'DENDROBIUM FERDINAND LOUISE MARCOS'. President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (center) and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos (right) reads the card containing information on the orchid named after them -- the 'Dendrobium Ferdinand Louise Marcos' -- during their visit at the Singapore Botanical Garden on Wednesday (Sept. 7, 2022). Also in the photo is Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (left). (Photo courtesy of Bongbong Marcos Facebook page)
MANILA – President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos have had purple orchids named after them during the second day of their trip to Singapore.
The pair got a first-hand look at the Dendrobium orchid when they visited Singapore's National Botanical Garden on Wednesday, the last day of their state visit, according to a press release from Malacañang.
“Dendrobium Ferdinand Louise Marcos” was described as “a robust and free-flowering orchid hybrid.”
It produces semi-arching inflorescences of 50 to 70 centimeters in length that bear 20 to 30 well-arranged flowers, with each flower measuring approximately 4 centimeters in width.
The orchid’s curled sepals have a white background adorned with lavender striations, while its petals are white and flushed with bluish mauve.
Marcos is the latest leader to be honored under the so-called “orchid diplomacy,” a tradition of naming a new orchid species grown in Singapore after a foreign leader or celebrity.
Singapore Botanical Garden curator Whang Lay Keng said the orchid naming shows the close diplomatic ties between the two countries which will “grow and propagate” just like the orchid.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (2nd from right) and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos (right) poses for a photo opportunity with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (2nd from left) and his wife Joy Balakrishnan (left) during the orchid-naming ceremony at the Singapore Botanical Garden on Sept. 7, 2022 (Photo courtesy of Bongbong Marcos Facebook page)
Orchid varieties have been named after Filipino leaders and celebrities in the past, among them was former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, the President’s mother.
Former President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo also had an orchid named after her.
The late president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and his mother, the late president Corazon “Cory” Aquino, were also given similar recognition. (PNA)
