Monday, May 9th, 2011

The Furniture Industry enjoyed a night of fellowship with partners and colleagues in a European way.

Inspired by the award-winning musical show Moulin Rouge, Carpenter’s Club in Moulin Rouge orchestrated an entertainment full of comedy, song, dance and theatre at Club Mwah!  Just like a cabaret popular in European countries, members and partners in the industry enjoyed the company of each other in their best dance outfit while amused by extravagant numbers.  Carpenter’s Club in Moulin Rouge is a fund raising activity for the upcoming developmental programs by CFIP for the members that are already in the pipeline.

More than the intricate interiors of the venue, guests enjoyed the pleasure of spectacular performances, sumptuous snacks and fun-filled event.

To put an “icing” on the event, special awards were given by selected judges.  Maila Vazquez of Philippine Wood Producers Association won the Early Bird Award.  Elvin and Roxanne Aquino of Unicreative bagged the Couple of the Night while Lourdes “Baby” Ragas of Asia Embroidery and Jose Uychingco of Luzon Rattan Industries were hailed as the female and male Star of the Night, respectively.

 

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Off to a good start, the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP) has officially launched the Green Furniture Program last 11^th of January 2011 through an intensive seminar held at the Product Development and Design Center of the Philippines, Roxas Boulevard.

Green Furniture Program offers a wholistic approach to sustainable design through information dissemination, procurement of raw materials, chemical application design process and the granting of Green Seal.

CFIP, in partnership with the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP) and the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), invited the furniture and furnishings manufacturers to take part in sustaining the environment by having conscious effort in choosing eco-friendly materials incorporated in a sustainable design.  According to PCEPSDI, there are different set of standards and metrics to qualify products as truly “green”.  It is authentic green furniture if the raw materials employed are sustainable, naturally preserved, utilized non-toxic chemicals, minimum to zero wastages, and, of course, with the principle of Reuse, Recycle and Reduce.  These claims are validated by the PCEPSDI, under Green Choice program, for the product to have the Green Choice seal – Philippines’ eco-label.

Designer Mr. Val Padilla, whose designs are internationally sought after, is known to have the ability to make ordinary furniture look stylish and priceless.  He encouraged the designers and manufacturers to use unconventional yet sustainable materials such as buri, old rattan, scrap wood and leather, as well as recycled materials.  Now that our country is into environment-awareness, creativity is critical in conceptualizing marketable furniture.

Furthermore, Arch. Felino Palafox, Jr., a distinguished architect and urban planner, also shared his professional philosophies in environmental protection.  He strongly believes in conserving natural resources such as energy, water and materials and utilization of eco-friendly materials in his construction.  His masterpieces include high-rise buildings that encourage walking and biking with plenty of greens infused.  Palafox stresses, we are responsible for the next generation’s future home and it is our responsibility to minimize the negative impact of modernization.

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Last December 22, 2010, Philippine International Trading Center (PITC) and Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP) officially signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the Common Bonded Warehouse (CBW) Project at the NDC Building, PITC.

CBW is a common warehouse, certified by the government and guaranteed by a bonding agency, where taxable and dutiable goods may be stored, with payment of the tax or duty deferred until the goods are removed.

CBW, in coordination with the PITC, is one of the latest services offered by CFIP to the furniture and furnishings industry.

For further inquiries, please call 631-2834 loc. 12-13 (Marketing Department) and we will be happy to assist you.

Monday, December 15th, 2008

May 17-20 2008
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center New York City

A foreign observer once said that “Filipino’s almost by nature are artistic, given even the scantiest of resources a Filipino craftsman can turn even an egg shell into a design masterpiece!” a great compliment—and a norm in the Philippine furniture industry. The Philippine participation in the last International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York yet again reinforced this statement.

The Philippine contingent–fuelled by the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Development Council’s (DTI-EDC) assistance and funding, engineered by the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP) and manned by three internationally acclaimed design companies: Evolve Design, Maze Manufacturing and Lightworks Resources, encountered instances very much reflective of the above statement from the early stages of preparation until after Jacob K. Javits Convention Center shut its doors . At the onset the group was immediately faced with the challenges of designing a booth at par with, or better than, the other ICFF exhibitors, most of which are big companies (i.e. Herman Miller, Inc., Vitra, Inc., Domus, etc), major labels (Capellini, Natuzzi, Swarovski, etc.), prominent design institutions (Yale School of Architecture, New York School of Visual Arts, California College of Art, etc.) on a shoestring budget.

As daunting as it was, this challenge (first of a series) only strengthened the groups’ determination and drive to make the Philippine furniture industry’s debut in North America’s singular showcase for contemporary design a success, they are after all, representing not only their individual companies and the Chamber but the design capability of Philippine manufacturers

The delegation solicited awe, admiration and wonder throughout the event, managing to promote not just Philippine made furniture but also the Philippines—and Metro Manila traffic. The Philippine mini-pavilion generated Buyer and visitor traffic reminiscent of Manila’s arteries. Among those who visited the booth were a journalist from Brazil and an editorial staff of Oprah Living.

True to the spirit of Bayanihan, Consul General Cecilia B. Rebong of the Consulate General of the Philippines New York, Trade Representative Ms Josephine C. Romero and H.E. Libran N. Cabactulan, Abu Dhabi Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary with his wife Mrs. Remedios Fe Cabactulan extended their support, offered their assistance and expressed their admiration to the products and the people behind the products.

Aside from the CFIP group another Filipino made waves at the ICFF. Stanley Ruiz, a Brooklyn based Filipino designer and University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts alumnus was a featured designer at the ICFF Designboom Mart, a design bazaar featuring up and coming international designers organized by DesignBoom, the leading independent publication for key contemporary issues and the critique of all aspects of design, especially those topics which enrich the dialogue between design, creative professionals, industry and society.

The ICFF participation is part of the industry’s 2008 battle plan which aims to 1) raise the level of international awareness on the design capability of Philippine furniture manufacturers; 2) explore and open new and niche markets; 3) acquire new and emerging trends and materials innovation. Necessary steps into achieving our long term objectives of establishing prominence in the inelastic international design market and achieving design and production capability at par with the best in the world.

Consul General Cecilia B. Rebong of the Consulate General of the Philippines New York together with Abu Dhabi Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary H.E. Libran N. Cabactulan and Mrs. Remedios Fe Cabactulan visited the CFIP booth to show support, offer assistance and appreciate Philippine design

Brooklyn based Filipino Industrial Designer Stanley Ruiz was a featured designer at the Designboom mart, the design bazaar at the ICFF organized by Designboom the leading independent publication for key contemporary issues and the critique of all aspects of design, especially those topics which enrich the dialogue between design, creative professionals, industry and society.