CHAMPIONING LOCAL HERITAGE AND ECO- TOURISM THROUGH DIGITAL STORYTELLING

CELEBRATING TOURISM EXCELLENCE 

Explore LASAM, Cagayan  (Sonnyboy Pascua Pacursa) Wins Media and Promotion Award at the 1st Regional Dayaw Awards 2026.

Inspired. Committed.

Explore LASAM is deeply honored to receive the Department of Tourism Media and Promotion Excellence Award at the very 1st Regional Dayaw Awards, held at the Isabela Convention Center, Cauayan City.

This recognition belongs to the entire community of Lasam. Our passion goes far beyond just highlighting our local hidden gems. We are wholeheartedly dedicated to putting our town, the beauty of the entire Cagayan Valley, and the coastal wonders of the Northern Islands on the map.

Thank you for being part of our journey. We will continue to share the stories, sights, and soul of our home with the world!

Inspiring. Informing. Advocating. ™️

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND PASSION:

A registered and licensed Pharmacist by profession, Sonnyboy Pascua Pacursa (SPP) is a native of Barangay Malinta, Lasam, Cagayan and a trained and accredited Department of Tourism tour guide who seamlessly blends his scientific background with a profound passion for travel, photography, exploration and environmental advocacy. 

Driven by a desire to uncover the country's hidden gems, he ventures into uncharted territories, documenting his journeys through captivating narratives and vibrant imagery shared across hispersonal website, Google Maps, and social media platforms to guide and inspire fellow travelers.

STRATEGIC ADVOCACY AND MEDIA IMPACT:

As the sole administrator of the Explore LASAM, Cagayan Facebook page, SPP has pioneered digital tourism promotion in his hometown and across the 

Philippines, with a dedicated focus on the pristine landscapes of Region 2(Cagayan Valley) . Through his 

distinct signature storytelling and strategic digital campaigns unique only to ExploreLASAM, Cagayan FB Page—marked by impactful hashtags like #TouristSpotAlert, #ExploreLasam, #IntoTheWildSeries, #GoingHistorical, #ExploreCagayan, and #BiodiversityAlert—he has successfully driven awareness and sustainable development to local tourist sites. 

His compelling photographs, videos, and written narratives have gained nationwide recognition, frequently featured by major national broadcasting networks such as GMA, ABS-CBN, RNG Luzon Baguio and Radio Abante.

MEASURABLE DIGITAL FOOTPRINT:

A testament to his massive reach and influence, SPP’s contributions to Google Maps—comprising high

quality photos, videos, reviews, and newly mapped 

tourist spots—have amassed 4 million views over a 

month and accumulated over 13 million views all time as of May 2026. This remarkable milestone underscores the tangible, real-world impact of his advocacy and passion, serving as a vital resource for global and local travelers navigating Northern Luzon. 

In addition, SPP’s Facebook posts are frequently 

broadcasted on television networks and featured 

across theirofficial social media platforms and YouT-

ube channels. Most of the newly discovered locations they introduce—many of which are still hidden gems and not yet open to the general public—consistently go viral.

RECENT MILESTONES, THE BABUYANES SERIES 2026:

Continuing his mission to elevate local tourism, his latest groundbreaking initiative is the #BabuyanesSeries2026. This expedition captures the raw, untouched beauty of the Camiguin Islands, spotlighting its hidden gems. A segment of this highly acclaimed series was recently broadcasted on GMA Regional TV, further cementing hisstatus as a premier catalyst for tourism promotion in Northern Luzon. 

Aside from this, he successfully reached and documented 100 waterfalls across the country—most of which are found in Cagayan and can be accessed with thehashtags #ChasingWaterfalls and #RaceToHunderedFalls on his social media account.

As of May 2026, he also completed visiting, documenting and writing historical accounts of 65 Spanish-era churches across the country—again, most of which are found in Cagayan. This can be viewed via Facebook with the hashtag #GoingHistorical.

His passion for travel also made him visit 12 volcanoes across the country—including 2 active volcanoes in Cagayan.

ABOUT HIS PAGE EXPLORE LASAM, CAGAYAN:

Mission:

To inspire, inform and advocate environmental appreciation, protection and conservation in Lasam, Cagayan, highlighting its natural beauty and significance.

Vision:

Empowering global accessibility and visibility, fostering a shared sense of responsibility among Lasameños worldwide.

Objective:

Documenting and sharing Lasam and the entire region’s captivating landscapes, events and stories, promoting eco-awareness and community pride.

Tagline:

Inspiring. Informing. Advocating. 

Explore LASAM, Cagayan is a pioneering Facebook page dedicated to tourism promotion, environmental protection, community outreach, and cultural preservation in the municipality of Lasam, Cagayan and the entire Cagayan Valley Region.

Although unaffiliated with the Local Government Unit (LGU), the page operates independently using personal resources. Since its inception in July 2017, Explore LASAM has gained global recognition and awareness among Lasameños worldwide owing to its tagline "Inspiring. Informing. Advocating".

The page's mission is to inspire, inform and advocate environmental appreciation, protection and conservation, highlighting Lasam's natural beauty and its significance to the lives of the Lasameños.

Its vision emphasizes global accessibility, fostering responsibility among the people of Lasam.

And in order to effectively carry out its mission and vision, we need to be meticulous in our objectives to document, capture and share amazing landscapes, 

exciting events and inspiring stories to promote eco-

awareness and community pride.

For the same reason, we came up to these hashtags to describe its endeavors. Key initiatives that can be accessed through Facebook Search and is unique ONLY to Explore LASAM Page include:

1. #IntoTheWildSeries:

Discovering Lasam's hidden 

natural wonders and potential tourist spots previously unknown through hiking the deep tropical rainforests.

2. #ExploreLasam:

Showing pride with the captivating photos of Lasam's tourist spots and inspiring events.

3. #GoingHistorical:

Showcasing historical events, heritage churches and cultural landmarks in Lasam, and in Cagayan including the entire Philippines.

4. #ExploreLasamPublicService:

Providing assistance, safety and rescue advisories for Lasameños in need.

5. #ExploreCagayan and #ExplorePhilippines:

Expanded coverage showcasing Cagayan and Philippine attractions and events.

6. #TouristSpotAlert:

Represents newly discovered places for the government’s awareness with the potential for assessment and development, thereby putting Lasam on the ecotourism map.

7. #ExploreLasamCommunityOutreach:

Supporting Aeta communities through gift-giving, feeding programs, and education about environmental and biodiversity conservation.

8. #BiodiversityAlert:

Serves as a digital citizen science catalog and an urgent call for conservation. It focuses specifically on the primary forests, wilderness areas (like Sicalao, Barangay Peru and other parts of the country), and key watersheds of the municipality.

9. #PatanorTiLasam:

Honoring and creating awareness 

to the outstanding Lasameños making a positive impact to everyone's life.

10. #ExploreLasamSportsNews:

Bringing out the fun of the most popular sports with our unique technic in writing sports news creating good vibes to people.

11: #ProjectLacasa:

Mapping Lasam's cultural heritage, preserving artifacts and documenting natural sites inconjunction with the LGU, NCCA and DepEd.

12. #KaakibatBiodiversityWatch:

"Hand-in-hand" biodiversity protection through animal rescue, species conservation and education, the only one of its kind in Lasam, Cagayan.

SUMMARY KEY AREAS:

CREATIVITY:

Only Explore LASAM, Cagayan Page uses these unique hashtags above to highlight its goals for 

tourism development, environmental care, and public 

service.

Beyond featuring local tourist spots in the municipality and province, only Explore Lasam has seamlessly integrated eco-awareness into its core mission. Recognizing that environment and biodiversity are vital to tourism and local identity—much like how Bohol is known for the tarsier, Davao for the Philippine Eagle, and Sorsogon for the butanding (whale shark)—it stands out as the only tourism initiative to actively champion this cause.

You can explore these efforts on social media through the hashtags #biodiversityalert, #kbwlasam, and #kaakibatbiodiversitywatch.

IMPACT:

The contents shared by Explore Lasam have completely rewritten the narrative of Lasam. What was once seen as a quiet municipality with little to offer in tourism is now brimming with life, thanks to our active exploration of hidden waterfalls, caves, lakes, forests, and endemic species. No one else has done what we have accomplished: discovering and featuring 15 waterfalls, 8 caves, and 5 lakes—all in Lasam.

Our expeditions didn't just stay on social media; they 

sparked real action. By coordinating with the LGU, 

DENR, and GMA 7’s Born to be Wild, Explore Lasam became the catalyst for official local cave assessments. Today, our featured destinations across

Lasam, the province of Cagayan, and the Philippines are regularly spotlighted on major TV networks—proving that our local efforts carry a nationwide impact.

SPP is also an active Google Maps contributor dedicated to assisting local and international travelers. As of May 2026, these contributions include:

Visuals:

2,762+ photos and 154 videos.

Community Engagement:

172 place reviews, 187 question answers, and 96 captions.

Map Curation:

48 added places, 30 place edits, and 29 rated locations.

This extensive mapping effort has garnered over 13 million all-time views, demonstrating a profound and far-reaching impact on global travel and tourism navigation.

STORYTELLING:

The stories documented by SPP (Explore Lasam) are

entirely authentic and evidence-based, fully supported by real photographs and video documentation rather than mere social media hype and fabrication. Every narrative is meticulously grounded in literature, historical books, and credible online research, all of which are published on his social media page and his official blog, sonnyboypacursa.blogspot.com.

Beyond digital platforms, his compelling features and visual storytelling on local destinations and regional culture are regularly published in Liwayway Publishing - Bannawag, the premier Ilokano magazine with a global distribution network. To effectively connect with diverse audiences, his works are thoughtfully written in English, Tagalog, or Ilokano, depending on the subject matter and the intended readers.

COLLABORATION:

To further expand his advocacies in tourism, environmental conservation, and public service, SPP 

actively collaborates with prominent environmental 

organizations. These include Kaakibat Civicom International (KCI), the Manlalakbay Guardians International Incorporated (MGII) the Bundok Mo, Tamnan Ko (BMTK) Project, the DENR's Forest Protection Council of Lasam (FLC) and the Zinundungan Valley Agriculture Cooperative (ZVAC).

Their environmental milestones and field updates can be tracked online via the hashtags #kbwlasam and #kaakibatbiodiversitywatch.

Deeply committed to humanitarian initiatives, SPP

works alongside local churches, content creators, 

outreach groups, and the International Wheelchair 

Foundation (IWF) to provide mobility assistance to

individuals with disabilities in his community.

Furthermore, he is currently affiliated with GUMIL Cagayan (Gunglo dagiti Mannurat nga Ilokano iti Cagayan / Ilokano Writers Association in Cagayan), while maintaining strong professional networks with media stringers and correspondents from national TV networks and radio platforms like Radio Abante and Green Normal TV.

RECOGNITION:

SPP’s keen eye for photography and writing has earned top honors and shortlists in local, regional, and international competitions organized by esteemed institutions, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Cagayan Tourism, the LGU of Santa Praxedes, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Thailand, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) Indonesia.

Recognizing his expertise, he is frequently invited to

serve as a distinguished judge in his hometown's photo and video competitions. In 2022, he was also once invited by a media company to document and write about the Katablangan Water Electricity Project in Conner, Apayao through Atty. Mabel Mamba, the wife of then Gov. Manny Mamba.

Thank you very much!

#ExploreLasam #DOTCagayanValley #LoveThePhilippines #VisitCagayanPH #EndlessFunCagayan #RegionalDayawAwards #CagayanValleyTourism #NorthernIslands #PromoteLasam #PhilippineTourism #DayawAwards