09 November 2016 — The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, in cooperation with Team VoLLume headed by international artist Apl.de.Ap, hosted a reception in the evening of October 27 to showcase the “Influencer’s Trip,” a documentary series about the journey to the Philippines of prominent Filipino-Americans and mainstream Americans who shared their fun memories and testimonies as to why “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

Held at the Consulate General’s Community Hall, the event was attended by about 60 guests which included members of the Filipino community in Southern California and local Filipino media. The documentary series’ main goal is to promote Philippine tourism with the help of Apl.de.Ap and his friends’ influence on social media.

Philippine-born Apl.de.Ap, co-founder of the Grammy-award winning group, The Black Eyed Peas, is a rapper, record producer, and philanthropist who devotes his time in promoting the country’s best destinations to the United States market and beyond.

He made a song introducing great things about the Philippines to the international music scene entitled “It’s More Fun in The Philippines.” The song became part of the promotional video for the event-centric campaign Visit the Philippines Again 2016 (VPA 2016) of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

Creating the song gave Apl.de.Ap the idea of bringing his friends from Hollywood’s fashion and entertainment industries to the Philippines to experience the country’s beauty. Those invited included first time visitors, as well as those who wanted to be reacquainted with the country.

With the assistance of the DOT-Tourism and Promotions Board (TPB), he was able to come up with a big summer trip in 2015 for U.S.-based “influencers” close to his heart.

The documentary series is aimed at encouraging millennials to visit the Philippines, not only to reconnect with their heritage, but also to develop a life-long desire to give back to their motherland.

The event also included a panel discussion with Apl.de.Ap and Ms. Kristina Fields, Puma’s Global Director for Brand Partnerships and several other young Filipino-Americans. The discussions highlighted the panelists’ unconventional path to success and prominence in the U.S. and their desire to inspire the younger generation of Filipino-Americans to dream big and reach their goals.

The event was attended by luminaries of the Filipino-American Community in Southern California including Kyle Ribas of Ribas Excellence Real Estate, an accomplished real estate specialist, and Roslynn Cobarrubias, co-founder and CMO of mydiveo.com of the Third Floor Network Marketing Agency and former Senior Director of Artist Relations at Myspace Inc.

Other prominent Filipino-Americans present were Ms. Giselle “G” Toengi, TV Host/Producer of LA 18, “Kababayan” who moderated the panel discussion; Commissioner Joel Jacinto, Board of Public Works, Office of the City Mayor of Los Angeles; and Lyle Del Mundo of Influential Events Group, LLC. END