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| ICE CATHEDRAL – Philippine ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez, Tourism Undersecretary Bong Benzon, and Tourism Promotions Board Philippine Chief Operating Officer Domingo Enerio preside over the formal opening of the ice replica of the façade of the Manila Cathedral at the 66th Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first time the Philippines participated in the festival which began in 1950 and attracts more than two million visitors from Japan and overseas. |
For the first time, visitors at the annual Sapporo Snow Festival (SSF) in Hokkaido, Japan, finally marveled at a Filipino landmark with the inclusion of the “majestic” Manila Cathedral among the winter event’s snow exhibits.
Sponsored by the Japanese media firm, Hokkaido Broadcasting Co. (HBC), the 13-meter snow-based cousin of the famous “Mother Church in the Philippines,” located at the heart of Intramuros, Manila, drew crowds at the SSF, which will run up to Wednesday.
In its statement, HBC, which has been part of the SSF since 1962, said it chose to recreate the Manila Cathedral this year due its religious, historic, and cultural significance to Filipinos.
“The Cathedral withstood numerous calamities including typhoons, fire, earthquakes, and wars, and is a symbol of the resilience of Filipino faith,” HBC said.
And the fact that the religious structure has detailed westernized architectural designs, which makes it an eye-candy for tourists, was also among the factors, why HBC selected it for the exhibition.
“The intricate designs and decors of this Neo-Romanesque structure contributes in making the Manila Cathedral as one of the most prized edifice of the Filipino Christian heritage,” HBC said.
HBC is known for recreating famous structures from other countries like the Buckingham Palace in United Kingdom and the Castle of Xavier in Spain to promote goodwill with other nations.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Philippine embassy in Japan, which assisted in the Manila Cathedral presentation, lauded HBC for its faithful reproduction of the structure.
“First time ever! Ice replica Manila Cathedral at Sapporo Snow Festival. What an honor. Mabuhay!” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. posted in his official twitter account.
As part of its contribution to HBC, the government assigned a group of Filipinos clad in national costume to perform local folk dance in front of the Philippine-themed exhibit.
It also setup a booth near the snow structure, where visitors of the SSF could buy Filipino delicacies and see famous tourist spots in the country.
Aside from the Manila Cathedral, other popular snow sculptures, which were presented at the 66th SSF, were characters from the sci-fi movie “Starwars” and Olaf, the living snowman mascot, from the animated film “Frozen.”
At least 200 ice sculptures were included in the seven-day winter annual event, which has an average of two million visitors each year.
source: manilabulletin
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