Exciting World Pyro Olympics set
MANILA, Philippines - “We did not create the World Pyro Olympics (WPO) to create horrific traffic jams,” assures Rob Crisostomo, vice president for marketing of La Mancha Group International (LMGI), producer of WPO 2009, which will be staged at its new home at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
Seeing action for fireworks supremacy this year are eight countries – Japan, Canada, U.S., Germany, South Korea, Italy, China and Australia – in a spectacular fireworks musical competition slated on Nov. 21, 28, Dec. 5, 12, and 19.
Supported by the Department of Tourism (DOT), WPO 2009’s stellar pyrotechnics companies include Japan’s Marutamaya, which fires for Tokyo Disneyland; China’s Glorious, a staple at the opening and closing ceremonies of Asian Games; and Pyro Studios of Canada, a winner at the Monaco Fireworks Competition. All the companies will hope to capture the hearts of Pinoys by setting their fireworks to the music of the band Journey, where Filipino Arnel Pineda is the frontman.
The WPO has always been a certified crowd drawer. In its first staging in 2004, a record 500,000 turned out at the event site, while about 1,000,000 witnessed the event in the periphery.
This year, the five-day event also includes a showdown of local marching bands, car-audio exhibit, play areas for kids and a shopping bazaar.
LMGI, the leading pyrotechnics show and special effects company in the Philippines, along with the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation (FBDC) and the City of Taguig, are ensuring that WPO 4 will be fun-filled and stress-free for the whole family.
La Mancha of the Philipppines, winner of the Audience Choice award and 2nd Technical Jury honor at the Zagreb International Fireworks Festival held in Croatia earlier this year, will do an exhibition show for the finale, along with a mesmerizing “Fellowship of Fire” where all the participating companies will each fire for two minutes.
Last year LMGI won 3rd overall at the Hannover Baroque Fireworks Competition in Germany. It is the first Philippine and Southeast Asian company to win international pyrotechnics honors abroad.
