Manila, Philippines – An online map website generator that lets users keep track of which provinces they have visited across the Philippines has recently been all over Filipinos’ social media feeds. Several local brands in the country were quick to jump onto the trend and chart their own proof of Philippine jet setting — or rather something else – a witty jab at the map visualisation if you will.
The website, created by Singapore-based Filipino software developer Denz Del Villar, allows users to generate a map of the Philippines – a personal and colour-coded representation of the various provinces the user has either lived in, stayed, visited, passed, or alighted from. Using these metrics, the map also generates a numberical level determined by the nature of these visits. Each category selected – whether lived or passed on – carries a numerical score, and when added up, results into the travel level of the user.
Following its virality, audiences see local brands do their own trend jacking one after the other. A huge amount of these social media posts come from several banks in the country, both traditional and digital banks. Banks such as LandBank, MetroBank, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), and GoTyme Bank have posted their own take on the map.
Meanwhile, popular convenience store chain 7-Eleven also jumped into the bandwagon.
In more wittier posts, fast food chain McDonald’s took on the trend, replacing the levels with what users can ‘expect’ from their chains in different provinces. Even local pharmaceutical company Katinko also posted a witty post using the map template, showing that all aunts and uncles across the country have used their products.
Meanwhile, entertainment entities have also joined in the fun. The popular public affairs show Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho from GMA Network shows that their team had already visited all of the provinces across the country to cover feature stories. Moreover, the local band Ben&Ben has also joined in the trend, showcasing which provinces they already performed in.
However, not all brands that crafted their own take on the map were received in a positive light. A social media post by land developer Camella Homes, which used such template to showcase the provinces they have current land developments,has inadvertently caused a backlash. Many netizens pointed out that some of the lands being used by were formerly agricultural lands, more specifically rice fields. The social media post has been deleted since.
