ANILA, Philippines — Vice President Jejomar C. Binay is opening the doors of the Coconut Palace, where he holds office, to tourists, visitors and students starting next month.
Benjamin Martinez Jr., Binay’s chief of staff, said it was the vice president himself who wants to
open his newly renovated official residence to tourists believing that they could learn a lot from the "colorful history" of the structure, located inside the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) complex in Pasay City.
It was learned that three fourths of the Coconut Palace, or almost the whole of the structure except for the working area of Binay, will be made accessible to visitors during the tours.
The tours are for free but interested institutions will have to book with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) at least a week prior to the date of visit.
"The purpose is to show to the public Coconut Palace's history and the Filipino ingenuity. We believe that the Coconut Palace is the only structure in the country and probably in the world where the coconut tree is one of the main materials used for the construction. The Vice President believes that our students and the public in general will learn a lot from visiting it," Martinez said.
Also known as "Tahanang Pilipino" (Filipino Home), the Coconut Palace was commissioned by former first lady Imelda Marcos in 1978 to be the official residence of the late Pope John Paul II who visited the Philippines in 1981. National Artist and architect Francisco Mañosa designed the elegant structure which reportedly cost P37 million to build.
The Pope, however, reportedly declined the offer, saying that it was "too ostentatious a place to stay while in the poverty-stricken country."
Popular personalities who stayed in the Coconut Palace during the time of the late President Ferdinand Marcos reportedly included international celebrities such as Brooke Shields and George Hamilton.
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