A new social media trend called the “bucket list challenge” encourages people to create and share lists of places they wish to visit in the Philippines.
Two government agencies later joined in the fun and shared their own helpful and relatable lists.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts shared a list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites found in different parts of the country.
These include the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan and the Historic City of Vigan in Ilocos, among others.
“Napuntahan mo na ba ang mga UNESCO World Heritage Sites dito sa bansa? Isama na yan sa iyong Bucketlist Challenge!” the NCCA wrote in the caption.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation-MRT3 shared a checklist of the metro rail transit system’s train stations.
MRT-3 traverses along the EDSA thoroughfare. It starts at Taft Avenue station in Pasay City and ends at North Avenue station in Quezon City.
“Planning your next gala? Byahe na sa MRT-3! Di uso ang drawing dito,” the caption read.
The bucket list trend circulated online after GMA’s television magazine show “Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho” posted its version on its social media pages Sunday.
“Ilan na rito ang napuntahan mo?” the tweet read.
The magazine program attached the list of popular and tourist destinations in the Philippines, which could also be found in social studies textbooks. Among the destinations mentioned are Bohol, Boracay, Siargao Island, Baguio City, Tagaytay and Subic.
Ivan Henares, former head of NCCA’s National Committee on Monuments and Sites and a travel blogger, later shared his own version of travel bucket list, featuring destinations he divided into natural, cultural/history and places with festivals.
The post gathered more than 4,600 likes and made rounds at least 3,600 times on Facebook.
Henares did not mention the KMJS list but he said that he only made his own list out of frustration from a “previous one.”
“I haven’t been to some items on this list. And we all know there are more that we could add to this list. You can also make your own. I just hope that when we make lists, let’s make sure they make sense,” Henares said.
Other types of bucket lists
Other online users also created their own “travel lists.”
Among these is Facebook user Rolen Susi’s “travel goals” on March 2 that listed Light Rail Train Line 1 system stations as well as other common hangout places of Filipino commuters.
The LRT-1 runs through selected areas in the cities of Manila, Pasay and Makati.
Earth Shaker, a science-based account that often shares facts on earthquakes and volcanoes, also made a list enumerating the cities and a municipality in the National Capital Region, citing that this is a “realistic” bucket list.
“Due to heavy traffic, those coming from Metro Manila might just be trapped within the region. Enjoy the walking and bus tours!” it quipped.
An organization from the University of the Philippines, meanwhile, created a roster showing the number of advocacies that Filipino activists are campaigning for.
There’s also a bucket list of popular Korean drama series from a Facebook page called The Philippine Catalog.