What do you get when you combine the agricultural industry with mainstream Pinoy pop culture? The faces of “AlDub” stars Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza on a 1,600-square-meter plot using two rice varieties, that’s what.
It’s actually quite stunning.
Just like a less mind-boggling version of the Hollywood movie Signs, the field of the Philippine Rice Research Institute in Science City Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, was transformed into a canvas using a new form of art meant to make farming attractive to millennials.
PhilRice deputy executive director Roger F. Barroga learned about paddy art in Taiwan. He brought the art to the country, and PhilRice started doing paddy art, kicking off with a portrait of Jose Rizal last year.
“Our ICT specialist Nehemiah Caballong designed the artwork in the computer using programs that include Photoshop. Plotting the design is like doing cross stitching,” Barroga said in an interview with Inquirer.
The artwork received an overwhelmingly positive response. More than 2,000 people came to view the AlDub Rice since it opened on Mar 15.
The PhilRice experiment station has turned into a tourist attraction. Since the farm also has a kayaking facility, a viewing trip can easily be turned into a full-day activity.
The viewing is only up to Apr 3. The crops will soon start growing and the faces of the AlDub stars will no longer be visible.
