Stars make ‘History’ a third time
ASIA’S biggest entertainment convention History Con 2018 was held in Manila for the third time last weekend bringing avid history fans and first-time attendees a whole new level of entertainment.
Garnering a record-breaking attendance of 68,800 people in 2017 after averaging 50,000 people in 2016, the convention celebrated an even bigger milestone this year. Despite the heavy downpour, close to 70,000 flocked to the World Trade Center in Pasay City on August 10, 11 and 12 to see celebrities they love to watch on cable in the flesh.
Leading this year’s powerhouse roster of international and local celebrities was History’s “Ancient Alien’s” Giorgio Tsoukalos as he returned to Manila for this third edition. Tsoukalos headlined the exclusive live session “Mysteries of the Past with Giorgio Tsoukalos,” with fans clamoring for him since his first appearance at History Con in 2016. The special talk brought together truth-seekers and history fans in a discussion, debate, and exploration with the leading expert himself.
During the media conference, Tsoukalos called the Philippines’ very own National Museum of Anthropology as one of the greatest in the planet.
“The last time I was here, the questions were, ‘Are there any mysteries here in the Philippines?’ Many journalists helped me in my quest since then. So I am back and I am bringing in information ancient aliens mystery here in the Philippines,” he shared.
“I was in the National Museum of Anthropology and I feel like everybody should visit the National Museum of Anthropology because in my opinion, it is one of the greatest museums on the planet.”
The channel’s Emmy-winning series “Vikings’” leading actress Katheryn Winnick also joined the adventure-filled weekend event for the first time. According to Winnick, she fell in love with the Philippines immediately when she got to see the beauty of its beaches and people.
“I always hear how beautiful the Philippines is even though it is one of those things—being Canadian and also American—that’s not really a destination point on top of people’s lists. It’s always Thailand, Singapore, Bali, Japan or Hong Kong. But it wasn’t until my sister came here last year and said that her favorite destination is the Philippines. So then I said I need to see Philippines. I went to El Nido, Siquijor, and I got the chance to get a crossprovince trip in a car and got to mingle with the locals. You have the best coconuts and seafood I ever had. I will come back to America and I’m going to tell everybody that they have to come to the Philippines,” Winnick said.
Returning to Manila too was American biker Jaime Dempsey of “Ride N’ Seek” to once again experience the local culture and the warmth of Filipino fans in the mega convention.
“The Philippines is my second home. I think what I miss the most is riding motorcycles here. There are so many places to visit and ride but one of the most memorable experiences for me here is meeting an American couple in Dumaguete. They actually live in Korea, but they saw the Philippines on the show and they took a vacation here just because of Ride N’ Seek’s episode. So just seeing that the show is working and highlighting all the parts in the Philippines is a very nice experience for me,” Dempsey related.
Besides these lead hosts, Singaporean social media influencer Yeoh Mong Chin of new Lifetime series “Who Runs the World,” Simon Yin of “The History Hustle,” and Filipino celebrities Xian Lim and Diego Loyzaga of “Celebrity Car Wars” also graced the highly successful event.
It’s on to year four.