BAGUIO CITY December 19 – Residents and visitors will have all the reasons to visit the Botanical Garden with the unveiling to the public of the life-size family of elephants sculpture donated by the Thailand embassy to the local government in a portion of the park.
Thailand Ambassador to the Philippines Thanatip Upatising led the 51-member visiting Thai delegation while Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan headed city officials in the inauguration ceremony held in the area where the sculpture was erected through the support of the Siam Cement Group (SCG), a Thailand-based cement manufacturer.
Measuring over 5 feet tall, the sculpture symbolizes the friendship and great diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Thailand that existed for nearly seven decades.
Ambassador Upatising underscored that the life-size family of elephants sculpture will surely serve as a landmark in the city and it will remind both countries that more than the political and economic interests, it is the shared history and values that bind the two nations.
“We hope that the donated life-size family of elephants will become one of the most frequented landmarks in Baguio City in the future to help boost the local tourism industry. We are also grateful to the local government for providing the land where the sculpture is located that allowed the project to be realized to strengthen the relationship between the Philippines and Thailand,” Ambassador Upatising stressed.
The life-size sculpture was made of Type I cement manufactured by the Thailand-based SCG, the leading Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) business conglomerate with more than 100 years of experience in producing cement and building materials, which provides high compressive strength and durability, sustainable for general construction, perfect for buildings and cement-based sculptures.
Surasak Kraiwitchaicharoen, SCG Country Director in the country, expressed the company’s gratitude to the Royal Embassy of Thailand and the local government of Baguio for their kindness in allowing the SCG to be a part of the ‘family of Thai elephants” sculpture that will mark the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Philippine-Thai relationship.
“Being the leading ASEAN business conglomerate with commitments towards sustainable development, it is SCG’s pleasure to work on this project and be a part of long standing relationship between the two countries,” the SCG official added.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan expressed the gratitude of the people and officialdom of Baguio City to the Royal Embassy of Thailand and SCG for the donated life-size family of elephants sculpture which will definitely serve as an added attraction in a portion of the Botanical Garden. The local chief executive urged the security guards and personnel of the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) to make sure that the donated sculpture will be spared from vandalism so that it will serve its purpose.
“We appeal to the residents and visitors alike visiting the sculpture and having their pictures taken in the area not to vandalize it so that its beauty will remain for the appreciation of the people visiting the place. We must learn to discipline ourselves by not vandalizing the public properties that we visit not only in the city but also in other tourist spots,” Domogan stated. **By Dexter A. See
