Last week, I was honored to receive the Best Tourism Storyteller Award from the Municipality of Panglao.

To be honest, when I first heard about it, I didn’t immediately know how to feel.

I’m not someone who actively chases awards. I’ve always been more focused on the work itself — going out, documenting places, telling stories, and trying to capture the soul of Bohol and Panglao in a way that feels honest and human. But after taking a step back, reading the messages, and seeing the support from friends, family, and people who’ve been quietly following my journey, I realized this recognition meant more than I initially allowed myself to believe.

This award is not just about content. It’s about storytelling — about how places are presented, how communities are represented, and how tourism can be shared in a way that respects both visitors and locals.

A Second Recognition, Not by Chance

What made this moment even more meaningful is that this is my second major recognition in as many years.

In 2024, I received the Special Award for Travel Content Creation from GoNegosyo, an acknowledgment that validated my work not just as a creator, but as someone contributing to tourism, entrepreneurship, and local storytelling.

Two different institutions.
Two different years.
Two recognitions rooted in the same thing: consistency.

I don’t see these awards as proof of success. I see them as signals — signals that the direction I’ve chosen, the standards I’ve kept, and the stories I’ve told are resonating beyond algorithms and views.

Why Storytelling Matters in Tourism

Tourism content today often focuses on aesthetics alone. Beautiful shots, quick edits, viral hooks.

While those things have their place, I’ve always believed that destinations like Panglao deserve more than just surface-level promotion. They deserve context. They deserve respect. They deserve stories that show not just what a place looks like, but how it feels to be there.

Whether I’m documenting a quiet sunrise, a family-run business, a local dish, or a resort experience, my goal has always been the same:
to tell stories that are real, relatable, and rooted in experience.

Storytelling builds trust.
And trust is what makes people travel.

Gratitude and What Comes Next

I’m deeply grateful to the Municipality of Panglao for this recognition, and to everyone who has supported my work quietly over the years — the viewers, the clients, the friends who believed in me even when growth felt slow.

If anything, this award reminds me that meaningful work doesn’t always pay off immediately. Sometimes, recognition comes first. Sometimes, the harvest comes later.

This milestone doesn’t feel like an ending.
It feels like confirmation that I’m on the right path.

And I’m just getting started.