‘Magandang pasyalan’: Motorcyclists’ destination in Marinduque
The path to a no-longer-secret chocolate mecca is a pilgrimage in itself. It took my husband Jason and his fellow midlifers riding on motorcycles three hours from Manila to the port of Lucena, where they boarded a Ro-Ro (roll-on roll-off ferry) that took them on a two-and-a-half-hour ride to Marinduque. Then, they rode their bikes for another hour and a half to get to Panuluyan Farmstay.
In 2018, Donna Lecaroz, cofounding farmer of Island Harvest Agriventures, started Panuluyan Farmstay, an Island Harvest subsidiary, with her late husband, Lenlie. It was a few kubo (nipa huts) with an outhouse.
Three years later, she was in the middle of road-testing their Seed-to-Sip Story (a guest briefing on their chocolate-making process) with relatives visiting from Manila when one of the workers informed Lenlie that three cyclists from the bayan asked for permission to take pictures in Panuluyan. They had stumbled into their remote barangay, 16 kilometers from the Sta. Cruz población.
She excused herself from the activity to explain to the cyclists that they had guests using the kubo. “I didn’t want them to think they were simply being turned away. I pointed to some Instagram-worthy spots with the mountains and sea as a backdrop and took their pics. We gave them our blue pea cooler drink, and then they left. We thought that was that,” she said.
After a day or two, a town councilor arrived with some companions. “It was strange because, for five years before living here, only a handful of people from town visited socially. We were deemed that far!” said Lecaroz.
The councilor returned with a group of friends days later. “Just to relax daw,” she said. “We happily hosted them, albeit perplexed.” One of the cyclists turned out to be a radio announcer, who informed his listeners the day after their chance visit: “May magandang pasyalan sa Masalukot.” “No wonder one of the councilor’s companions looked dismayed; she expected a developed, manicured pasyalan!” Lecaroz said with a laugh. “Nevertheless, they posted pics on Facebook, and people came.”
Five days after the cyclists found them, they learned that more people wanted to take pictures. “Lenlie and I looked at each other; we realized it was not going to stop,” she said. So, the couple pivoted from their original concept to accepting visitors daily for day tours on a “preopening basis.”
First-ever recipientBy May 2023, Panuluyan became the first-ever recipient and sole awardee of the Community-Based/Cultural Tourism award at Go Negosyo’s first Inspiring Tourism Entrepreneurs Awards. Island Harvest is a Top 20 finalist in the Department of Science and Technology’s Women Helping Women Innovate through Social Entrepreneurship. The Farmstay was also one of eight entries submitted by the Department of Tourism to the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Best Tourism Villages Awards for 2023. In addition, Panuluyan was one of the Top 25 Social Enterprises in the Bank of the Philippine Islands’ Sinag Synergy 2023 Bootcamp, chosen by StartUp Village as one of two social enterprises they wish to mentor.
“We did not vie for any of these, much less think we would participate. We were too focused on getting things done to notice if anyone was looking, so we are happily surprised to be recognized,” said Lecaroz, beaming.
She clarified that Panuluyan is not an eco- or farm-tourism establishment. “Our vision is to elevate the community by enabling farmer families to cross the poverty line by showing them a proof of concept, a success story in Island Harvest. Ours is called Panalo sa Tatlo, where they can earn more through multiple income streams: agriculture (dagdag-kita sa dagdag-ani), technology (process crops into products so they are not beholden to traders dictating farm-gate prices) and rural tourism (the community becomes a ‘living museum’ for travelers espousing sustainable tourism).”
Panuluyan can accommodate 20 guests and up to 28 by January 2024, when they finish constructing the Panuluyan ng Babaenihan (female farm workers cooperating or nagbabayanihan) 200 meters from the original kubo. “It will be the first Panuluyan operated by the families of our Babaenihan,” said Lecaroz.
The farmers should be able to replicate the proof of concept themselves. “Panuluyan is made to be copied by farmers on the island. It will increase the number of guests we can accommodate and provide another income stream for them, who will be running and earning from hosting in their Panuluyan while keeping their day jobs. It will make them employers as well,” she said.
Quiet and rusticMost of their guests are Marinduqueños living on the island or coming home for a visit. They’ve recently had a handful of travelers from mainland Luzon (“Kabila,” in local parlance) looking for a quiet and rustic experience.
Panuluyan is pet-friendly, but leash and diaper your furbabies when entering the kubo. Take soiled diapers upon checkout because they are zero-waste: “Sa Panuluyan, walang plastikan.” It is also not a resort. “We do not provide amenity kits to reduce single-use items. We encourage our guests to bring their own toiletries and water tumblers. Purified water is available for free refills. Bring your bedding/sleeping bags or avail of the bedding add-on option for P200 (single bed set with a towel).”
Watch your children, since Panuluyan is on a mountain with many trip hazards. Older kids interested in the outdoors and chocolate would enjoy it. Wi-Fi is free for overnight guests.
Seniors and persons with disabilities may find the terrain challenging. Although there are drop-off areas, there are still steps to get to the kubo. Overnighters will enjoy the cool air and be protected from mosquitoes by kulambo. But since it is a mountain farm, you may encounter wildlife like spiders, tuko, frogs and lizards while walking around, especially at night. Toilets are outside, a few steps away from the kubo.
You also awaken to beautiful birds chirping in the morning. “We’ve had a birder come who encouraged us to catalog our birds as he suspects we have at least 20 species around. This may be because we are just a few kilometers from the Marinduque Wildlife Sanctuary,” said Lecaroz.
Panuluyan expects a high volume of day tour guests this holiday season and has already blocked some dates for overnighters. The end of March would be the busiest, as Marinduque is known for the Moriones festival during Holy Week. Other peak periods are summer vacation (July-August) and undas weekend (early November). —CONTRIBUTED INQ
