The Philippines in Drone

How drone photography helps promote the Philippines 

The Philippine Star

28 July 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Let’s face it, the Philippines is one of the most geographically diverse and ecologically beautiful countries in the world. Renowned for its pristine white sandy beaches, lush topical forests, and crystal clear waters, the Southeast Asian archipelago has always been a hot spot for tourism and the modern-day adventurer.

Boom Garcia and Sean Nolan

We’ve been fortunate in our travels, having a chance to visit and document our wonderful experiences, and sharing those experiences with our fellow travelers worldwide. It’s through video that Our Awesome Planet was able to really expand its reach globally and it’s safe to say that OAP was the first to start the current trend of travel videos here in the Philippines.

Drones, however, have opened up an entirely new and exciting enterprise for travelers, videographers, and visual storytellers. Incorporating aerial footage into our videos has greatly expanded the way we communicate our stories with our viewers, and it’s given us a whole new perspective to work from. Sometimes we’ll be flying in the most amazing place you can think of and then be totally gob-smocked by just how much more amazing it looks from the air.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to elevate the way you tell your stories we recommend giving drones a shot. Drones are becoming more common and affordable, and as more people begin to use them, we’re actually very excited to see how visual storytelling will evolve.

Here’s our list of the top five places to drone in the Philippines.

1. Siargao

Siargao tops our list because it is quite simply the most gorgeous place in the entire Philippines. If we could break down this list any further Siargao itself would take up the top three spots for sure. The region is known for its surfing and rocky shorelines that break up into crystal-clear lagoons, and lush mangrove forests.

Siargao is Boom’s personal favorite, and he recommends flying the drone over Sohotan, the dark jade lagoon there is dotted with tiny islets and is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places to visit in person. We were blown away by the footage we collected in Siargao and you’ll only be able to really appreciate the grandeur of it all from a bird’s-eye view.

2. Batanes

Sean’s personal favorite island. The northern-most province is one of the most isolated in the entire Philippine archipelago. The three major islands that make up the Batanes group are some of the rawest and untouched places in the entire country. Batanes’ unique geology sets it apart from the rest of the islands, and being there almost feels like you’ve traveled back in time.

Itbayat island is the largest in Batanes and the most stunning. Flying along the coastline while the locals secured their boats for the night by manually dragging and pushing them up some seriously steep cliffs was one of the more memorable experiences we’ve had.

3. Palawan

Probably the most iconic place for drone flying on this list. Palawan is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque places in the Philippines. This is a great place to fly, and you’ll definitely come away with some amazing photos. However, a word of warning: Palawan is made up mostly of limestone, which look fantastic in photos, but the limestone can actually interfere with the radio signals for some drones. Fly with caution and not too close to rocky formations.

4. Cebu

An adventurer’s paradise that has plenty of destinations perfect for flying. We’ve gotten some of our most iconic footage from the southern part of Cebu. And if you ever get a chance to visit, we recommend flying at Kawasan Falls. The blue waters of the falls are absolutely brilliant!

5. Metro Manila

Metro Manila is one of the world’s “megacities,” ranking 8th largest in the world. The urban sprawl that sometimes feels never-ending is perfect for aerials. The stark contrast between urban decay and modern development is an interesting dynamic that’s great for visual storytelling. But be aware that flying may be restricted in certain parts of the city so best to check online.

- Boom Garcia, Sean Nolan

PH as global diving destination

Positioning the Philippines as global diving destination

By

BusinessMirror

23 June 2019

The Philippines is gaining popularity as one of the world’s best destinations for recreational and professional diving. To help further cement this reputation, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), continues to exhaust aggressive efforts in promoting the Philippines as a diving destination.

Diving with butanding

The TPB has successfully made its presence known in numerous international dive-related events, such as the Marine Diving Fair (MDF), the largest dive resort and consumer fair focused on scuba diving and travel overseas; Asia Dive Expo 2019 (Adex), the longest-running and largest dive expo in Asia; and Diving, Resort and Travel Expo Shanghai (DRT).

Held in Japan, the MDF had over 200 exhibiting companies from 50 countries and regions all over the world, including the Philippines which had one of the largest booths. Some 50,000 visitors, mostly diving enthusiasts, attended the fair.

Coral reef diving

At Adex, the Philippine representatives promoted the new and existing diving destinations in the country and also learned more about water sports in general from distinguished scientists, equipment manufacturers, marine conservationists, and underwater photographers and videographers.

The DRT in Shanghai had over 200 exhibitors and more than 40,000 participants. The Philippine participants showcased local diving products and conducted product presentations which included business-to-business (B2B) networking among Chinese dive counterparts.

Philippines offers rich biodiversity for deep diving

As a result, the Philippine participants were able to learn more about the latest developments in water sports and strengthen ties with Japanese media, dive clubs and operators, and diving enthusiasts. Moreover, they were able to showcase Philippine diving products through product presentations and conduct B2B networking among regional counterparts in China.

World's most expensive resort

Luxurious private island resort opens -- and a night's stay costs $100,000

Rob Picheta, CNN • 
6th May 2019

(CNN) — You can now book your stay in paradise -- but it won't come cheap.

A luxurious private resort stretching across an island in the western Philippines has opened for business.

It offers white sand beaches, plush villas and plenty of amenities. But with a price tag of $100,000 a night, Banwa Private Island is among the most expensive getaways anywhere in the world.

The resort, in the works for years, and benefits from year-round sunshine thanks to its location close to the equator. It features six villas and additional suites, meaning 48 people can stay at any one time. So if you have plenty of friends, it might be worth splitting the bill.

The resort's surrounding Puerco Island, sits serenely off the coast of Palawan, an island province. 

Guests heading for Banwa will need to hop on a helicopter or seaplane for the final leg.

Once there, guests will be able to explore the entirety of the archipelago, relax in a hammock or sip cocktails at a bar.

Each villa has its own infinity pool and hot tub and a team of chefs will supply food and drink.

Freshly caught fish and newly picked vegetables feature heavily on the menu.

Guests can also meet some of the island's fauna, including sea turtles and tabon birds. There's even an on-site wildlife expert.

Other amenities include a tennis court and a short golf course, plus access to a variety of boats. 

Jet skiing, scuba diving, sailing and kayaking are available. Of course, the gorgeous beach that stretches around the island is also a draw.

If all that sounds too strenuous, there's also an on-site spa.

PAL 4-Star Apex Award

Philippine Airlines wins 4-star Apex award for passenger experience

Star2.com
10 November 2018

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has won another international award – a four-star major regional airline 2019 rating by the New York-based Airline Passenger Experience Association (Apex), a global non-profit airline customer association.




With the award, the national flag carrier of the Philippines gets affirmation from passengers for the tremendous job of improving its products and services through new airplanes, new destinations, and enhanced in-flight and on ground amenities.

Passengers have been giving PAL high marks on its flights through a network that spans two-thirds of the globe. The new four-star honour bestowed in a special ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept 24 is the latest in a string of international victories notched by the Filipino flag carrier.

These include the four-star global airline certification from London-based Skytrax in February 2018 and a Second Most Improved Airline In The World ranking from the annual Skytrax passenger survey released in June 2018.

The Apex award is the result of a fully “certified, validated, verified” rating programme based on passenger feedback on PAL’s overall flight experience in five sub-categories: seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Philippine Airlines president and COO Jaime J Bautista (with award) with (from left) Apex CEO Dr Joe Leader, PAL VP for marketing Ria C. Domingo, The Points Guy founder and CEO Brian Kelly, and PAL AVP for product research and development Debbie C. Cuyegkeng at the Apex awards ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept 24.

PAL president and COO Jaime J. Bautista dedicated the honour to the Filipino people and to PAL’s loyal customers.

“We are humbled by this latest vote of confidence from our valued customers,” said Bautista. “This new four-star Apex award is another victory for the Philippine Airlines team of dedicated professionals, coming after the four-star global rating certified by Skytrax earlier this year.”

Overall ratings were certified by an external audit firmed hired by Apex.  The association processed verified itineraries that were validated by geo-location from over 50 million verified airline generated itineraries.

More than 500,000 flights by passengers from around the world were rated throughout the year ending July 31, 2018.

“We are extremely proud of the results of our passenger driven official airline ratings programme with TripIt,” said Apex CEO Dr Joe Leader. “Of nearly 500 airlines rated worldwide, less than 9% were rated by their passengers at the highest five-star airline level and only the next 14% reached the prestigious four-star airline tier.”

The award will spur the airline to step up its service enhancement programme as PAL introduces new aircraft, routes and product innovations. PAL has begun deploying the sophisticated Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A321neo aircraft on key international routes.

The A350 now operates the non-stop Manila-London route while its inaugural Manila-New York non-stop flights commenced on Oct 29 – marking another milestone (the longest commercial flight ever operated by a Philippine carrier).

The A321neo now serves Brisbane, Sydney and Port Moresby, and will also fly the much-awaited Manila-Sapporo (Japan) route in December.

“This new accolade comes with a fresh challenge: We should never rest on our laurels but must always remain focused on our primary role to provide a pleasant and comfortable travel experience for all our passengers, in the air and on the ground,” said Bautista.

“Thus, this latest award as four-star major regional airline will inspire us to keep getting better and achieve more until we attain the coveted five-star status as a prime player in global aviation.”
The national flag carrier of the Philippines also flies daily from Kuala Lumpur to Manila. Passengers are given the flexibility to choose from any of the daily frequencies of the route:

• PR526 departs Kuala Lumpur every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 12.10pm and arrives in Manila at 16.05pm local time. Its return flight PR525 leaves Manila on the same days at 07.35am local time and touches down in Kuala Lumpur at 11.20am.

• PR528 leaves Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 3.40pm and arrives in Manila at 7.40pm local time. Its return service PR527 departs Manila on the same days at 11.05am local time and touches down in Kuala Lumpur at 2.50pm.

The non-stop service will enable travellers from Kuala Lumpur to enjoy Manila for several days and hop on to the Philippine’s top travel destinations.

Philippine Airlines is Asia’s first airline, having established the standards in airline service for the past 77 years while showcasing the best of the Philippines to the world. PAL currently flies to 43 international and 34 domestic destinations.