This boom delivers a ‘Pow!’

SINGAPORE—Come hell or high water, the Philippines has so much to look forward to, because of people who are more than willing to help.

One of them, apl.de.ap — the Fil-Am member of the Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas—is enticing the world to come and visit his homeland. Apl (Allan Pineda Lindo) has produced a music video of his song, “Take U to the Philippines,” for the Department of Tourism (DOT) to use in the agency’s new promotional campaign.

The DOT has partnered with MTV Asia, which launched the video Thursday in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, the United States and the Philippines. The video is also available for viewing on MTV’s website, mtv.com.

MTV is seen by over 400 million people online and on television.

Apl did the video for free; it was directed by Andrew Lo, creative director of MTV Asia. Post-production was done in Hollywood.

Gung-ho

DOT Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano was gung-ho as he recalled how the project came about. “Two years ago, apl came to the office ... First thing I noticed was his burning desire to do something for the Philippines,” Durano told media members who went with him to catch the Black Eyed Peas perform at the “F1 Rocks” music festival at Fort Canning here and to get a sneak preview of the video.

The Peas’ set demonstrated how the group’s funky, dance-driven songs—one of which, “I Gotta Feeling,” is currently No. 1 on the Billboard chart (replacing “Boom Boom Pow,” also by the Peas, 2009’s longest-staying top single)—could entrance a mass audience.

“When I met with Ace, I had another song called ‘Island’ which is about poverty,” said apl at the post-concert party. “I didn’t want that as a showcase to the world. A tourism song should be lively and catchy [so] I wrote ‘Take U to the Philippines.’”

Things fell into place when MTV joined the project. Durano explained that, since DOT had an ongoing campaign with the music network, he thought, “Why not a song that would push the Philippines as an exciting, diverse destination and use MTV’s network for this global push?”

Durano said this is the first time that the DOT is having a global campaign with a network like MTV. “It’s also the first time MTV partnered with a country,” Durano pointed out. “They said they felt comfortable with us, on account of our musicality.”

But the “beauty” of the project, as Durano saw it, was the opportunity for the DOT to capture MTV’s main audience, the 15-24 year-olds. Durano noticed that airport arrivals have been missing out on this age group. “We need to attract the younger market, who in five years’ time will be professionals and have their own money to spend,” he said.

Youthful

The video of “Take U to the Philippines,” indeed, has a very youthful sound and look. Opening with an upbeat chorus, apl proceeds to rap along to a percussive dance track with snappy lyrics about going on a journey, with a backdrop of stylized motion graphics depicting various images, including two local public modes of transport — the jeepney and the tricycle.

Apl said he used hip hop to send a simple but meaningful message: “I want people of all races to come to the country … I want Fil-Ams in the US to always remember where they came from … to come back to their homeland, even for a visit … when you do that, it helps business in the country.”

Asked by the Inquirer what he thought of hip hop, Durano, 39, replied: “I have two teenagers, so I do appreciate it. I remember when apl visited Cebu, he was kind enough to allow my children to tag along. After that session with apl, all of a sudden I became a cool dad. Personally I listen to the music, influenced by my kids. I know it has a big following.”

Pan de sal, Cheez Whiz

For his part, apl, 34, said he’s proud to be Filipino because, “It keeps me grounded, at the same time motivates me to pursue my dreams. It’s a hard life, living in the Philippines, but even when I had the opportunity to go to the US, I still cherished the times I spent in Pampanga.”

And what were those times like?

“I used to love running in the rain ... farming with my grandfather ... We’d wake up early, hike for an hour near Mt. Pinatubo, clear the grass to plant sweet potatoes. I loved riding the carabao, eating pan de sal with Cheez Whiz … that’s what I always look for when I go home for Christmas.”

Jeepney Music

Apl is coming home on October 14 to promote the video and launch Jeepney Music, his own label that seeks new local talent to break into the US. He has asked Gloc-9 to write a song for him.

He has also pledged immediate aid for victims of tropical storm “Ondoy” and personally issued an appeal for the global community to assist.