Affiliates
Contact Us
Century International Hotels
TravelSmart.NET

PHILIPPINES
HONG KONG
CANADA
EUROPE
USA
INDONESIA
SINGAPORE
THAILAND


THE WEBSITE
Philippines

Giant mural of sketches, photographs & memories unveiled at Taal Vista Hotel
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: By NESTOR CUARTERO
Date: 2005-07-11
 
History at a glance is exquisitely captured in an 8 panel mural with a combined size of 26 ft. by 8 ft. unveiled recently at Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay City.

The historical mural is a collage artwork in shades of sepia and earth colors depicting images of the long and intertwined histories of Taal Volcano, Tagaytay City, and Taal Vista Hotel dating back to 1572.

During a cocktail reception that marked the occasion recently, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano congratulated the city of Tagaytay for continuously making a headway as a tourist destination. Durano said the province of Cavite itself received 261,000 foreign visitors and 1.6 million local tourists in 2004 alone or a total of more than 1.8 million visitors in all.

He also cited the role of the 127-room Taal Vista Hotel, considered a landmark hotel in the mountain city, in Tagaytay’s upwardly mobile tourism industry. The nearly 70-year-old Taal Vista, Durano noted, is the second oldest hotel in the Philippines after The Manila Hotel. The Department of Tourism recently rated the Taal Vista Hotel a first-class hotel.

The historical mural, displayed permanently on one side of the lobby fronting the 700-seater Sampaguita ballroom, recalls the early beginnings of Tagaytay and the hotel itself vis-a-vis the story of Taal Volcano, considered the world’s smallest (but also the most terrible) volcano. The mural was designed by artist Felix Mago Miguel using traditional and digital techniques. Its text was researched by Paulo Alcazaren.

Historical text and arresting visuals interplay to create a look that is not only artistic but also informative. Writes Alcazaren on the mural: "In the tranquil waters of Taal Lake, Taal Volcano stands proud — a volcano within a lake within a volcano within another lake. Through the volcano’s eruptions, the land known as Tagaytay was created."

The mural uses photographs and illustrations of early settlers in and around Tagaytay. Rough sketches of life in the countryside are interspersed with pictures of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo who, on Sept. 12, 1896, apprehended the 72nd Battalion of Spanish army in the town. There are also images of Hammon H. Buck, the American Superintendent of Schools in Batangas who bought large tracts of land in Tagaytay, then a wilderness.

In his welcome speech, Alejandro M. Groizard, Taal Vista Hotel general manager cited the role of history in attracting tourists to a destination. "In the long run, history equates to culture, which we at Taal Vista Hotel are just so happy to show to the present generation," Groizard said.

The unveiling ceremony, rendered short but sweet and capped by a lavish cocktail, was also attended by Henry Sy whose SM Investment Corporation controls the TVH, his daughter Tessie Sy, former First Lady Ming Ramos, former tourism secretary Gemma Cruz-Araneta, Fuego Hotels Management and Properties officer Alfredo Roca, and local officials.




[ Taal Lake and Volcano Wiki ]


 

Indonesia Thailand USA Europe Canada Hong Kong Philippines