Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco highlighted the Philippines’ advantages as a filming destination, citing its English-speaking population, natural hospitality, and highly skilled production crews as key assets that set it apart from other Southeast Asian countries.
“One of the major advantages of the Philippines, apart from our natural hospitality, is the fact that we are an English-speaking population. Our faculty for English sets us apart from other filming locations in ASEAN. And therefore, with this ease of communication, as well as a host of highly skilled production crew, there’s a lot of opportunities for collaboration and filmmaking,” Frasco said, as reported by the state-owned Philippine News Agency.
Frasco also pointed to improved connectivity between India and the Philippines with the launch of Air India’s direct flights from New Delhi to Manila starting October 1. The flights, scheduled five times a week, will cut travel time to just six hours.
In addition, she said the Philippines’ visa-free entry policy for nationals of 150 countries, including India, makes the country more accessible than ever for filmmakers. Indian visitors can now stay visa-free for 14 days, and for certain visa holders, the stay can be extended to up to 30 days.
“These developments make it infinitely easier to come to the Philippines, and with our government actively seeking more connections from other cities to other islands, we see a lot of opportunities for international collaboration in the film industry,” Frasco added.
