Interaksyon.com, TV5’s news portal, became dynamic and exciting once again, as it brought its second session of Interaksyon Café live last August 15 at the NEWS5 Media Center in Reliance Office at Mandaluyong.
This time, Interaksyon Café featured Sec. Ramon Jimenez of the Department of Tourism, who talked about DOT’s “It’s more fun in the Philippines,” 20 months of fun: What we’ve learned so far from “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” and Mr. Bobby Timonera, journalist and coffee evangelist, on the intricacies of brewing coffee in the Philippines with Wake up and smell the barako: Brewing passion for coffee in the Philippines. The audience, consisting of top level executives, company heads, journalists, bloggers, and coffee buffs were all delighted and educated by the information and insight given at the talks.
As intended, the speakers were engaged in live, compelling conversations with readers. Bobby Timonera showed that there’s truly a whole lot more to coffee, as he talked on how to store it properly, processing the plant, and what makes fresh coffee. Timonera explains that he simply wanted people to enjoy coffee with his talk. “We want people to have more,” he says.
Sec. Mon Jimenez, on the other hand, emphasized the importance of making business out of tourism, and what made the slogan, “It’s more fun in the Philippines,” work. “We want them to enjoy the local culture. Tourism is all about energy on the ground,” says Sec. Jimenez,on the other hand. “Part of my job is that the Filipino public, all stakeholders, businessmen, etc., are into it. This is the kind of business you have to be into, and enthusiastic about. Because it’s not about numbers, it’s about participation and interaction. So interaction is basically a way to do that. We are able to reach out to other Filipinos, and get them excited about the topic. As you can see, the level of excitement of Filipinos is what grows this business.” Jimenez adds that as long as there is something to talk about, it is all very interesting.
Local restaurant, Serye, served Filipino coffee, cuisine, and culture during this Interaksyon Café, with their free-flowing barako coffee, pasta with kesong puti, and turon in different flavors dipped in chocolate fondue, among other offerings.
Past speakers of Interaksyon Café have included multi-awarded writer-critic and Interaksyon columnist, Jessica Zafra, and Bohol professor and scientist, Chris Bermido. Editor in Chief Roby Alampay explains that they brought speakers for the audience to interact with, including experts, and the “coolest minds.” These “cool minds” are the spirit behind Interaksyon.com, which aims to deliver beyond context, beyond stories, and for people to have the mind to meet people. “We want to keep the conversation going,” says Alampay. “We want to keep it going and growing.”