Palin arrives in the capital and finds a country in an odd political moment, with Bongbong Marcos as President despite his family's exile 40 years ago, and former president Duterte under arrest at the ICC accused over the deaths of 30,000 Filipinos. He then flies to the militarised island of Pagasa in the contested South China Sea, where he ends up in the middle of a standoff between Philippine and Chinese coastguard ships.
Remote beach camps in El Nido, underground rivers, and swimming with thousands of sardines in Moalboal, showing the tourist-paradise side of the 7,641 islands.
Under military escort Michael explores the ruins of the destroyed city of Marawi, and on Jolo he meets a member of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, in a region on the UK Foreign Office's "do not travel" red list.