
The Philippine Embassy in The Netherlands has announced that a 145-member Dutch production is coming to the Philippines to shoot a reality show in September.
This was disclosed on the official Facebook account of the Philippine embassy recently.
“Another Dutch reality show will soon start filming in the Philippines. This was disclosed by the Monday Media Production during the call of Ms. Geraldine Lamberta Smink, Delegated Producer, and Mr. Gerard Bernard Oostveen, Production Leader, at the Embassy,” read the statement.
The Dutch team is eyeing northern Palawan as the site for the reality show.
During the courtesy call, Ms. Smink and Mr. Oostveen presented a token of appreciation to Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya a citation which reads: "The Philippines: It is a one in a million location for filming all reality shows. Looking forward to a wonderful new long-term cooperation!”
The Monday Media Production produced the reality show “Expeditie Robinson” which debuted in 2000. Of the show's 23 seasons, nine were filmed in the Philippines, including the pristine waters and shores of Caramoan, Camarines Sur.
The proposal to shoot in the Philippines was presented to the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-IED) for approval last Aug. 18, according to a report by the Philippine News Agency.
On Tuesday, the Film Development Council of the Philippines said: "The local production company counterpart for this project (PFSI) is in coordination with the Film Philippines Office of FDCP and the project's details and dates for shooting are yet to be presented to the IATF for its review."
Tourism Secretary Bernadette-Romulo Puyat welcomed the initiatives to shoot in Palawan, the PNA also said.
“The Department of Tourism welcomes such initiatives as they not only showcase the beautiful destinations and unique cultures of the Philippines but also generate revenue and provide jobs for tourism stakeholders and workers residing near the area of production,” Puyat said. "This is especially helpful during this time when the tourism industry has been affected by the travel restrictions."
If approved, Puyat said that the DOT will assist the Dutch team in ensuring that they are billeted at accredited hotels and by providing recommendations on locations to shoot in.