Dingdong’s amazing adventure

As a weekend content, Amazing Earth provides viewers global and local perspectives on amazing Earth narratives. Dingdong Dantes will go to locations like Verde Island in Batangas and have Amazing Earth heroes as resource speakers for specific episodes.

MANILA, Philippines — For the most part, Dingdong Dantes has always been a small screen actor. His myriad of interesting, diverse characters and projects is proof to that. Dingdong has well conquered that world.

Starting tonight at 6:10 after 24 Oras Weekend, the actor is bent on exploring the world we live in via Amazing Earth featuring Planet Earth II, the latest Kapuso infotainment program.

“Napakalaki ng ating planeta at ng ating mundo (The world is vast). There are still so many things that have to be explored,” Dingdong set the parameters the show will set foot on in a media call. “Sometimes, there are (places and) things that we cannot simply reach (or learn) by foot, by plane or by a speed boat… there are interesting stories about other creatures we do not know yet. Planet Earth II through Amazing Earth wishes to show these stories, itong mga kwentong kakaiba ng mga hayop, kwentong kakaiba ng ating kapaligiran.”

Planet Earth II, Dingdong added, is a documentary series that airs on BBC. The award-winning program was shot in the span of five years. “We (the creative-production team) need to meet the expectations because (Amazing Earth) is based on the award-winning TV show. Our challenge really is how to interpret this fantastic show and make it our own. The challenge is how to localize the content of BBC — to make it interesting to our Filipino audience.”

As a weekend content, Amazing Earth provides viewers global and local perspectives on amazing Earth narratives.

Dingdong will go to locations like Verde Island in Batangas and have Amazing Earth heroes as resource speakers for specific episodes.

These personalities constitute the local contexts being juxtaposed to the main narratives. They help viewers to better appraise the information presented to them.

“He is not from Batangas,” said Dingdong of diver Al Barrientos, one of the featured Amazing Heroes. “He is originally from Mindoro. Because of his interest in diving, he has decided to live there and is one of those who protect diving sites (in Batangas). Of course, in his own ways — big and small, he makes sure that tourists will not abuse these sites (or will not engage in activities that will destroy them). This is the kind of Amazing Heroes (who will grace the show)... they are ordinary Filipinos doing extraordinary things.” Another hero to grace the show is a woman, who has learned to live with slinky creatures. “For (her community), it’s normal to interact with snakes,” Dingdong added. “We will know how they deal with them (snakes) and how they live their lives despite this situation.”

Although the show deals with animal kingdom, Amazing Earth is also about man’s relationship to nature. “One of the lessons I want her to learn is: We’re not alone (living on Earth),” said Dingdong of lessons he wishes daughter Zia can learn from the show. “Hindi porket nakikita mo ang kapitbahay mo, hindi porket nakikita mo yung ibang mga mamamayan ng ibang bansa kasi nag-ta-tra-travel tayo, yun na yun. There are (countless of) things we (haven’t encountered) and we haven’t seen. As humans, we co-exist. They (animals) co-exist among themselves. We should co-exist among each other.” All this boils down to one thing: “Respect for different animals and different elements of nature,” Dingdong added.

Asked about the joy he gets from hosting an infotainment show as compared to acting on TV and in films, Dingdong said: “I would say it is similar to what I do in my teleserye. But, in a way, it gives me a different kind of personal fulfillment. In both (platforms), I tell stories, interesting ones. Pero dito, ang storya na ibibigay natin sa (manonood) ay totoong nangyayari. (With Amazing Earth, the stories we impart to the viewers are happening in real life.) It’s just a matter of capturing these moments… I’m just a vehicle (who is in charge of) delivering stories. As an actor, I’m also delivering a message through the narrative.”

Given its genre, the show is somewhat a school to enthusiastic learners like Dingdong.

“I’m also learning from it, ang mga storya dito ay mga storya na di ko rin alam,” he said. “Katulad ng (mga manonood), kasabay ko sila at kasama ko silang natututo, nag-e-enjoy, nalalaman namin kung ano pa yung totoong amazing na bagay tungkol sa ating kapaligiran. Together with (the) audience, I grow with them. Together with the audience, I become entertained and I become informed.”

Since TV is every Pinoy’s source of entertainment, Dingdong and his team will make watching Amazing Earth a family experience.

(Directed by Rico Gutierrez, Amazing Earth airs Sunday nights on GMA Sunday Grande.)