The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, one of the Philippines' UNESCO World Heritage Sites, are considered a supreme national symbol. They were built without forced labor or colonial intervention up to two thousand years, according to some scholars. They are special for being the first of their kind and one of only a few in the world – designated as a “cultural landscape” a product of both nature and local culture. The people here, particularly the Ifugaos, have reworked nature to sustain themselves, and in doing so transformed the landscape to one of unforgettable beauty. Unlike many ancient cultural heritage sites, the rice terraces are as alive and in use today as they have been for hundreds, even thousands of years. ***** In 2011, we were hired to document all of the Philippines’ UNESCO World Heritage Sites. However, because the key stakeholder client was restructured by the government in the middle of our project, the project stalled and our final work was never released. I’m releasing the videos that I can finish for educational purposes only, for the benefit of the general public. Note that not all information may be up to date at time of publishing (2020). There are now also more UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Philippines. CREDITS Produced in 2011 by OnMedia Creative Solutions, Inc. (now Itch Creatives) Producer Armand Sazon Director, Writer, Editor Aaron Palabyab Cinematography Neil Derrick Bion Aaron Palabyab Interviewees Teddy Brawner Baguilat, Jr. Eugene Mariano Balitang Maribelle Bimohya Talents Charlie Ognayon, Local Guide, Batad Rice Terraces Paola Tayaban, Farmer, Hapao Rice Terraces Still Photography Dominique Garcia Production Assistant Dindin Reyes Behind-the-Scenes and Additional Footage Carmen Del Prado Ramon Del Prado Dustin Uy Juls Rodriguez Voiceover Aaron Palabyab Original Score Isagani Palabyab, composed for Lasa Explorations: Cordillera Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCprwm2jZZRClMnTLj_-jK9Q Special Thanks The Local Government of Ifugao Province Leanna Beltran Mavic Punay The former Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines Subscribe to my channel - null Instagram: http://instagram.com/aaronpalabyab Facebook: http://facebook.com/a.palabyab Twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronpalabyab Website: http://www.aaronpalabyab.com/ Business Contact / Licensing: aaron [at] aaronpalabyab.com