Message of Senator Loren Legarda: Philippine Pavilion Finissage

MESSAGE OF SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA
Philippine Pavilion Finissage
November 22, 2015 | Palazzo Mora, Venice, Italy

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

First, let me say that I regret missing the finissage today to celebrate with you our successful return to the world’s oldest and perhaps most important contemporary art exposition.

As we close the Philippines’ comeback pavilion after 51 years, we can all enjoy our triumph and confirm to everyone the old adage that says “nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.”

My gratitude goes to the Department of Foreign Affairs, led by Secretary Albert del Rosario, for their support in this endeavor. Thank you to Ambassador Domingo Nolasco, the Embassy in Italy and the Consulate General in Milan for providing us their full support and assistance. May our exhibit provide pride to our Filipino communities overseas, and may we be known for our artistry and talent. This finissage is actually dedicated to you.

I also would like to thank Chairman Felipe de Leon of the NCCA and our Commissioner for the Pavilion for his continued leadership, investing in endeavors that can develop our rich arts and culture.

I also take this chance to thank Patrick Flores for his brilliance, workmanship and for being grounded. His vision titled “Tie A String Around the World” is a way for us to let the international audience ponder and make our voice felt in the issue of the West Philippine Sea. This would not be possible without the esteemed artists Jose Tence Ruiz and Manny Montelibano.

Padayon is a Visayan term that means “continue” and connotes “moving on or never giving up.” I approach this finissage not as a way to say goodbye to a great exhibit. Instead, I invite everyone as we will move forward with the Philippine Pavilion’s Tie A String Around the World in the following months and mount it at the UP Vargas Museum and other venues so that Filipinos can enjoy and reflect on its meaning at home.

Our comeback this year in the Venice Biennale is just the beginning. We will go on—we will participate in the 2016 Architecture Biennale and the 2017 Art Biennale, and so on. We will be participating in these expositions to showcase and celebrate the essence and talent of Filipinos.

Padayon…our story as a nation in the Venice Biennale, is just starting to unravel.

Thank you and Mabuhay