Lumabas noong March 22, 2012 sa Travel Section ng New York Times ang interview ni Rachel Lee Harris kay Dow Griffith, ang location manager ng The Bourne Legacy, ang Hollywood movie na kinunan ang ilang mga eksena sa Metro Manila at Palawan.
“Congested” ang description ni Dow sa Manila, pero may positive words siya para sa mga Pilipino at sa ating bansa na posibleng makahimok sa mga turista na bisitahin ang Pilipinas para mapatunayan nila na “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”
Ito ang bahagi ng mga pahayag ni Dow sa New York Times tungkol sa mga karanasan niya sa shooting ng The Bourne Legacy sa ating bansa:
“The ‘Bourne’ movies are known as a more urban and gritty kind of product, and that was certainly true of Manila. It is congested, with the highest population density in the world.
“But the people are the best thing about it. Don’t be fooled by the signs everywhere that say ‘Check Your Firearms at the Door.’ Many citizens are packing, but you couldn’t meet more hospitable people.
“We put our crew up in the Manila Mandarin Oriental. Sometimes, when you are traveling, no matter how much you spend, you can’t buy good service. At the Mandarin, we enjoyed personalized service at very affordable prices. When it completes renovations, which begin in April, it will be even better.
“Manila served our purpose, but for the casual traveler, it’s a good place to go to get somewhere else. The real reason to go to the Philippines is to explore its more than 7,000 islands, from the heights of the rice terraces of Banaue to dives with the whale sharks in Donsol — and that’s just on one island, Luzon.
“El Nido, on Palawan Island, is paradise, and for a family trip, you are very well looked after at any of the resorts. We put our crew up at the El Nido Resort in Bacuit Bay.”
