry being one of those, and how best to demonstrate our support than by furnishing some areas of the IEC,” Salutan added.
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