MANILA - Researchers have transformed rice paddies into "art" bearing the images of President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo.

The Philippine Rice Research Institute planted a Korean variety with purple leaves, which helped define the facial features of the country's two highest officials, from a field of green and brown.

Two identical "rice art" designs featuring Duterte and Robredo can be viewed in Los Banos, Laguna and Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Senior civil engineering students from the University of the Philippines-Los Banos helped create the "perfect image alignment," Imelda Olvida, PhilRice Los Banos' Research and Development coordinator, said in a statement.

Previous rice paddy art projects by PhilRice featured images of national hero Jose Rizal, and celebrities Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards.

Rice paddy art originated in Japan, another rice-producing Asian country.

Every year, tourists flock to a rice art festival in Aomori to see paddy art which feature a variety of subjects from Japanese and Western pop culture.