Banwa Private Island : A Journey of Discovery and Adventure

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – 05th February 2024 - This week, over 200 guests from the Philippines, Hong Kong and beyond were treated to a preview of a movie documentary, “Banwa Private Island – A Two Part Adventure,” filmed on location and produced by Asian Air Safari.

Banwa Private Island is the gateway to the incredibly rich and diverse marine and land ecology in Palawan. ‘Banwa' actually means ‘community' in the local Palawano language and the Tagbanwa people are considered guardians of the region's indigenous nature. Proceeds from the island directly contribute to educational and infrastructure projects in the area through its Aquos Foundation whose ethos is to support, nurture and protect the island’s unique biodiversity.

The documentary highlights how guests are coming from around the world to explore the culture, history and ecology of this unique region. A truly private island with just 6 beautiful villas, guests enjoy un-paralleled hospitality from the Banwa Private Island team whilst being entranced by the nature, wildlife, beaches and stunning turquoise water in this mosquito free environment. Within just a 20-minute radius, there are an array of activities including snorkeling, diving, hiking, an underground river, waterfalls and unique wildlife indigenous to the area.

The documentary was produced by the enigmatic and humbling Captain Joy Roa, CEO of Asian Air Safari, who commented: “I was given a beautiful opportunity to visit this incredible island with its rich bio-diversity, right in our own backyard in the Philippines. Flying with the helicopter for only two hours from Manila allowed me to see this private world – a distinctive combination of luxurious pampering and hospitality, wildlife encounters, and authentic, meaningful interactions with the local community. Experiencing it all first-hand makes me proud that an award-winning, world-class property like Banwa Private Island can be found in the Philippines, because it defines what positive, impactful travel should be.”

Banwa Private Island is the vision of Richard Beattie who has been exploring the region for over 20 years and cannot escape the charm and lure of these islands. Richard commented, “We are so grateful to Captain Joy and his brilliant team for this incredible documentary. It enables people to have an insight into the sounds, smells, culture and scenery of this almost unknown region and Captain Joy immersed himself into every aspect of what the region offers. His generosity is unbounded, and he appears to have found quite a few future pilots for his team from the eager local school children!”

The screening was attended by an international audience made up of past island guests, those planning to visit in the future and the best of the luxury travel trade who have already booked guest visits to the island from far-away places such as Brazil, China and Europe – and perhaps surprisingly many from Manila who were previously unaware of the adventure that awaits them in Palawan.

The two-part documentary will be available for public viewing in March and a wonderful preview is available via this link.

GSM BLUE: Embrace the New

As the leader in the gin category, we are much aware that the market landscape is changing. Today, more and more youths are interested in exploring their spirit of adventure and fueling their #YOLO attitudes. Ginebra San Miguel aims to be part of that notion, which is why we have changed the look and reformulated GSM Blue. The contemporary look has been updated to capture the curiosity of the young. Its fresh citrus aroma invigorates the sense of smell and a sip of the enhanced GSM Blue will leave you speechless because of its distinct smoothness and light taste. Straight up or mixed, the new GSM Blue is the ideal drink to bring life to all your explorations wherever you are and whoever you are with.

GSM Blue will be part of your summer adventure because we will be invading the favorite destinations of our millennial target market. From La Union, Baler, Zambales, Laguna and all the way to Boracay, expect to find GSM Blue’s unique activations. From sampling booths, special lounges where you can hang with your friends under the sun, to being creative with our Ink for Drinks activity where you get free drinks for every henna tattoo, GSM Blue will give you an experience worth sharing on your social media feed. #YOLO #GSMBlue and #Adventure are the few themes you will see this summer from our brand. It's time to go on an adventure with GSM Blue, the spirit that is easy to drink and easy to mix.

To further hype up #YOLO and #Adventure, GSM Blue will fly 5 friends for free to the hottest summer destination, Boracay. Participants should post a photo of your tropa adventures with the new GSM Blue on Facebook and Instagram. Use the hashtag #GSMBlueSummerAdventure. The post with the most number of likes wins a 3D&2N Boracay Trip for 5. Winners will get to experience exhilarating activities such as zorb, ATV, cliff diving, parasailing, helmet diving and party all night on the labor day weekend.

In line with mixing, GSMI will also be holding its annual Blueniversity Bar Mixing event where Hotel and Restaurant Management students from different universities can participate to show off their mixing and bartending skills. Students from different schools will face off on March 7, 2016 and the winner will be given a chance to represent the country in an international competition. This is another activity that proves the brand’s close ties with the younger market. GSM Blue can truly take you places.

*This is Press Release