The Best of the Best Philippines book launch

The Best of the Best Philippines book launch
(by Jojie Alcantara)

Launched last April 10 at the Tapas Bar of the Makati Shangri-La Manila hotel, the first travel coffee table book of its kind with a quirky and confident title of The Best of the Best of the Philippines was eagerly awaited by guests when it was finally unveiled to the public.

The nicely covered book presents a wonderful compilation of 22 award winning destinations in the country from the north to south of the Philippine archipelago, backed up by 350 carefully selected beautiful photos showcasing Philippines’ best of the best from top photographers in the country.

Uniquely written in a way that makes for visually exciting, easy and helpful reading, itineraries are sketched in 18 colorfully illustrated destination maps and suggested routes together with the stunning images.

Rich in color, this one of a kind travel book is a concept of Eastgate Publishing Corporation, which also publishes Philippine Airline’s Mabuhay inflight magazine since 1988 with 19 awards in its belt. Eastgate Publishing teamed up together with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) to produce this timely milestone book.

Jun Ventura, Eastgate’s President and book editor announced his appreciation to Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. for fully supporting and suggesting creative marketing ideas to enhance the book’s appeal. A productive collaboration with TPB’s COO Domingo Ramon Enerio III ensured the book’s publication ahead of schedule.

The book has been getting positive reviews from highly respected people and media personalities. While some would praise its contents and artistic merits, many more agree that it is fun, educational, helpful and a wonderful, colorful present to give away, reinforcing the truth that Philippines has a lot to offer in a huge package of diverse adventures.

I am proud to be a part of this endeavor as a contributing photographer along with partner Rhonson Ng, whose selected images grace the pages of Davao Region, and also my photo of the majestic Mayon in the Bicol Region.

The Best of the Best of the Philippines coffee table book is available in major bookstore outlets.

The book launch was successfully held in cooperation with Makati Shangri-La Manila hotel with Billy King’s Le Chef as the wine sponsor. Raffle sponsors for the event were: Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa, Marco Polo Cebu, Abaca Resort, Plantation Bay Resort, Discovery Shores in Boracay, Amorita Resort in Bohol, Camp John Hay Manor in Baguio, Marco Polo Davao, Kingfisher Resort in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, Republiq, Prive, Sonya’s Garden, Marco Polo Ortigas, Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Hilltop Restaurant in Baguio, and La Preciosa Restaurant in Laoag City.

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