Philips lights up Capitol

CEBU, Philippines - Philips, the world’s leading lighting solutions provider, has lit up the Cebu Provincial Capitol building Friday evening to mark the start of a bright Christmas celebration of the province.

Present during the lighting ceremony were Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who led the lighting ceremony, Senator Loren Legarda, Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev, Philips Chief Executive Officer Rico Gonzalez, philanthropist Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung, government officials and other guests.

In her short message, Legarda congratulated Garcia for being a dynamic governor “who promotes art and culture.”

Legarda was also here to commemorate the sisterhood agreement between Cebu and the province of Antique that started two years ago. Antique Governor Salvacion Perez was also present during the event. Legarda claims her roots came from Antique. 

“The lighting of the Cebu Provincial Capitol clearly demonstrates Philips’ commitment to providing creative lighting solutions and beautification to various historical and cultural landmarks and taking urban development to the next level, one light bulb at a time,” Gonzalez said.

The lighting up of the Capitol building is a yearly activity of the provincial government but this year, Garcia wanted more than just the use of regular light.

She wanted the structure to both shine at night while also communicating its importance and significance to Cebuanos.

Philip has teamed up with Christine Sicangco Lighting Design, Inc. in enhancing the beauty of the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

For professional architectural lighting designer Sicangco, the creative use of lighting, specifically light-emit diode (LED), is essential simply because “no matter how wonderful the finishes of a building, no matter how great the structure, without proper lighting, you cannot fully appreciate it.”

“Considering that it’s a historical building and it’s the center of the province, we wanted it to be elegant and reflective of the culture and personality of the province and its people as well as being energy efficient,” Sicangco said.

To achieve her vision, Sicangco used Philips Color Kinetics for the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

Also highlighted the activity was the championship of caroling contest of five finalists subsequently followed by the awarding of winners.

Sta. Teresa Chorister of Talisay City bagged P60,000 for being the champion; P40,000 for Carmen Sinamay Chorale of the municipality of Carmen as second prize winner and P20,000 for Santander Chorus of the Municipality of Santander as third prize winner.

Consolacion Chorale and Argao Minstrels also received P5,000 each as consolation prizes. (FREEMAN)