Are you feeling tired from work, school requirements, or chores at home? Do you want to hit pause, take a break from the painfully mundane life, and travel the Philippines but you don't have a budget? The Department of Tourism (DOT) might have just the perfect escape you need.
The DOT launched on Friday, June 10, its first ever “podumentary,” or a combination of podcast and documentary, dubbed as “Escape: Stories from the Road.”
The five-episode podumentary showcases the best tourist destinations in the Philippines “through stories from different personalities” and “infuses an element of storytelling, veering away from the usual question-and-answer formats of podcasts.”
“Through these stories, the DOT hopes to reach out to various audience and inspire them to participate in meaningful tourism through unique experiences and local interactions,” the DOT said in a media release.
Throughout the podumentary, each episode will follow a theme such as adventure, identity, fiestas, music, and food.
Among the notable individuals interviewed for the podumentary are National Artist Kidlat Tahimik; Dr. Felicidad Prudente, who is one of the leading Filipino ethnomusicologists in the country today; and outgoing Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
The first episode on “adventure” features some of the best outdoor experiences in Nueva Vizcaya, Kalinga, and Camotes Island; while the “identity” episode brings audience from Baguio to Davao to share stories of people who, in finding the path to gain their identity, found the path to greatness.
The episode on “music” explores the sounds of the islands, from the city to the remote forests of the Philippines, emphasizing that “music not only serves to entertain but to preserve history in our soundscape.”
Further, the “fiesta” episode discusses how Filipino festivals have evolved from honoring patron saints to highlighting the best of the towns and provinces.
Lastly, for the "food" episode that was recorded in May, Puyat shared her advocacy in supporting local farmers and how it led to further developing the food and farm tourism in the country.
The DOT’s “Escape: Stories from the Road” podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Castro, Overcast, and Anchor.
It is hosted by travel filmmaker and photographer Aaron Palabyab along with guest co-hosts, national athlete Maureen Schrijvers; designer, musician, and filmmaker Kate Torralba; and sports broadcaster and podcaster Cesca Litton.