Kenneth Cobonpue and Paul Cabral: Our best ambassadors to APEC

The intricately beautiful Filipino soul, as shown by our creative spirit and our natural talent to showcase beauty out of the most ordinary and natural materials, are going to make strong impressions on the twenty-one leaders of the APEC nations and/or economies. The economic and political leaders and their spouses as well as respective entourages shall see creations that they have never seen before. Two of our most talented icons of arts: namely, the internationally-acclaimed designer, Kenneth Cobonpue, designated as creative director of APEC in Manila and Paul Cabral, one of our best fashion geniuses, are going to show to the world that the Filipinos are among the best artists in the world. They will see some things they have never seen before, not any time, nor any place, ever.

Kenneth, a 47-year-old Cebuano furniture and interior designer, was designated by the President and the APEC organizing committee as the event's creative director. He was specifically tasked to do the following: first, designing the set for the State dinner to be hosted by no less than the President to be held at the Mall of Asia's ARENA; second, creating souvenir tokens; and designing the 21 chairs to be used by the attending heads of states, governments, and economies. Kenneth's  design concept is focused on transforming the whole wide space of the ARENA into a huge outdoor garden, with an ambiance of warmth and hospitality. There is no doubt that the multi-awarded icon will create an excellent design for both venue and tokens.

Paul looks at his assignment as a rare opportunity and honor to dress heads of states and to make every barong a separate political, economic, and cultural statement. He said: “It is really important to showcase the best of who we are ." He is doing his tasks with great attention to details. First, he and his team made a research on each of the 21 economies, and looked at their history, culture, arts and crafts. He then designed each barong taking into consideration each of the country's unique identity. Sultan Bolkiah's barong shows some mosques and other Islamic symbols while Prime Minster Prayuth's barong exhibits some temples and other Buddhist architectures ala Siam's styles and Thai's strokes.

Kenneth designed the 21 chairs based on his world-acclaimed Yoda designs, which, in this event, is inspired by blades of grass in varying shades of the green colors, not unlike the blades from stalks of rice. Its modern twist is shown by beautiful armrests and strong wheels. Kenneth also designed the 21 tokens that each of the leaders shall bring home. Each of them shall be a commanding conversation piece. They are called “SAMA-SAMA", which are glass-covered brass sculptures finished in yellow gold, pale silver, and warm copper. The tokens show communities of peoples in island formations, beautifully symbolizing each of the 21 APEC member-nations.

Paul's design of the 19 male leaders' barong consists of pina jackets over black outfits, while the two female leaders' attire consist of pina jackets over white outfits. Prime Minister S. Abe's barong shows Japan's famous cherry blossoms. President Xin Jin Ping's displays the iconic Chinese bamboo designs. Prime Minister Najib Razak's barong indicates intricate Muslim shapes and strokes. Prime Minister Nieto's attire is highlighted by a big M running down in graceful styles, with South American shapes and styles. And President Aquino's is perhaps the most intricate and handsome one, showcasing the heritage houses of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan. PNoy's barong will be the best of the best.

Kenneth's very painstaking attention to details, his keen sense of sensibility to the unique cultures that cut across the Pacific Ocean are only made more underscored by Paul Cabral's dedication to his craft, his sense of history and culture, and his uncompromising commitment to the individual identity of 21 economic milieus, even in the context of a globalized arena. Kenneths' sculpture and Paul's embroidery and intricate mastery of fabrics are the twin ingredients of a perfect symphony of shapes, colors, and designs. These are the best instruments of Philippine hospitality and our peoples' indubitable evidence of having arrived in the twenty-first century, without having to abandon our immensely rich history and cultural heritage.

Much more than any of the 21 leaders who grace the APEC, Paul and Kenneth shall have delivered the most emphatic statements to Asia-Pacific and to the world. That, to me, is what matters most.