Philippines Pavilion At Expo 2020 Dubai Jumpstarts 2022 With ‘Fitfest’, A Health And Wellness Fair

Hundreds of visitors at the Expo 2020 Dubai committed to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle this 2022 at the inaugural ‘Fitfest’

Dubai (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th January, 2022) The Philippines Pavilion ‘Bangkóta’ witnessed the beginning of a brand-new fitness challenge in the UAE as hundreds of visitors at the Expo 2020 Dubai committed to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle this 2022 at the inaugural ‘Fitfest’.

The Filipino International Triathletes and the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) 124 Dubai, in collaboration with the Philippine Organising Committee (POC) at the ‘Bangkóta’ at Expo 2020 Dubai, had over hundreds of visitors during the fitness program that involved full body workouts, yoga, wellness talks, and the launch of a 75-day long weight loss challenge.

PDTI Assistant Secretary and Philippines Expo 2020 Dubai Alternate Commissioner General Rosvi C. Gaetos hopes that the event has inspired many visitors to ring in 2022 with a more health-conscious perspective. She also added that this marks another feather to the ‘Bangkóta’ as a platform that will promote, educate and encourage healthier lifestyle choices for workplace, social and environmental well-being before the Expo closes in March.

“Many visitors from different countries came in prepared to make the commitment to have a more active lifestyle this year. This shows that the ‘Bangkóta’ is more than just a venue – it is also a platform for everyone, dedicated to activities that inspire improved living habits and lifestyle choices which in turn, would lead to a more productive and healthier population,” said Gaetos.

Arch. Kristine Rose OIdan-Marasigan, president of the UAP 124 Dubai, stated that it is of prime importance for people to be more engaged in physical activities especially for those who have a 9-5 seated on their desks all day long.

“A majority, if not, all of the people who work 9-5 office jobs tend to be seated 80-90 per cent of the time during their regular office hours, and only stand and walk whenever they have to go to the restroom or go to lunch. We hope that more people will engage themselves in more physical activities as this not only keeps your body healthy, it boosts your emotional and mental mindset as well as you take a much-needed break away from being glued on your computer screens and your smartphones,” said Arch. Oldan-Marasigan.

Jbern Eugenio, President at the Filipino International Triathletes is optimistic that the ‘FitFest’ will mark the beginning for people to catch this healthy trend of doing physical exercise and other activities regularly and that they plan to host more similar activities in the near future to sustain the interest of the public in living healthier lives.

“We hope that the ‘Fitfest’ breaks this spirit of a sedentary lifestyle so as to avoid health complications later on in life. We have received very positive and encouraging feedback from our participants and we hope that our upcoming programs will reach more of the Expo 2020 visitors who want to jumpstart their fitness goals for the year as well,” said Eugenio.

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About The Bangkóta - Philippines Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai

Bangkóta is the name and inspiration for the pavilion of Philippines at the Expo 2020 Dubai, which is held from October 1, 2021— March 31, 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The pavilion, organically shaped like the Bangkóta—the ancient term for “coral reef” in the language Tagalog—updates knowledge about the Philippines, an archipelagic nation that nourished a collective, sea-oriented culture for millennia.

By calling attention to the coral reef-like qualities of Filipinos—such as an inclination for hyper-connectivity—the pavilion offers clues into a people who can build vibrant communities anywhere and everywhere in the world.

Remaining interconnected with each other as Filipinos, even though massive diaspora, the Philippines’ global stage is held together digitally. In the past 4000 years, as their Austronesian ancestors spread throughout island Southeast Asia and then embarked across the Pacific, they were and still are connected by the oceans of the world.

The Philippines pavilion evokes this hardy, traveling people in the Sustainability District of the Expo, poetically emphasizing cultural sustainability through the millennia. In a plot size of 3163.25 sqm, the pavilion presents contemporary expressions in architecture, art, and design that links the deep past with the future of connectivity for the Filipino.

It is conceptualized and actualized by Architect Royal Pineda of Budji+Royal Architecture+Design and independent curator Marian Pastor Roces, collaborating with unusual synchrony with Assistant Secretary Rosario Virginia Gaetos of the Department of Trade and Industry, who also serves as Alternate Commissioner General of the Philippine Organizing Committee (POC).

Bangkóta aligns with the theme of this forthcoming Expo 2020 – “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” – with a riveting image of the Philippines and its people as truly global.