Anthony with the Philippines' former First Lady and now Ilocos Norte second district representative Imelda Marcos (Production stills courtesy of History Channely Channel)

MANILA, Philippines — In the beginning, Anthony Morse wanted to teach theology.  “I had always been fascinated with the idea of faith,” he admits. And so he took his studies at Hope International University seriously, while at the same time earning a spot on the list of the 2002 Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Adventurous and daring, Anthony’s idea of fun is all things moving, and moving fast, as exemplified by his favorite activities written on his info sheet:  deep water diving, cross-country motor biking, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, cliff diving, and if given the opportunity, sky diving too.  But somewhere along the line, his eyes turned towards the window, far from the confines of four walls, out there where he can “fly”.

Then, a door opened. He saw an advertisement for open auditions for a television hosting job.  As it turned out, he sent his audition tape on the very last day of submission.  To his pleasant surprise, he was selected.  It was meant to be.

Today, the host of History Channel’s “Hidden Cities” has roamed more countries on earth than he ever thought possible.  Through the years, the 31-year-old Anthony has visited Brazil, Mexico, U.S.A., Costa Rica, Canada, England, Scotland, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Saudi Arabia, China, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Singapore.  And now, for the show’s second season, he has added Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines to this roster.

“Hidden Cities” Season Two explores the obscure and mysterious pockets of communities in places heretofore undiscovered.  Anthony visits jungle ruins, forgotten World War II battlefields, the living museum of a ‘lost’ tribe, ancient defense systems, mighty waterways, a legendary island, burial sites, a 500-year-old operating winery, a Presidential palace, a prison without walls and forgotten kingdoms.

Throughout these journeys, different places have impacted Anthony in different ways. But in all these, he notes that no matter the circumstance or the history of each place, even in war, the people who lived there wanted to maintain a semblance of normalcy. For them, no matter what happens, life goes on.

Of all the ‘hidden cities’ that he has visited, Anthony confesses to have been impacted most by the Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan. “Here is an island, a correctional facility, where the inmates are divided into maximum, medium and minimum security,” he observes. “And there are no walls, and you can just walk through.  I was surprised. I think it is a wonderful concept, and there are a lot of lessons to be learned.”

History Channel’s “Hidden Cities” Season Two premieres in the Philippines on Wednesday, November 23 at 9PM on Skycable Channel 25. History Channel is also available on Cablelink Ch. 44, Dream Channel 27 and Destiny Cable Channel 56.  For more information, please visit www.historyasia.com.