And here we are, 3 months later, with my very late submission. Whoops.
pushed the one-sentence rule here and the copywriting side of my brain is begging to trim it down but I couldn't because I would've lost what I want to include.
Just to contextualize things, when EPCOT Center was being planned in the 1970s, the Marcos dictatorship was in full swing and the Philippines was under Martial Law. My backstory for the pavilion is that instead of Imelda Marcos, the First Lady at the time, telling the Imagineers that she'd rather spend the needed pavilion sponsorship money
(when in reality it would've lined Marcos family's pockets more for their luxurious personal spending of government money), the Philippine government used this opportunity to pull a Ba Sing Se and show the world that absolutely
is wrong in the Philippines.
THE PHILIPPINES PAVILION
Sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism (Government) and Philippine Airlines (Private Company)
Mabuhay at maligayang pagdating ("Welcome" in Tagalog) to the
Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient, a country renowned for its innate warmth and hospitality, vibrant and diverse cultures, and living traditions. Nestled between the Japan and forthcoming Morocco pavilions, the pavilion aims to showcase and celebrate this land of contrasts and the multifaceted Filipino spirit that emanates from within the islands themselves: a fusion of tradition and innovation, East and West, and everything in between.
On the banks of the World Showcase Lagoon is the first section of the pavilion:
Barangay, an ahistorical exploration area themed to a pre-colonial beachside settlement that includes various fully-furnished nipa huts (
bahay kubo) that guests could rest and eat in, scattered traded objects including pots and other earthenware, gold and porcelain wares from the Chinese traders, and items of historical significance (wooden
anitos or idols, locally-made metal weaponry, etc.), and several berthed boats called
balangay, a type of lashed-lug boats used in trading, transportation, and warfare, which also serves as the symbol of the pavilion.
Across the pathway is the second section of the pavilion:
Calle Escolta (Escolta Street), the heartbeat of the pavilion, an architectural representation of Philippine colonial history that spans nearly four centuries where grand Spanish colonial houses (
bahay na bato) and towering Art Deco and Beaux-Art style buildings that dot the stone-paved streets of the Spanish colonial period and the concrete roads of the American colonial period are found that enterprising modern-day Filipinos have reclaimed for their local businesses, including a mini-museum walkthrough of a faithful replica of a Spanish colonial house
Casa Hidalgo, the quick-service restaurant
Café Ilustrado that serves Spanish-Filipino fusion finger foods, the pavilion's main marketplace
Crystal Arcade where Filipino cast members sell handcrafted Philippine souvenirs and goods for guests to purchase, and the pavilion's table-service restaurant
Lasa ("Taste" in Filipino), where guests can partake in a literal feast for the senses as they get their first taste of Philippine cuisine.
Contrasting the hustle and bustle of Calle Escolta is the pavilion's third section, located at its back part and a bridge away:
Extramuros ("Outside the walls" in Spanish), where there are forests, rivers, and various flora aplenty that guests can marvel at in this natural, idyllic world that lives and thrives outside the metropolis, including replicas of the soaring steps of Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras in the Luzon island and the nearby small farming tribal community that works on it, the rolling mounds of Chocolate Hills of Bohol in the Visayas island (the landscaping of which will be changed in accordance to the dry and wet seasons in Orlando, as the grass on the actual hills themselves change colors according to the season: brown during the former, and green during the latter), and the imposing peaks of Mount Apo of Davao in the Mindanao island, where the pavilion's headlining attraction,
Pilipinas Kay Ganda ("Philippines the Beautiful" in Filipino), a Circle-Vision 360 travelogue of the Philippine islands seen through the eyes of the dormant volcano's resident ancestral spirit and supreme god, Apo Sandawa, and his shamans, is located inside a nearby cave network that tunnels into the volcano itself.
forums.wdwmagic.com
) are kinda like colonial cousins!
