PRAGUE - 24 JUNE 2011

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The Philippines, Turkey and the Czech Republic were adjudged Children's Choice awardees at the Veletrizni Palace, site of this year's Prague Quadrennial of Performance Space and Design.

National curator Rolando de Leon accepted the Rainbow Cormorant award hand-crafted by Czech schoolchildren, who for the last two weeks had been visiting the exhibition on field trips and casting their votes as to which pavilion was their favorite. Over 65 national pavilions and 76 student booths took part in this year's event, considered as the Olympiad of Theater Design.

Students, teachers, and family groups who visited both the Philippine national pavilion and the student booth put together by De La Salle University's Harlequin Theater Guild were unified in praising the quaint craftsmanship of De Leon's bamboo house, which highlighted costumes, photographs, and the retrospective publication on Manila Broadcasting Company's Aliwan Fiesta, materials from GMA-7's Kapuso Fiesta, maquettes of various local productions for which he did the set design, Angono's Higantes, Abel Iloko fabric, Darangen dolls from Mindanao, and Bohol's Teatro Abatan.

The DLSU-HTG student booth in turn, was anchored on the mystical balete tree, around which the students and foreign guests wore costumes of elemental spirits from the Dinagyang, Ibon-Ebon, Calacatchara, Sosogon, and Uswag Surallah Lembuhong Festivals. Photos from various nature festivals were also on display, as well as images from various student productions mounted by HTG, foremost of which was Rizal My President - a surefire hit among Czech people who hold the Philippine National Hero in high esteem.

Visitors to the Philippine pavilions were awed by the vibrant colors and textures used by the curatorial team, in stark contrast to the muted, techno-laden installations of the other countries. The Philippines was the only Asian country that received an award at this year's Prague Quadrennial. Other Asian participants were China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia.

The PQ Children's program was initiated this year to expand audiences and encourage more young people to view theatrical architecture as everyday phenomena for which artistic merit can easily be enhanced for staging purposes. It also serves to strengthen the impetus on creative education.

The Philippine delegation was generously supported by Air 21 through Mr Bert Lina and Mr Jerry Jara, ITI Earthsavers -UNESCO Dream Center Philiipines under the office of Dr Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, Mr Enrique Razon of International Container Terminal Services Inc, the European Desk of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission on Culture and Arts, Office of Senator Edgardo Angara, the Philippine Embassy in Prague under Ambassador Evelyn Austria-Garcia, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Manila, and Boy Abunda.

A national tour of the components of the Philippine participation in the Prague Quadrennial will follow in July and August under the auspices of De La Salle University in cooperation with the SM SuperMalls and 90.7 Love Radio Davao.

Manila Broadcasting Company partners with Smart Communications, Naproxin Sodium, M. Lhuillier, Cobra Energy Drink, Enervon, and 100 Plus in mounting MBC’s first-ever Manila Bay Clean-Up Fun Run, which will take place on July 17.

The event is open to all interested participants and will feature races in the 3K, 5K, 10K, and 21K divisions for both men and women. Trophies and cash prizes will be given to the top three winners in each race division. P20,000 goes to the first-place finisher in the 21K run, P10,000 for the top10K runner, P5,000 to the winner of the 5K run, and P3,000 for the 3K winner.. There will also be a special award for the biggest delegation or group that submits a minimum of twenty-five (25) paying entries.

A designated registration desk will be set up beginning May 9 at the lobby of Manila Broadcasting Company, Sotto Street, CCP Complex, Pasay City, and at ROX on Bonifacio High Street at Global City in Taguig. Deadline for registration is on June 19 at 5:00 p.m.

As a solid manifestation of corporate social responsibility, MBC volunteers have joined their counterparts from other establishments based along Roxas Boulevard for Land Bank’s Manila Bay Clean-Up Program since 2009.

Aiming to help implement a sustainable approach to cleaning and protecting marine and coastal resources, MBC also sponsored the construction and installation of a trash rack that will block solid wastes passing through the Vito Cruz area.

Land Bank’s program also features the procurement of a garbage boat that will move daily to gather debris along the bay area from the Philippine Navy/Manila Yacht Club Basin to Manila Ocean Park.

While these initiatives will not totally solve environmental sanitation problems in the country’s premier international gateway, reduction of rubbish will help minimize pollutants, which will have an impact in the long run.