Tourism, heritage photography highlighted in talk held at DLSU

Last January 29, DLSU, in partnership with online travel planning platform Xplorra and AirAsia Philippines, hosted XPLORRA Talks DLSU, a discourse on local travelling, heritage, and photography. Gina Lopez, chairperson of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, and Fung Yu, a travel and heritage photographer, were invited to share their stories in the event.

The event was organized in partnership with the DLSU Junior Marketers Entrepreneurs Association and DLSU Green Media Group.

On passion for local travelling and tourism

“I want to share with you my passion and conviction for the country. [I believe] we can actually get a country out of poverty,” Lopez, who is a media activist for social welfare, stated, kickstarting the event. A firm believer that tourism is one of the assets of the Philippines, she highlighted the importance of travelling and tourism, specifically the economic benefits of such.

“We have a country of 7,000 islands… Wouldn’t it be good if each island becomes an ecotourism site and we sell it to the whole world?” Lopez challenged. Some of the places she talked about were mostly in Puerto Princesa, Palawan — mainly Ugong Rock, San Carlos River, and Iwahig River.

As shared by Lopez, Ugong Rock was once a community that was very poor. Now it has progressed into a haven for tourists who want to see how far Puerto Princesa has gone in becoming a tourism site. Lopez also highlighted the different activities tourists are able to enjoy in different tourism sites in the Philippines, including dolphin-watching, eco-adventure cruising, and island hopping. Pilar Eco-tourism Adventure in Mindoro, Romblon’s Sibuyan Island, the world’s densest forest, were also mentioned by Lopez as benchmarks for the Philippines’ tourism sites.

“I grew up in the Philippines all my life and I never realized how beautiful the country was until I started travelling,” Lopez said about appreciating Philippine tourism. “It’s breathtaking.”

Seeing the world at a perspective

On the other hand, Yu, a heritage photographer who frequently travels around the Philippines, talked about his experiences in photographing cities damaged by typhoons and earthquakes such as the typhoon Haiyan in Leyte and the earthquake in Bohol.

Yu also shared that one of his hobbies is capturing the UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Philippines. Among these sites are the San Agustin Church, Paoay Church, Sta. Maria Church, Palawan Underground River, Tubbataha Reef, and Mt. Hamiguitan in Davao Oriental.

Yu emphasized his advocacy of capturing heritage sites. “The project Pamana.ph is not just for heritage documentation but also as an educational platform,” he explained. The website offers photographs of several sites in the Philippines. “By means of technology as a bridging factor, [people who are not able to visit these sites] can at least see what it’s like,” described Yu.