Eats. More Fun in the Philippines by DOT and Jollibee

“Eats. More fun in the Philippines.” It’s an exciting food tourism campaign by the Philippines’s Department of Tourism and Jollibee. To formally launch the campaign and to premiere digital material, DOT and Jollibee jointly hosted the ultimate feast-ival at the Islas Pinas in Pasay City. While watching the video, I feel really proud.

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.

Indeed, for us Filipinos, eating is an experience to be enjoyed and shared with everyone. The 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 traveling 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.

It’s a perfect partnership actually. As a Pinoy brand that continues to create buzz around the world, Jollibee can be considered an ambassador to the Philippines. Even when I was in the call center industry, our clients from abroad would request that we bring them to Jollibee. And they enjoy the food.

“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.

As the main highlight of the campaign collaborated by DOT and Jollibee is 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.

At the campaign launch, 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 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.