Filipino tennis star Alex Eala is getting a distinctly agricultural tribute, with her likeness recreated in a rice field at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) campus in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

The giant rice-paddy artwork, created by PhilRice’s Community Relations Office, honors the 21-year-old Eala, who has risen to become one of the Philippines’ leading tennis players on the international stage.

PhilRice executive director John de Leon said the tribute was designed to reflect the institute’s identity.

“Our Community Relations Office thought, why not honor Alex in the way we know best — with rice?” De Leon said.

“As the rice matures and changes color in October, her image will become even clearer,” he added.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. welcomed the tribute, saying it recognizes Eala’s accomplishments and her role in bringing Filipinos together.

“This is great, a very fitting acknowledgment of what Alex Eala has done for Philippine tennis and for uniting Filipinos wherever they are in the world,” Tiu Laurel said.

“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 added.