Last March, Sebastian “Baste” Duterte revealed that he would soon host an adventure travel reality show called “Lakbai” for TV5. In an interview with News5’s MJ Marfori, the youngest son of President Rodrigo Duterte gamely quipped on camera, “Ma, Pa, artista na ako!”
This Sunday, “Lakbai” is set to premiere its maiden episode on TV5 right after the PBA games. Baste, however, will not be alone in hosting the eight-episode mini-series. He will be joined by internet sensation Bogart the Explorer and three of his closest friends, namely Atty. Alexis Lumbatan, Sboi Malicay, and the group’s designated videographer, Andrei Apostol.
During the recent press conference that launched the show, Baste said that while it certainly helped that he was getting paid to do “Lakbai,” being with his buddies allowed him to overcome his admitted shyness and made him more comfortable appearing on camera.
It also didn’t hurt that Baste and the gang were traveling to some of the most picturesque spots in the Philippines and they further enhanced their connection to these places by interacting with locals, trying out the food and participating in various activities including extreme sports.
The name of the show is a play on the Filipino word “lakbay” which means “to travel” but is also inspired by the Visayan phrase “lakaw ta, bai” or “let’s go, friend.”
With his involvement in “Lakbai,” Baste is now officially part of Philippine showbiz as he himself admitted.
That doesn’t mean that he’s interested in venturing into acting which he said he has no talent for.
Another reason why he said yes to “Lakbai” after months of negotiation with TV5 is that it allowed him to simply be himself and he could always return to Davao City and indulge his passion for surfing if things didn’t work out.
“Even if I’m the son of the president, I prefer to live in Davao rather than in Malacañang,” he noted.
Baste’s strong sense of adventure and love for the great outdoors was what sustained his excitement in doing “Lakbai.” In addition to exploring his native Davao, he and his pals also traveled to equally interesting places like Apo Island, Bukidon, Dumaguete and Siquijor.
“These guys are the most non-conventional travel hosts so most likely you’ll get a show that you’ve never seen before,” Bogart the Explorer said in an interview with MJ Marfori following the press launch.
Watch the official teaser-trailer of “Lakbai” here:
