Saturday, December 15, 2007 Book to promote towns, sights in Cebu globally
A BOOK that showcases images of the best of Cebu was launched yesterday by a guest whose mid-morning visit required tighter-than-usual security at the SM City’s North Wing: President Arroyo.
The President, who signed a copy of the book, told publisher Marissa Fernan that it contained images of Cebu that she has never seen before.
“Cebu: Pride of Place” is a collection of 349 images of the things and places Cebu is known for, chosen from about 12,000 pictures shot by Billy Mondoñedo.
“It will allow tourists to see a different side of Cebu. If you look at the tourist magazines and books, what are usually highlighted are the hotels, Mactan, the shopping malls,” said Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano.
In contrast, “small towns in the south and north, beautiful old houses and old churches are highlighted in this book,” Durano continued.
His favorite was the photograph of a 100-meter road stretch in Santander lined by trees on both sides.
The book was a dream of the late Marcelo H. Fernan, a former senator and Supreme Court chief justice.
“It’s a dream that my dad and I shared. With the support of SM, I have been able to see the realization of this dream,” said Marissa.
She said they wanted to come up “with a book that Cebuanos can bring all over the world and say, `This is where I come from.’ It’s not your usual postcard type of images,” she continued. Fernan is SM Supermalls’ senior assistant vice president for marketing in the Visayas and Mindanao.
The images in the book include the Marcelo H. Fernan Bridge, Provincial Capitol, Taoist temple, Heritage Monument, old houses in Carcar, businesswoman Elizabeth Yu’s old house in Barili and models wearing the designs of Cebu-based designers.
Fernan would have wanted the book published in time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit last January, but she did not want to rush it either.
The timing won’t stop her from getting the book to foreign hands.
The Department of Tourism (DOT), she said, has ordered at least 650 copies, 500 of which will be distributed during an international conference next year.
Durano assured Fernan that the DOT will be a partner in the promotion of Cebu, adding that Cebu’s tourism has not yet been exploited.
“I am so thrilled with the heartwarming response,” said Fernan, who sold more than half of the 2,500 printed copies of the book even before its official launch.
Copies of the book will also be sold in 45 stores in Europe. The book costs P3,550, with proceeds going to the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation Inc. (JGA)
