During the press conference recently held at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles, California, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco highlighted the Philippines’ stunning beaches, renowned for their unmatched beauty, and the country’s breathtaking landscapes and biodiversity, and pointed out Filipinos’ strong English language skills as a significant benefit for filmmakers looking to choose the Philippines as their next filming destination.
“The Philippines, with its archipelago of over 7,600 islands, is the perfect canvas for filmmaking, precisely because of the diversity of our destinations from our pristine beaches of Boracay, Palawan, Siquijor, Cebu, Camiguin, and so many more. To our lush landscapes in the northernmost part of the Philippines, Batanes, to the hinterlands of the country in Bukidnon in Mindanao, to our urbane cityscapes-from the historic walls of Intramuros in Metro Manila, to the bustling city of Cebu-there’s a wealth of destinations at which you can make your films,” Frasco said.
“The beauty of filming in the Philippines is not just on the strength of its places, but most importantly, its people.”
“The beauty of filming in the Philippines is not just on the strength of its places, but most importantly, its people. The Philippines is an English proficient country with a wealth of creative talent that can be hired for a local production film crew, as well as a robust ecosystem of filmmakers that are now invigorated because of the efforts of our First Lady to bring everyone together to rally for filming in the Philippines,” the tourism chief added.
She also noted the incentives for filmmakers who would make the Philippines the next location for their film.
“Our President has recently signed a legislation called the Create More Law which provides incentives for filming in the Philippines.”
“With this opportunity to film in the country, our President has recently signed a legislation called the Create More Law which provides incentives for filming in the Philippines whereby if you’re a foreign film production company and you partner with a local film production company, This initiative, which can be registered as a tourism enterprise, can avail of incentives that include an income tax holiday of four to six years, depending on the location of the filming, lower corporate income tax, exemptions from importation taxes related to the filming itself, as well as a host of other very attractive incentives for filming in the country,” the tourism head said.
“In addition to this, we also have the competitive advantage of a relatively lower cost of filming, from cost of goods, cost of labor, and the like. And all of this is wrapped and enjoyed because of the diversity of offerings that the country has in terms of its culture, its heritage, its history, even its gastronomy. And so, the wealth of ingredients that can supplement your filmmaking in the country is there. You only need to tap it,” she added.
The event is an initiative of First Lady Liza Marcos and was held on the sidelines of the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) as part of the “Expanding The Bridge Initiative,” which seeks to reintroduce the Philippine film and entertainment industries to Hollywood executives.
