‘I want to leave this planet better than when I found it’

MANILA, Philippines — As innkeeper of Sonya’s Bed and Breakfast, I often encounter many overtired folks who want to escape the chaos of city living. People from all over the world who just want to get away from it all, longing for respite from work, deadlines, stress, sickness, pollution, unhealthy routines. As an advocate of health and wellness, I share with them a simple philosophy I hope they imbibe during their stay. 

When I moved to Alfonso many years ago, my plans were not ambitious. Back then, there was literally nothing out there, not even paved roads. It was not my intention to open a B&B, nor a restaurant. I simply wanted to carve out a place in the country where I could recreate my grandmother’s garden and be at my happiest again. But fate had other plans. I had to fulfill my destiny.

First came the restaurant. We serve organically-grown veggies harvested daily from our greenhouses and rustic country fare that are tended with care, prepared with joy, and enjoyed among family and friends. Years later I expanded our restaurant concept into a full-blown B&B operation because guests wanted more. More time to linger in the garden and connect with nature. More nooks and crannies for decompressing. More moments to nourish the soul. This eventually gave way to Sonya’s Sensuous Spa, where licensed and trained masseuses hired from the barangay render addicting massages. We call it The Art of Present Moment Living. 

Prior to finding a decent source of livelihood, many of our employees wallowed in abject and contemptible poverty. Over time, to each loyal employee, Sonya’s Garden has awarded a 100-square-meter lot within the vicinity, all taxes paid for, with an interest-free loan to build a house. They can walk or bike to work, free from traffic, and enjoy non-existent pollution. They never need to worry about food; meals are free. These humble abodes allow them to work and, at the same time, still live close to their families, without feeling the need to migrate to a different city. Ultimately these are also their retirement homes, with space to grow fruits and vegetables for sustainable living. With all these benefits, they are now able to put food on the table, even send their children to private schools. And as I am fortunate enough to witness their lives flourish, I’ve come to embrace a new vision: that no one will go hungry and be homeless again.

As a member of the tourism sector, every day I see the tremendous potential of the B&B industry as one of the most effective growth drivers of Philippine tourism. Imagine if more enterprises like ours existed. Revenues and job opportunities can be generated in medium- to low-income areas with minimal government intervention. 

Because of its low capital needs, B&Bs can be established in locations unspoiled by standard tourism infrastructure, or in areas with seasonal attractions that make it uneconomical for big chain hotels to operate in. Any family who has a decent, clean, and preferably traditional and secure abode can transform their living area into a lucrative family enterprise, which can grow over time on its own steam.

Agritourism could be the way to decongest our cities. Those who have properties in the countryside can join in and practice “social fencing” — hiring neighbors who will protect their place as their own, just as my staff did mine. Employees become stakeholders of the business, which allowed our enterprise to grow and secured the future of more families. 

As with all fledgling industries, the Filipino B&Bs need just a little push for it to head in right direction. It needs an organization, possibly part government and part private. It needs a system of accreditation, standardization and classification to be administered by the organization. It needs government incentives to help new entrepreneurs get on their feet like management training, access to soft financing, and other tax incentives. And most of all it needs dedicated Filipino entrepreneurs whose advocacy is to be ambassadors of their heritage and culture by opening up their homes to foreign and local travelers.

At Sonya’s, we espouse the Slow Food Philosophy, which is about food that is good for the eaters and the environment. The idea is to serve food from the plot to the plate — freshly picked, organically grown veggies harvested daily from our greenhouses, fresh fruits in season, with minimal carbon footprint, as opposed to industrial food manufactured in factories, chemically-laden with preservatives, heavily GMOed, irradiated, many times to the detriment of our bodies and the environment. For weary travelers, this is what it truly means to be refreshed.

At Sonya’s, we want guests to savor the joyfulness of the present moment and grateful living. We offer them the chance to indulge in activities like early morning meditation to empty one’s mind, doing inhalation and exhalation amidst the oxygen-filled, stress-free zone of the flower garden, while soaking up Vitamin D-filled sunshine. Getting their hands dirty is a form of therapy we encourage through our lessons on Basic Gardening, Compost Making, Plant Propagation, all of which are offered for free. For those who want to experience something out of the ordinary, the thrill of forest bathing and swimming in a secret natural spring can do wonders for the soul.  

My advocacy has always been to leave this planet better than when I found it. This is why I share the successes of Sonya’s Garden — to help promote the concept of The Filipino B&B as an effective driver for inclusive growth through agritourism and a wellness lifestyle in the countryside. This, after all, is an industry that capitalizes on the Filipino’s greatest asset. The world-famous Filipino hospitality intrinsic to our DNA. It only requires a dream, and what a majority of Filipinos already have — a piece of land and a home, and the legacy of agricultural knowledge. Perhaps this quote sums it up best: “No man can become rich until he himself has enriched the lives of others.” — Sonya Garcia

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There’s a monthly series of 3-Day Master Class on “Farm Tourism” and “Filipino Bed & Breakfast” at Sonya’s Garden, every second week of the month starting September. To join, email [email protected], call (0917) 533-5140 or book online at www.sonyasgarden.com.

Sonya Garcia is the owner of Sonya’s Garden.