(AWARDS) ABSCBN Honors Best of The Philippines in CHOOSE PHILIPPINES AWARDS

After five years of discovering, sharing, and exploring the Philippines, ABS-CBN’s travel website Choose Philippines marks 2016 with a special celebration that aims to honor the country that inspired people to eat, explore, and share meaningful experiences via the Choose Philippines Awards.

Netizens from all over the country and around the world can start submitting their nominations for different awards after its launch on “It’s Showtime” on Saturday (August 27) through its website, ChoosePhilippinesAwards.com. Submission of nominations will end on September 24.

Honoring the best of what the Philippines has to offer, Choose Philippines Awards will collect nominations for three major categories – Best Destination, Best Dish, and Best Accommodation.

Choose Philippines Awards is only one of the ways ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment company, is promoting and supporting Philippine tourism. The network, now rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company, also regularly features the country’s must-see destinations on multiple media platforms – on its magazines, TV shows, films, and other digital platforms and services. ABS-CBN, through its Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation’s Ecotourism Projects, also offers packages that support the livelihood of locals and protect and maintain the natural ecosystems of the tourist sites.

ABS-CBN digital content publishing head Richard Reynante and Choose Philippines editor-in-chief James Tana

The most-loved tourist spots that leave a lasting impression on travelers are recognized in the Best Destination category, with sub-categories Heritage Sites, Water Forms, Islands and Beaches, Mountains and Volcanoes, and Recreational Spots.

Choose Philippines also acknowledges the local gastronomic treats that best represent the uniquely Filipino taste in Best Dish’s Poultry, Beef, Pork, Vegetable, Seafood, Fusion, Native Exotic Delicacy, and Panghimagas sub-categories.

Accommodations that excel in service, hospitality, comfort, accessibility and aesthetics and double as a home away from home are also honored in the Best Accommodation’s Family, Solo Traveler, Couple, and Barkada sub-categories.

All the nominations that will be received by the site will then be shortlisted by the country’s top travel bloggers, lifestyle experts, and industry leaders.

The final 5 nominees for each category will be announced on October 10, when the voting for the Choose Philippines Awards will also begin.

Finally, the winners will be decided based on votes cast by netizens on the Choose Philippines Awards website and will be honored in a ceremony in November.

Aside from the major categories, Choose Philippines will also present special awards. There is Best Pinoy Advocate, which will go to the country’s most admirable locals, individual or group, who brought honor to the country; Best Pinoy at Heart, which will go to an individual or group of foreigners who have shown remarkable affinity towards the Philippines, its people, and all things Pinoy; and Best Festival, which will honor the most exciting, unforgettable, and meaningful Filipino festival.

Not to be missed is the Best Photo Contest, which will honor netizens who will send their nominations for different categories. All they have to do is upload a beautiful photo of their nomination on ChoosePhilippinesAwards.com for a chance to win special prizes as well as the opportunity to accept the Best Photo award onstage.

Celebrate the people, places, and dishes that gave you memorable adventures and moments by submitting your nominations for the Choose Philippines Awards on ChoosePhilipinesAwards.com beginning August 27 (Saturday).