With about 7,641 islands,
the Philippines has just enough flavors to match, all fused together in the
country’s cuisine. Along with these diverse flavors, come a myriad of
fun moments- experimenting with more than 15 ingredients in halo-halo, eating with bare hands during
boodle parties, enjoying five meals a day including merienda, all the while bonding with friends and family whether
there’s a ‘handaan’ or a big
gathering, or just a simple get-together.
For Filipinos, eating is an
experience to be enjoyed and shared with everyone. Their friendly nature and
exceptionally tasty meals spell joy and comfort, welcoming everyone, even
strangers, to the table as family. This is the culture that the Department of
Tourism aims to share to the world through its new campaign "Eats. More
fun in the Philippines".
“More and more people are
travelling not just to see the sights, but to discover new cuisine. And we believe
that one of the best ways to explore the Philippines and experience the
country’s culture is through our numerous and unique food offerings. This is
why we decided to create a campaign that truly highlights the Philippines as a
great food destination. We couldn’t have found a better partner in this fun and
exciting campaign than the country’s pride and most beloved fast food chain,
Jollibee” shared Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
As a proudly Pinoy brand that continues to create
buzz around the world, Jollibee is all out in supporting this food tourism
campaign that will put the spotlight on our unique dishes that we proudly offer
to tourists around the globe.
“We
are very proud and happy to support the team of DOT led by Secretary Berna
Romulo-Puyat on this noteworthy campaign. We believe that the Filipino food
truly has what it takes to be a globally-known cuisine—this is what we have
been championing as a brand as well. Even as Jollibee has been bringing langhap-sarap food to countries all over
the world, we want to do our part as a proudly Filipino company to make people
more aware of the many unique and
sumptuous Pinoy dishes we have, and in doing so invite travelers to taste the
Joy of eating first-hand,” shared Jollibee Global Brand Chief Marketing Officer
and PH Marketing Head Francis Flores.
 |
| Eats. More Fun in the Philippines. The Department of Tourism partners with the country’sleading fast-food chain, Jollibee, for an exciting food tourism campaign that showcases the richness and diversity of Filipino cuisine and the joy of eating in the Philippines. In photo (L-R) are Jollibee, Mikey Bustos, Jollibee Foods Corporation CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong, DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, JFC Philippines Country Head Joseph Tanbuntiong, Jollibee Philippines President JJ Alano, Jollibee Global Brand CMO Francis Flores, Chef Jordan Andino, and Chef JP Anglo. |
Eats. More fun in the Philippines.
As
the main highlight of the campaign, DOT and Jollibee collaborated on a fun and
appetizing mini documentary which showcases the country’s rich cuisine and
dining culture. It features award-winning chefs JP Anglo and Jordan Andino, as well as top YouTube content
creator and comedian Mikey Bustos. Each ambassador added their own flavor and
expertise to the mix.
Both
chefs champion Filipino cuisine. Hailing from local foodie destination Bacolod,
JP is the chef behind well-loved restaurants Sarsa Kitchen + Bar, Kafé Batwan,
and Liberation Shawarma. He is known for elevating the flavors of Pinoy
classics by adding creative tweaks. Born in Canada and raised in California,
Chef Jordan took inspiration from his Filipino grandmother's traditional
recipes and gives them a contemporary twist at Flip Sigi, his New York-based
Filipino taqueria.
In
the video featuring JP and Jordan, unique and delicious Filipino food is front
and center with insights from the two expert chefs on the local cuisine.
“I
would say that Filipino cuisine and the Filipino dining experience gives more
soul than most countries. When you eat Filipino food, you taste love, family,
and tradition, and that happens in every recipe, in every restaurant. Not a lot
of cultures are able to do that,” said Chef Jordan.
Speaking
about the sumptuous taste of our food offerings, Chef JP also shared the
country’s stand-out delicacies, “Our lechon
is exceptional—we’re one of the countries that do the roasting technique really
well. Our grilled chicken, the inasal,
it is also so excellent and can definitely go against other grilled chickens in
the world.” He also commends the unsung
heroes behind the rich, local culinary scene, “I look up to the street vendors
like the guy who’s been making batchoy
for two decades in a market in Iloilo.
I think we should celebrate them more and give them a venue. These guys are the
real deal and as chefs, we get our inspiration from them.”
Mikey
Bustos sprinkles some humor into the stew by depicting the quirks of Filipino
dining and showing that eating is more fun in the Philippines. He points out
the importance of local food in understanding the culture and people. According to Mikey, “I believe that
appreciating food involves context and Filipino food is designed for Filipino
life. If you really want to learn about a country, you have to eat and
experience that whole thing.”
The
Philippines’ jolliest chef, Jollibee, also joins Mikey, Chef JP, and Chef
Jordan with some langhap-sarap
favorites to share such as Chickenjoy, Jolly Spaghetti, and the Aloha Burger.
“Jollibee’s iconic. Everybody knows Jollibee, so, I think the tie-up is
perfect. It’s good because it’s a great entry to Filipino culture because you
have so many non-Filipinos stepping into Jollibee stores and they realize it’s
more than just fast food, they also experience Filipino cuisine,” added Mikey.
A fun, feast-ival of flavors
To
formally launch the campaign and to premiere “Eats. More Fun in the
Philippines” digital material, DOT and Jollibee jointly hosted the ultimate
feast-ival at the Islas Pinas in Pasay City.
Apart
from DOT Secretary Berna, Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) Chief Executive
Officer Ernesto Tanmantiong, JFC Philippines Country Head Joseph Tanbuntiong,
Jollibee Philippines President JJ Alano, Jollibee Global Chief Marketing
Officer Francis Flores, and DOT Assistant Secretary for Branding and Marketing
Communications Howard Uyking were also present to
show their support for the campaign.
Guests were guided through the expansive food and heritage village
by Chef JP, Chef Jordan, Mikey, and of course, Jollibee. Each featured section
had local performances and food offerings for guests to experience while the campaign
endorsers shared their personal stories. By the end of the tour, executives,
endorsers, and attendees came together for the grand feast, laid out on banana
leaves ala-boodle party style.
Watch Eats. More Fun in the
Philippines video at Jollibee’s Facebook page and Jollibee Studios channel.
**This is the official press release from Stratworks Marketing Communications.
