Tubbataha video wins twin awards
The video film “Tubbataha: A National Treasure” recently notched up backto-back wins in two international tourism film festival. The Tubbataha video won the Best Film Promoting Sustainability, one of the two main prizes at the Terres Catalunya International Eco and Tourism Film Festival held on May 5. Showcasing films focused on sustainable development and natural tourism, the Terres Catalunya festival annually takes place in Tortosa, the biggest city in Terres de L’ebre region in Spain. It also won first place under the category “Adventure Tourism” during the 11th International Tourism Film Festival “Tourfilm Riga 2018.” For the Tourfilm Riga 2018, a professional international jury judged 220 previously selected entries. The winners of the festival were announced during the award ceremony on April 27 in Riga, the capital city of Latvia. The 5-minute Tubbataha video was produced by the Antonio O. Floirendo Foundation, Inc., (AOF) and was donated to the Tubbataha Management Office in 2016. It was directed by Don Falsario II of Bullet Manila Production, Inc. Tubbataha Park Superintendent Angelique Songco said they were pleased with the awards received by their video. “We hope that through this, the importance of protecting the Park, which is an important tourism site, will continue to thrive in the hearts and minds of everyone,” she told Palawan News on Tuesday. Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP) is a 97,030-hectare Marine Protected Area in Cagayancillo, Palawan. It is located 150km southeast of Puerto Princesa City, at the heart of the Coral Triangle, the global center of marine biodiversity. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and ASEAN Heritage Park, TRNP harbors no less than 600 fish species, 360 coral species (about half of all the world’s coral species), 11 shark species, 13 dolphin and whale species, and 100 bird species, and also serves as a nesting ground for Hawksbill and Green sea turtles.