Alex Eala honored with rice-field tribute in Nueva Ecija

Alex Eala has been honored with a giant rice-paddy artwork at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) campus in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

The artwork, created by PhilRice’s Community Relations Office, features Alex’s likeness and is expected to become clearer in October as the rice plants mature and change color.

“Our Community Relations Office thought, why not honor Alex in the way we know best, with rice?” PhilRice executive director John de Leon said. “As the rice matures and changes color in October, her image will become even clearer.”

The tribute was also praised by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who said it was a fitting acknowledgment of Alex’s achievements and her ability to unite Filipinos.

“Truly, Alex is a proud Pinoy, and Filipinos take pride in what she has accomplished and what she will accomplish. This is the Department of Agriculture family’s way of saying, ‘Salamat, Alex!’” he said.

PhilRice has previously created rice-paddy artworks honoring Filipino sports icons Manny Pacquiao and Hidilyn Diaz.

Alex is set to compete at the Singapore Open, scheduled for September 21 to 27, where she is projected to be the No. 3 seed.

She is also set to hold the event “Alex Eala Live: Game. Set. Celebrate” on December 8 at the Philippine Arena.

She will face fellow Southeast Asian tennis star Janice Tjen of Indonesia at the exhibition.

In a recent Forbes report, Alex was projected to become one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world in the coming years.

Reflecting on her progress, she said she has experienced “so much growth” over the past year while learning from and competing against some of the sport’s best players.

—Carby Rose Basina/JCB, GMA News