What Were ‘Mateo Liwanag’ and ‘The Chairman’ Doing in the Philippines?
ILLUSTRATION: Igi Talao
Hollywood actors are helping spread the word about tourism in the Philippines.
Celebrated Filipino-American actor and comedian Nico Santos, who played cousin Oliver T’sien in the runaway hit “Crazy Rich Asians,” recently checked out the charms of El Nido, Palawan, along with another Fil-Am actor Mark Dacascos, who for years has played Japanese host “The Chairman” in the Food Network’s Iron Chef America.
“Nico and Mark were here for the MIFF (Manila International Film Festival) Master Class of the Lisa Lew group from Hollywood,” Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Nograles Montemayor told Esquire Philippines. “Since they were here already, I told Lisa they should see the Philippines. So we helped book their tours. They were the ones who chose what to see. [We] hosted them under our global influencer program.”
Lew, who is also Filipino-American, is currently an executive producer on NBC, and has won Daytime Emmy Awards for her various shows. She is also president of P&L Media, and a co-organizer of the MIFF, which helps promote Filipino films in Hollywood.
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Santos had a breakout TV role playing illegal Filipino migrant and Cloud 9 sales associate Mateo Fernando Aquino Liwanag in the popular NBC sitcom Superstore. He even spoke Filipino a few times on air. He also has Filipino dialogue in a few episodes of the new NBC mockumentary focused on nurses, St. Denis Medical, where he plays registered nurse Rene, described as a leader of a clique that gives off a “mean girls” vibe.
Visiting with family
Trained as a martial artist, Dacascos has appeared in several Hollywood action films like John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum, Blade of the 47 Ronin, and was in several episodes of the revived Hawaii Five-O series, where he played crime boss Wo Fat. Dacascos was in town with his wife, Julie, also an actor, and two of their three children.
Nograles underscored that the TPB, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, “didn’t pay for them. We just hosted the airfare and hotel. They super truly love the Philippines and will be back with friends.”
Another government source explained: “The Hollywood counterpart of the MIFF organizers reached out to TPB check if [they] would like to host the participating Hollywood celebrities in a vacation holiday before or after the MIFF activities. In return, they will be posting about the destination and spread the word about how much they loved and enjoyed their stay.” The same source added, “It was a collaboration with El Nido Resorts, so it was co-sponsored.”
Santos posted photos of his trip to El Nido on Instagram (@nicosantos), where he has 218,000 followers. In one set, he wrote “American gurl…I need some space right now. Let’s talk when we’ve both calmed TF down?” He added, “Enjoying a very much needed getaway in @elnidoresorts Pangalusian Island. I mean LOOK AT THIS PLACE! BIG SALAMATS to @philippines.tpb for making this trip possible.” (Emphasis his.)
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Santos visited El Nido with his husband, writer and comedian Zeke Smith, and mother Tita, while Dacascos also posted photos and videos of his trip on Instagram (@dacascosmark), where he has 372,000 followers. TPB then created videos of Santos’ and Dacascos’ visit, and have posted these on its social media accounts.
In one selfie video, Dacascos is seen hiking to the top of a hill and climbing a view deck to watch the sun rise. “Aloha from Palawan in The Philippines. My sixth time to this beautiful country and I love it more with each visit,” he posted. Dacascos was born and raised in Hawaii.
Last year, El Nido Resorts (Lagen, Miniloc, and Pangalusian) once again made it to The 50 Best Resorts in the World list as voted by readers of popular international publication Condé Nast Traveler. Palawan placed 13th on the Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Islands Awards 2024, which is based on readers’ votes. The province was also recognized the Most Desirable Island in the recent 21st Wanderlust Travel Awards of the UK-based Wanderlust Magazine.
As of November 29, the Philippines attracted 5.32 international travelers, of which 4.89 million were foreign citizens, and 428,501 were overseas Filipinos. Data from the DOT showed the top source markets for tourists for the period were: South Korea, at 1.43 million; the United States 832,882; Japan 351,026; China 296,663; Australia 229,948; Canada 195,549; Taiwan 195,203; Singapore 142,450; the United Kingdom 141,031; and Malaysia 88,502.
