Last Wild Place delivers a different kind of tourism

The inspiration, says Cuenca, is the Philippines’ National Parks program, which he and his associates were amazed even existed in the country. Under-promoted and even more underfunded, the National Parks program is similar to the one in the United States in its mandate of preserving the natural ecological heritage of the Philippines.

 

A true labor of love, Cuenca and his team set out to discover areas of the Philippines that are, literally and figuratively, off the beaten track. Cuenca says that, aside from the thrill of discovery and exploration, the appeal of “Last Wild Place” stems from the fact that he and his team, like the majority of their target audience, are just ordinary people, not professional explorers, which should make the show accessible for viewers.

 

Shot over a period of several weeks, the “Last Wild Place” team, consisting of Cuenca, writer-photographer Ivan Sarenas , artist Anna Varona and businessman Federico Calero found themselves exploring areas that were so beautiful, they would actually “make your jaw drop”. Areas like Iglit-Baco, "the last stronghold" of the Philippine Tamaraw, the Babuyan Islands, with their breathtaking vistas and crystal clear waters, and the Barlig Rice Terraces, which remain "untouched by synthetic fertilizers or pesticides", among others. Undeveloped and unspoiled, these areas were often only reachable with much effort on the part of the cast and crew.

 

An example of the awareness the producers seek to promote was exemplified by clips shown from an episode in Babuyan Claro, where the coral reefs remain pristine, but few fish are to be found, the result of overfishing on the part of the locals and Taiwanese fleets that make regular incursions into Philippine waters. Another discovery shared by Cuenca and his cohorts was that Philippine waters were the breeding grounds for humpback whales, long thought to breed in far-off Alaska.

 

“There is so much natural beauty in the Philippines that people don’t even know about, everybody just wants to go on vacation abroad” Cuenca shared with adobo magazine. He continued, “There’s actually no shortage of people willing to promote and preserve these areas; all we need is someone to get the ball rolling, and with “Last Wild Place”, we hope to achieve this.”