A bright star resort
When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the toxic ash travelled far and wide, reaching Barangay Tala in Orani, Bataan, a short bird’s flight away. The coffee trees of two families were extensively damaged by the ash fall from the volcano, forcing the two families to sell their 48-hectare coffee plantation. As their homestead claims were already more than 50 years old, their homestead titles graduated to a Transfer Certificate Title.
It took a long time for the two families to convince Congressman Felicito Payumo and friends to buy the devastated plantation. The buyers knew nothing about farming; they had no idea what to do with the land. In 1996, Tala was a sleepy town, without adequate water system and hardly any electricity. It is seven kilometers from Roman Highway, with roads so muddy during the rainy season, dusty during the dry season, with gaping road ruts so big they could swallow a carabao.
For 18 years, the land lay dormant, as if time stood still. One day, the buyers, already retirees – Payumo from government service, Federico C. Pascual, from the banking industry, and renowned environmental architect and planner architect Nestor David, decided to look at the property they had left untouched and was overgrown with weeds and cogon. Have they bought a lemon? Shaking their heads and smiling, they walked to the end of the property, and stopped in their tracks; for before them were the magnificent and breath-taking views of Manila Bay, the towns of Hermosa and Dinalupihan, Mount Arayat, Mount Natib, Mount Pinatubo and Mount Malasimbo. That moment, a star was born.
The three gentlemen agreed to develop the place into a retreat destination catering to the growing religious movement looking for a quaint and quiet place. They found a place on top of a hill, named it “Sinagtala” (a bright star) Farm Resort, and built a chapel and events hall. Instead of just building their own retirement homes, they decided to open their houses to the public as a bed and breakfast facility catering to retreants and other visitors.
The Sinagtala Farm Resort has come a long way from the lahar-ravaged coffee plantation to a gem of a resort in the foothills of Mt. Natib, in Tala, Orani ,Bataan. Sinagtala offers weekenders a chance to breath in the fresh mountain air and enjoy chilly nights and recharge for the next gruelling work week, enjoying as they do the sight of the Bataan National Park, the skyscrapers of Manila, and the plains of Pampanga.
The resort operates public areas – three infinity pools, a chapel and social hall, multiple huts for the day trippers, adventure activities like the zipline and bike line which cross a 50- meter deep ravine, a giant swing and a hanging bridge. There are bamboo swings and coffee corners around. For the youngsters, there is a mini-zipline. Added to these are 20 mud huts for overnight stay for a family of four, each having its own toilet and shower. There are enough grounds for 200+ person tents for school or team building activities.
Development of the resort has been quickened with the three original purchasers joined by partners Isagani Pascual and Ben Santos. Sinagtala is thus the generic name for the resort. The partners have put up “boarding” homes called Beacon, Tampay, Tanawin, Labuyo Nest and Duyan, each offering comfortable and neat double rooms to family rooms for 10, and air conditioning because guests ask for it. Duyan House, which is owned by Ding Pascual (who is a director of Philippine National Bank), and his wife, Frances Teves, is the only one offering bed and breakfast. Rooms range from double rooms to family rooms for 10.
Duyan House prides itself in recently adding recycled/upcycled containers as guest rooms as well as three quaint bamboo bahay kubos with modern amenities. Guests can cook meals, but outside the buildings for safety reason, and on chosen spots for picnickers.
While the partners own their own buildings, they share in the development and earnings of common areas, like the pools, picnic grounds, and social hall.
Ding and Frances are “veterans” in the bed and breakfast business. In their travels to the US and Europe, they stayed in B&Bs, also called pension houses.
During the mid-seventies, when the Philippines hosted the Miss Universe Pageant and the International Monetary Fund Meeting, the government encouraged the establishment of B&Bs in Manila to cater to foreign guests who could not be housed in the few operating and reputable hotels in Manila. The Pascual couple, who lived in a six-bedroom house plus a guest house in Malate, formed the first association of B&B operators in the country. Frances, a tall, stately lady, says it was easy operating their own B&B accommodations, serving simple breakfasts, and treating their guests with that characteristic warm Filipino hospitality.
When Sinagtala Farm Resort opened, the couple were again challenged to embark upon another B&B operation.
Running the Duyan B&B efficiently is its manager, Celia Teves, Frances’ sister who lived in Spain for 50 years, the last few years as administrator of the San Martin de Tours in Madrid, Spain. When she came home a few years ago, Frances and her husband Ding convinced her to run Duyan. Celia has no regrets accepting the offer; she is happily working to the bone, attending to tourists endlessly, and mercifully losing 12 pounds.
Bird watchers will appreciate the variety of winged animals in the hills surrounding the houses, as well as the grazing horses, sheep, ducks and geese which add to the country feel of the place. To be added to this is a planned mini zoo that should captivate youngsters.
Nothing can beat the cool, invigorating climate in early evening and morning, the fragrance of flowers grown all over the place, and name-guessing of an endless forest of trees. Joggers love going up and down the zigzagging trails that end in a flowing stream.
People (tourists and local residents alike) find spiritual solace in Barangay Tala. The newly consecrated parish church’s St. Josephine Bahkita has been declared the Patron Saint of the Overseas Filipino Worker. The image of Christ at the altar is made of local materials. Further up the hills is the latest project of Norberto Gonzales, former Secretary of National Defense, who is building a shrine for the Nuestra Senora de Santissima Rosario, the patron saint of Orani, Bataan. Within the grounds of the carved out mountain will be more than 100 life size statues depicting the mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
These developments will definitely make Tala a pilgrimage site in Orani, Bataan, not only the OFWs, but also Catholics.
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