Philippine Destinations Remain Ideal Sets for International Production Crews

Countless producers of foreign films and TV shows have been eager to get back to shooting in the country even in the midst of the global pandemic, as plenty of the Philippines’ tourist destinations and idyllic provinces are able to provide ideal backdrops for their sets.

Quite recently, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat mentioned in an interview that a production crew from the U.S. visited the country to shoot a reality TV show.

“They quarantined for seven days first in Manila—when the quarantine was only seven days—then chartered a plane to go directly to El Nido, where they quarantined again for another seven days. But for these foreigners to be quarantined in the Philippines, wow, we have such a beautiful country. They’re so happy.”

“It’s interesting that so many film outfits are dying to come to the Philippines. We’ve already given a number of permissions [for them to shoot],” Puyat noted.

The documentary Holy Craft, Discovery Channel’s reality TV series Garden of Eden, the feature film When the Waves are Gone, and the reality series Survivor Israel are among the TV and film projects that recently concluded shooting in the country. More productions are expected to start filming in the coming months.

Howard Lance Uyking, Tourism Assistant Secretary for Branding and Marketing Communications, said that the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) primarily manages the negotiations with production crews. The DOT, on the other hand, simply assists by endorsing these production crews for approval.

“What DOT does is market the country as a film destination, coordinate with the local government units for permits, and also recommend what sites they can film in on the bases of their specifications,” explained Uyking.

Source: BusinessMirror