The 4th installment of UNICEF’s Auction for Acton is one of the most special one to date as the items to be auctioned are six of the limited-edition Yoda chairs used by state leaders during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Welcome Dinner who were present at the APEC 2015 held in the Philippines this year.
This Auction for Action organized by UNICEF Special Advocate for Children Daphne Oseña-Paez will be held on December 16, 2015 to benefit UNICEF’s 1,000 Days campaign. UNICEF’s 1,000 days campaign focus on giving support to the first 1,000 days of a child from birth up to 2 years.
The six Yoda chairs for auction are those used by U.S. President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III. To assure the winning bidder, each of the chair has a commemorative metal plaque bearing the name of the state leader, and a certificate of authenticity from Kenneth Cobonpue, who made the chair himself.
This auction is also also the first one to have the auction live via social media and bidding can be done through text messaging. As to avoid confusion on which chair to bid for, there will be a dedicated number for each of the Yoda Chair, if you want to bid for all of the chair you should text all of the numbers. Starting bid for each chair is pegged at Php75,000.00 .
“They are so much more than just pieces of furniture to be sold at face value. They’re now a part of our history that can serve a better purpose.” Cobunpue said .
Taking inspiration from blades of grass, Cobonpue’s iconic chairs are made of high-quality rattan reeds and manufactured in Cebu where he is based. The special iteration of the Yoda chairs for APEC is wider and taller. It also has armrests and a swivel mechanism that enables one to turn effortlessly in both directions.
 The event was held at the Kenneth Cobunpue showroom in Greenbelt Makati where the 1st generation Yoda Chairs can be found too.
Interested parties can bid at the live auction or through SMS after a pre-registration process outlined on www.unicef.ph.
Stay gorgeous everyone!
