MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) paid tribute to tennis star Alex Eala with a giant rice field tribute in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
In a statement by the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday, PhilRice’s Community Relations Office created an artwork with Eala’s face and said that this will take a clearer version by October, as rice plants change color.
“Our Community Relations Office thought, why not honor Alex in the way we know best, with rice?” PhilRice executive director John de Leon said.
“As the rice matures and changes color in October, her image will become even clearer,” he added.
DA secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said it was a “fitting acknowledgement” of Eala’s efforts in shaping Philippine tennis.
“This is great, a very fitting acknowledgment of what Alex Eala has done for Philippine tennis and for uniting Filipinos wherever they are in the world,” Tiu Laurel stated.
“Truly, Alex is a proud Pinoy, and Filipinos take pride in what she has accomplished and what she will accomplish. This is the Department of Agriculture family’s way of saying, ‘Salamat, Alex!’” the DA chief added.
Previously, PhilRice featured rice paddy arts of Manny Pacquiao and Hidilyn Diaz.
Eala will next take part in the Singapore Open and the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
