Hilot & halo-halo make RP a hit at World Expo

AICHI, Japan– In an expo dominated by giants and their show of technological razzmatazz, the Philippines, proud owner of one of the smallest pavilions in the 2005 World Expo here, stood proud.

The country brought itself up to its full height with a coconut-themed pavilion that was a sensual feast – weaving together, like the Silk Cocoon panels that lined the walls, culture, knowledge and entertainment.

The pavilion (christened usbong, meaning "growth of a seed") bested other countries in the one-module category for the coveted Nature’s Wisdom Gold Award, and a visit to the pavilion shows us why.

To visit the pavilion is to partake in a feast for the senses – after taking in the unique coco-themed design of the pavilion and the wealth of cultural information it offered (information that made you think), one could indulge oneself in a refreshing glass of halo-halo or succumb to the sheer pleasure of a 15-minute head and back massage (by masseuses from Rustan’s Essenses). No one else offered the irresistible combination of hilot and halo-halo, and the Philippines thus become one of the most popular pavilions in the 120-pavilion expo. Not bad for a country that kept to a budget of $2 million (its neighbor, the Australian pavilion, spent A$40 million).

As of August, some two million visitors have trooped to the Philippine pavilion, says Rosvi Gaetos, the tireless commissioner-general of the Philippine committee to the 185-day world expo (the expo ended last Sunday).

According to Pavilion director Arcie Soriano, the Latik restaurant inside the pavilion, ran by Via Mare, was such a hit that Tokyo TV proclaimed its specialties (halo-halo, lumpia, chicken binakol, rellenong bangus, maja blanca, etc.) as the most popular food in the entire expo. The TV network even featured Via Mare’s Glenda Barreto (who says the Japanese also loves our chicken binakol) in a special segment. Rosvi says that as of July, Latik had chalked up 75 million yen (about P32 million) in sales. Not bad for Glenda and her 10-member staff, who initially expected only P1 to P4 million in sales.

On the other hand, the massage service, which was offered free of charge, had earned $100 a day in tips for all the six masseuses who worked in shifts in a special "cocoon" inside the pavilion.

Tourism Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano (truly an "ace" salesman for the Philippines, he was on his feet during most of his visit to the expo and at the JATA Travel Fair in Tokyo) expects the gains from the Philippine exposure in the expo to be felt starting this last quarter of the year.

"Economic growth," says Durano, who led the delegation to the Philippine National Day festivities in the expo, "will be the end result of our participation."

According to Durano, Japanese tourists to the Philippines, who now include more working women between 20 and 30 years old, are seeking beauty and wellness destinations in the Philippines (no wonder the hilot was such a hit!).

Already, Philippine Airlines, which has 31 flights weekly between the Philippines (Manila and Cebu) and Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa and Nagiya), is adding an extra flight for the winter months, according to its Japan country manager Genaro "Bong" Velasquez.

The unique offerings in the conceptual pavilion (its souvenir shop netted P6 million), plus its breathtaking design (a collaboration between project architect Ed Calma, exhibit curator Marian Roces and consultant architect Ken Taura), made visitors form lines that rivalled queues to a Harry Potter book launching or Lord of the Rings premiere.

"You will be proud to be a Filipino," broadcast journalist Ces Drilon, who had seen the Philippine pavilion in March this year, told me earlier on our way to the expo site.

And truly I was. (To be concluded)

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