Drew Arellano: The guy whose job a lot – even his artista pals – would ‘kill for’

CEBU, Philippines —  Drew Arellano has been travelling so frequently he says his memory bank of peripatetic forays is at maximum capacity. Which is why he’s forgotten plenty of the best trips he’s had – something that his friends laugh at him for.

So to the oft-asked question of “What has been your most memorable trip?”, the television personality goes with a different answer each time, depending on what’s top of his head in that moment. At a recent virtual conference for the 10th anniversary special of his show “Biyahe ni Drew”, he cited a 2013 excursion to Kawasan Falls in Badian, southwest of Cebu – back when canyoneering had yet to be a full-blown tourism draw.

“We had the privilege to be one of the first people to feature it. Nag-iitak-itak [using a scythe] pa yata sila. That was our basis: Kapag nag-iitak na si Kuya, alam namin na parang hindi pa pinupuntahan.

It was one of those great moments wherein ‘Wow, meron pala tayo nito,’” began Arellano, referring to the now popular three to four-hour activity at the site’s multi-tiered falls.

Just last month, Kawasan Falls was temporarily closed and canyoneering activities have been ordered halted by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia until safety concerns such as abandoned structures and hazardous debris are removed. Frequented by locals and foreigners, Kawasan Falls in recent years had caught flak for what some visitors deem its exorbitant entrance and canyoneering guide rates.

“Swerte kami na noong na-feature namin, wala pang tao. We featured it again after a good number of years, and holy smokes, medyo marami na ring tao. But I get it because it’s such a great tourist destination.”

Of that one place in the Philippines he has yet to set foot on but is dying to, Arellano was quicker with his reply: Tawi-Tawi, an island province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“A good friend of mine had been there and I saw the videos, it was spectacular. Sana ma-feature namin ang Tawi-Tawi in the near future and makauwi kami ng buhay,” said Arellano, referencing the area’s unsafe reputation.

Dubbed the “ultimate biyahero”, the award-winning host is marking 10 years with travel magazine show “Biyahe ni Drew” with a two-part South Korea special, which has his wife, Iya Villania-Arellano as guest. It will air July 2 and July 9, 8:15 pm on GTV.

The couple tried out sumptuous Korean dishes, explored Korean beauty, and visited the most talked-about places including a popular BTS bus stop and a film location of the hit K-drama series “Goblin.”

“We’ve never featured that side of Korea before lalo na one whole episode of K-pop and K-drama. Tourists can actually immerse themselves in that culture because they have this multi-level building, it’s actually a Korean Tourism Organization called HiKR. There are interactive floors where you can make your own music video. It’s such a grand thing!”

While local travel will still be the main focus of “Biyahe ni Drew” to help promote Philippine tourism – especially with the Department of Tourism launching the new slogan “Love the Philippines” – the program will also feature more international trips this year, including Bali, Indonesia and Hanoi, Vietnam, where Arellano will be joined by other celebrity guests.

“Yung tagline namin, ‘Sama kayo sa byahe ko?’ – andami nang nagalit sa tagline na yun. Sinasabi nila, ‘Tanong kayo nang tanong ‘di mo kami sinasama!’ So we’re thinking about making that a possibility – asking people to join me in my travels,” he shared.

“Alam kong maraming tao, even my artista friends who do soaps, sa totoo lang they want to host a travel show. And yes, I totally understand. Who knows? Because we’re being open-minded to including other people to be part of the show para sumama na sa byahe ko.”

After hosting earlier travel-oriented shows “Balikbayan” and “Weekend Getaway”, Arellano was next assigned with “Biyahe ni Drew” in 2013. It has since featured all the regions of the Philippines and has visited at least 14 countries: from Asian neighbors like Japan and Singapore, parts of the Middle East like Jordan and Israel, to countries in Africa like Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Arellano has been game to all sorts of thrilling and extreme adventures including skydiving, free diving, scuba diving, rock climbing, canyoneering, e-foiling, surfing, paragliding, and climbing a vertical bivouac. He has also swum with sharks, whale sharks, sea turtles, and millions of sardines, as well as dolphin watching, bat watching, and so much more.

It’s the best job in the world, he acknowledges. “Super! For me, I’d rather stay out of the office and explore the outdoors for work. That’s such a lucky place to be,” said Arellano, who also hosts “Aha!”, an informative show that airs Sunday mornings on GMA Network.

“There’s nothing like having a different experience every week. Sometimes may puyat. Whatever challenges that will come our way during the shoot, parati kong iniisip na we’re still blessed because hindi kami stuck sa office job. Pasensya na sa may office job, but I think a lot of people would kill to take my place.”

The pandemic was a huge hurdle for the show for obvious reasons, which they remedied by hiring correspondents. While the cost-cutting measures was a learning experience and eye-opener for the production, they decided that nothing beats being physically at a featured destination.

“After that roller coaster ride, I think we’re back on our feet. We’re hitting the ground running and we’re just really excited to show our new episodes,” said the 43-year-old, who doesn’t fail to give credit to his trusty team behind the camera.

Cliché as it may sound, Arellano said he simply tells those who ask for travel trips to have an open mind in trying out new things.

“It could be food, experience, meeting new people that would probably make your trip memorable. Try to have that sense of adventure,” he said. “You just can’t lock yourself in the room and do nothing”.

As for those who hesitate venturing into the unknown or out their comfort zones, he said, “I’ve been hosting since 18 years ago and andami ko pang hindi nakita. What more ang mga taong hindi travel show host? Andami ko pang pwedeng ma-experience at maiksi lang ang buhay. ‘Yun na lang ang isipin mo. You gotta have that perspective na, ‘The world is huge but small at the same time.’ You can experience so many places, so much food, and meet so many people that would be interesting.”

But wherever “Biyahe ni Drew” will take him, nothing compares to coming home to his missus and their four kids.

“The first few hours after leaving, I check my phone and I look at the pictures and videos that I took of my kids. It only means that I miss them already. For me, the two days [of shooting for ‘Biyahe ni Drew’] is pretty much just perfect because sometimes, for example kami ni Iya, meron kaming date away from the kids,” he said.

“Having my ‘me time’ from the kids for one or two days is also beneficial to my sanity. So sakto kasi ‘pag dating ng second day, parang gusto ko nang umuwi. Kakalimutan ko kung gaano kadami ‘yung mga lokasyon na na-feature ko kahit maganda, mga pagkain na sobrang sarap. It’s really going back to my wife and my kids.”