“The year 2021 is the 500th anniversary of the circumnavigation of the world,” says Marian Pastor Roces, curator of the Philippines pavilion at Dubai Expo.
“It is a moment for us to reassess the meaning of the arrival of Europe in the Philippines in 1521. But the idea for the pavilion was not to even think about that." It was to reset how the country imagines itself, she says.
Pastor Roces is working with architect Royal Pineda to orient the pavilion around the concept of “Bangkota”, the Tagalog word for “coral reef”. They will bring back the idea of a deep connection with nature, what they see as the roots of life in the Philippines.
It also has a political dimension. “With Bangkota, I am talking about going beyond the 500 years of the Spaniards colonising us, because our history goes back farther,” Pineda explains. “Our real inspiration as people is not just the influence of the Europeans, or the Americans or the Japanese, but nature: the beautiful and ancient rivers, waters, mountains and the trees of the Philippine forests.”
Pineda is co-founder and lead architect of Budji+Royal Architecture+Design, a growing practice in Manila. He entered the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry's open competition to design the Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion, and won with Bangkota. The concept was passed on to Pastor Roces, a highly regarded curator and art critic in the Philippines who has curated the country's past three Expo pavilions.
“Immediately I loved his idea,” she says. “The genius of the architecture allows space for a larger imagination of who we are, especially because Dubai is home to so much of the Filipino diaspora.”
Pastor Roces and Pineda describe their collaboration as exceptionally fruitful; Pineda provided the concept, and Pastor Roces brought the facts and scientific research that backed up Pineda's intuition.
Pastor Roces points out that in human pre-history, there are a handful of migrations that are considered epic: from Africa, across the Siberian peninsula to North America, and then across the Indo-Pacific 50,000 years ago. This was the first time humans travelled long distances by sea, and the Philippines was one of the starting points.
The Australasian languages that developed from the maritime interrelation in the Indo-Pacific are some of the most diverse on Earth, as, Pastor Roces says, there are 1,200 distinct languages spoken, and more than 170 in the Philippines.
“Most Filipinos do not know this history,” she says. “I always point out that, to this day, right now, one out of every four seafarers on Earth is a Filipino. We are still the seafarers of the world. And it's not about to diminish. So the Australasian movement from the Philippines has not stopped. It is absolutely an ongoing story.”
My dream of a better Philippines is something that is sure of its roots
Royal Pineda,
architect
Pineda’s design nods to the sea in a series of separate buildings that are inspired by the footprint of a coral reef. They are each surrounded by undulating black mesh, which blocks out the sun while allowing air to circulate. Platforms within the structure offer viewing areas and spaces for greenery, and indoor areas hold the exhibition and performance venues that will feature examples of Filipino culture, food and music.
"From the beginning, I said I will not bring the Nipa hut to Dubai, nor the old Spanish architecture," says Pineda. "It gave me an opportunity to innovate.
"This is my eagerness to present the modern minds of the Filipinos, because modernity is not specifically about time, it's about betterment. That's why I call it a modern Philippines now, because we are creating a better Philippines. And my dream of a better Philippines is something that is sure of its roots."
Pastor Roces says she looked for artists who could carry both their own subject and the larger idea of Bangkota. She has included work by Scott "Gutsy" Tuazon, Patrick Cabral, Dan Raralio and Riel Jaramillo Hilario, to name a few, as well as a score by composer Teresa Barroso, and a dance by choreographer Denisa Reyes. The role of Overseas Filipino Workers will also be recognised, for example in a mural painted by graffiti artist Dex Fernandez.
That more than half a million Filipinos live in the UAE makes the Philippines Pavilion a particularly important one for Expo 2020 Dubai.
“There are Filipinos all over the world, and they are still very connected,” says Pineda. “Because of our culture of family and our strong bonds.”
The economic circumstances in the country that have forced so many Filipinos to work abroad are glimpsed in the pavilion design, too, whether in the nod to OFWs or the budget that Pineda worked within. Pineda says he chose to work with lower-cost materials, such as the wire mesh – which he calls “practical luxury" – to reflect this. There is also an ecological element to the design, which will be in the Sustainability area of Expo, as the building is modular and collapsible, and was made with material sourced in the UAE.
The decision worked out well for the country. When other pavilions were delayed after imports were held up because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Philippines' kept to schedule.
After the event, like most of the pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai, the Philippines Pavilion will stay in the Jebel Ali area temporarily before moving to the Philippines. There, it will be installed in New Clark City, the planned community about 100 kilometres north of Manila, where it will serve a new purpose and act as a testament to Filipino identity.
What exactly is that identity? "Filipinos always collaborate," says Pineda. "This is what we call bayanihan, which means not being a hero, but helping each other in times of need. We always help our brothers and our fellow Filipinos."
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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Price: From Dh126,000
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The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
McIlroy's struggles in 2016/17
European Tour: 6 events, 16 rounds, 5 cuts, 0 wins, 3 top-10s, 4 top-25s, 72,5567 points, ranked 16th
PGA Tour: 8 events, 26 rounds, 6 cuts, 0 wins, 4 top-10s, 5 top-25s, 526 points, ranked 71st
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Education reform in Abu Dhabi
The emirate’s public education system has been in a constant state of change since the New School Model was launched in 2010 by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The NSM, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi School Model, transformed the public school curriculum by introducing bilingual education starting with students from grades one to five. Under this new curriculum, the children spend half the day learning in Arabic and half in English – being taught maths, science and English language by mostly Western educated, native English speakers. The NSM curriculum also moved away from rote learning and required teachers to develop a “child-centered learning environment” that promoted critical thinking and independent learning. The NSM expanded by one grade each year and by the 2017-2018 academic year, it will have reached the high school level. Major reforms to the high school curriculum were announced in 2015. The two-stream curriculum, which allowed pupils to elect to follow a science or humanities course of study, was eliminated. In its place was a singular curriculum in which stem -- science, technology, engineering and maths – accounted for at least 50 per cent of all subjects. In 2016, Adec announced additional changes, including the introduction of two levels of maths and physics – advanced or general – to pupils in Grade 10, and a new core subject, career guidance, for grades 10 to 12; and a digital technology and innovation course for Grade 9. Next year, the focus will be on launching a new moral education subject to teach pupils from grades 1 to 9 character and morality, civic studies, cultural studies and the individual and the community.
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INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
Dubai Women's Tour teams
Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
