Rurbanization

LAST weekend, my sister Lynn and I flew to Bacolod for a visit with an old friend and colleague, Dr. Violeta (Bolet) Lopez Gonzaga, a well-known anthropologist and environmentalist. It was a hectic but a fun-filled and rewarding three days as it provided us valuable insights into what is now going on in many parts of rural Philippines.

What we had seen, together with two other guests of the Gonzagas – Judge Arlene Dato Villegas and husband Pastor Andrew who were with us when we drove around Talisay and Silay – are initiatives of professionals who have responded to challenges of climate and ecological change and the so-called “rurbanization” or the process of rural transformation. As an Indian politician had noted, “Rurbanization is a rural and urban mix where the soul is of the rural but with an urban touch.”

In response to a Philstar feature which said “returning home is the best option for Bacolodnons,” Bolet’s reply was that when one nears retirement age, he begins to look for quiet, familiar places, or the home of one’s childhood.

She and her husband, Mario, a long-time gentleman farmer, belong to a group of Christians and enlightened landowners who have found environmental-friendly and creative ways of “rurbanizing.” We were pleasantly delighted to see what they had done with their three-hectare sugar cane farm in nearby Concepcion, Talisay, which was its transformation into an integrated farm – the Shalom Orchard Grove where we picked lanzones, the sweetest I’ve ever tasted, as well as mangosteen, durian, rambutan, marang and santol, and livestock faming – raising chickens, geese, and sheep. The organic binakol chicken cooked in a bamboo tube which we had for lunch as well as the veggies and fruits and the toddy were all produced from the land.

And within 12 of a 24-hectare sugar cane farm that they own in Silay, they have the Elm Healing and Meditation Center, a structure that will soon be completed. The surrounding area is now planted with organic black rice which is grown with 100% spring mineral water. Bolet says that the black and aromatic brown rice are cash crops as they are more profitable than sugar cane.

Then there was Rapha Valley in Salvador Benedicto, some five kilometers away developed by Dr. Albert Jo, an advocate of wellness. We had lunch at his organic restaurant where he, the chef himself, gave us a briefing on the merits of each recipe based on the process used in cooking {slow process in clay pots), as well as the medicinal value of each ingredient. The farm has a resthouse which is open to the public. Daily tours of the herbal farm are also available.

Of course, we had the chance to savor Negrense delicacies in some of their famous restaurants and at the Seda Hotel where we stayed.

With a population of a little over three million, Negros Occidental is the most highly populated province in Western Visayas. A first-class province, it is known as the land of smiles and festivals, heirloom flavors, historical and cultural landmarks, posh shopping and dining, and an upcoming upscale residential village.