North Bound Moon

The Philippines has always been a favorite travel destination for foreigners, generally because of the beaches and diverse natural wonders. When you talk about travel in the Philippines, the first things that come to mind are swimming off the sands of Boracay, diving in Bohol, and visiting other places further south. Now, north Luzon is going to get its fair share of exposure to the international market, thanks to a new adventure and travel show on the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) beginning at 8:30 tonight. 

“North Bound” finds the newest, most exciting, never-before-seen leisure and adventure destinations from Bulacan and beyond, and shares them with local audiences and viewers of The Filipino Channel. Produced by Victory Liner in conjunction with its 70th anniversary, and co-produced by North Luzon Expressway and the North Philippines Visitors Bureau, the show takes a fresh take on both the luxurious and budget-friendly new places to visit and things to do in north Luzon. Anywhere requiring NLEX to go to is its destination.

The program is hosted by Australian singer-songwriter, actress and model Natalia Moon. Moon, who took up residence in the Philippines over two years ago, was seeking a launch pad for her career, and first gained attention for her role in “The Kitchen Musical Part 2”, and her singing. She is about to launch an album composed entirely with Filipino songs, which she herself wrote. But at heart, she is an adventurer.

“Growing up in Australia, I was always outdoors, swimming, surfing, biking,” said the Tagalog-speaking 24-year old blonde from Down Under. “But the last three months, I’ve seen and done so much in the Philippines that tops all of that. For many foreigners like me, when you land in Manila, you usually plan on flying south. This show has changed my point of view. There are so many beautiful places you can just drive to. It’s been an awesome ride so far.”

For tonight’s maiden episode alone, Moon goes sailing and swimming in Subic Bay and paragliding in Bontoc, and samples local cuisine everywhere she goes. But all told, she has so far gone dune buggy racing in San Jose, Tarlac, feeding sharks in Ocean Adventure, mountain biking on the tough trails in Camp John Hay in Baguio, trying the zipline in Nueva Ecija, surfing in La Union, karting in Tarlac City and stand-up paddleboarding off the coast of Zambales. She has also visited Sagada, Capones Island, and the fabulous Thunderbird Resort. There are still trips planned to other NPVB members in Bulacan, Pampanga, Pangasinan and Ilocos.

“This is such a rich country, and everybody’s just been so wonderful,” adds Moon, who is also a club DJ as a solo act and as part of DJ Lunatics, a play on the word “luna” which also means moon. “We try to squeeze in as much as we can, but there’s just so much out there, you can’t fit it all in just 30 minutes. I’m learning about places that even many Filipinos don’t know about.”

Victory Liner, Inc. (VLI), one of the country’s biggest provincial bus transit liners, is extending its advocacy to promote domestic tourism from the road as it joins NLEX and the NPVB through its executive director, Edsel Ochoa, in producing North Bound. Victory Liner has played a major role in the Philippine transport industry since it became the product of Japanese occupation in the country after World War II, and will celebrate its 70th anniversary in October. The NPVB, for its part, is a non-stock, non-profit organization founded by Manila North Tollways Corporation and created for the sole purpose of promoting tourism in North and Central Luzon, primarily through meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) and by enhancing the visitor experience in the region. In July, the NPVB recently held a massive travel fair in Makati, pooling all the merchants and members under its umbrella.

North Bound is seen internationally through ANC and The Filipino Channel every Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. 

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Hydro Manila Productions, a collection of Manila’s top event organizers, nightlife club and bar promoters from the biggest clubs in Metro Manila, is holding the Hydro Manila Music Festival at the Mall of Asia concert grounds on Aug. 29. The festival will artificially create rain as it celebrates music, water and water. It will also feature raffles, giveaways, giant beach balls, water guns, and outstanding bands, performers and DJs from all over the metropolis. The event begins at 4 p.m.