Guess who came to Explore the islands
By Cristina DC Pastor“The Philippines is not like a city like New York, it is like a jungle.” Whoa! Direct from the mouth of a third-grader!
Students from Success Academy on the Upper West Side shared their impression of the Philippines when they checked out Explore Islands Philippines on May 10 at the Grand Central Terminal. The children, ages 8 to 9, were on their way to a field trip and were attracted to large electronic billboards on Vanderbilt Hall flashing Philippine beaches, forests, and colorful dances. They had a variety of opinions about the Philippines, a tropical country with lots of “cool animals.”
“The Philippines is near China,” said one student. The Philippines is always sunny,” said another. When asked if they would like to visit, they all said yes, rather ebulliently.
Explore is the four-day tourism and investment expo (May 9 to 12) organized by JS Productions to “showcase the country’s cultural heritage and encourage investments.” It had the support of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) and Philippine Airlines (PAL).
It attracted all sorts of people, some on their way to work, others coming from their offices, others with appointments at Grand Central. There’s the N.Y. State Trooper who made a joke that he’s only been to 400 of the Philippines’ 1,641 islands. An American woman who shared stories of the Filipino family from Iloilo she home-stayed with when she was with the Peace Corps. A mother and son from Kansas City who are planning to visit the Philippines and looking for suggestions on what places to visit. A Filipina who works at the UN, pleasantly surprised to see the flashing billboards. A nanny with her toddler ‘alaga (ward).’ And of course, the gaggle of youngsters from Success Academy eager to learn about Philippine monkeys and other animals.
From the time it was conceptualized three years ago with the idea of showcasing Philippine culture and attracting investments, Explore had an overly earnest vibe. But the executives behind JS Productions, Inc., Jerry Sibal and Edwin Josue, are no strangers to large, ambitious ventures. They produced Noli Me Tangere the Opera in New York and Washington D.C., and brought it to Manila, from all accounts an artistic and financial success. Aggressive marketing, sustained social media, and word of mouth introduced Explore to the public.
“People, the nurses, they were very happy with the displays at Grand Central,” executive producer Josue told The FilAm. “People came even if it’s just the expo’s first time. They were proud to see the Philippines out there (in Grand Central).”
The event featured a series of talks and lectures introducing the Philippines to New Yorkers, foreigners, as well as U.S.-born Filipinos who may want to get acquainted with their parents’ homeland. Manuel A.J. Teehankee, Undersecretary for International Economic Relations at the Department of Foreign Affairs; and Ambassador Teodoro Locsin Jr. discussed the benefits to investing in the Philippines. Hollywood writing couple Ruben and Janet Nepales called on filmmakers to consider the Philippines for its beautiful locations and also for cost; Ugly Kitchen chef and co-owner Aris Tuazon took pride that his restaurant is serving Philippine regional cuisines. Kinding Sindaw and Parangal dance companies gave presentations explaining their indigenous origins. Josh Vasquez, the area manager for PAL in New York, provided a history of Philippine Airlines as the first Asian flag carrier, something he said Filipinos ought to be proud of.
Business-to-business meetings did not happen as some Philippine businesses held off on participating. Josue said no politics was involved. Some people were simply skeptical because this is Explore’s first year. Instead, he said, it became a B to C, or business-to-consumer event.
A 10-minute protest by left-leaning activists chanting anti-Duterte slogans interrupted the presentation of Locsin on Day One. Neither the organizers nor the speaker made any attempt to call security, with Locsin earning praise from some observers for telling the audience the activists should be allowed to speak their minds. The protesters departed Vanderbilt Hall without incident.
A lavish Unity Gala on Day Three was held at Cipriani celebrating the launch of the Friends of the Philippines Society USA, a nonprofit started by Sibal, Josue, and artist Miguel Bautista to promote “understanding and cross-cultural collaboration in the global milieu.” About 300 guests dressed formally witnessed the award of honors for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (he sent a representative) who has been a “constant friend and proponent of Filipinos,” and the Nepales couple for “their outstanding achievement in journalism.”
“This is what we’ve envisioned, for people to come and be proud of their country,” said Josue. “Everybody was happy. We will definitely be back next year.”
© The FilAm 2018