Highlights of the Philippine International Flora and Fauna Garden Expo
Justin B. Morelos
The flowers were in full bloom, the plants freshly watered, and the turtles were kind of drowsy-looking, but that didn’t dampen the mood of the three-day 2008 Philippine International Flora & Fauna Garden Expo (PIFGEX).
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| (photo by Jude Bautista) | | Held last weekend at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, visitors numbered over 10,000 and were composed of students, horticulturists, international and local landscapers, plant collectors and enthusiasts, animal breeders, veterinary experts, environmentalists, and educators, among others.
The event was inaugurated by Sec. Lito Atienza of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Congresswoman Cynthia Villar, and florist Rachy Cuna.
For the three days, the venue resembled a paradise where plants and animals reigned as the star attractions.
Avid landscape experts made their presence felt. Serapion Metilla, Francis Gener, Tirso Calaranan, Chat Alejandro, and Norberto Bautista were on hand to showcase their booths or give lectures on gardening.
Others just lingered to enjoy the show, which for one brief shining moment was the garden spot of Metro Manila.
There was a best exhibit booth contest, which was won by the EDSA Garden House, followed by Earth Garden Landscaping (second place) and SAPI (third). Special mention was given to Mett’s Plant Arts and Fred Salud’s Landscaping for its Avilon Zoo.
The expo focused on the need to preserve nature and aimed to protect and conserve it. The organizers encouraged the incorporation of real plants and animals in the garden homescape, and pushed for their conservation. It was stressed that conservation could be achieved by protecting our native habitats at all costs, mass propagation and breeding of endangered and threatened plant and animal species, regulated collection, and public information.
Officials of the organizing institution, ICE Inc., later announced that the next PIFGEX event will be staged in July 2009. They promised an even more comprehensive expo, which will include a conference and a trade show.
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