FINDING HER WAY BACK HOME
Given the challenging task of managing House of Travel Inc., her family’s travel agency, Maria Regina Victoria Floirendo Lagdameo is back in Manila for good and is busier than ever. She sits with Metro Society and shares how being raised in a tight-knit family, having a vast appreciation for nature, and being well-traveled will continue to bring her to Pearl Farm, a place she fondly considers “home away from home”
FONDLY KNOWN by many simply as Reena, the daughter of Antonio Lagdameo Sr. and Linda Floirendo (Don Antonio Floirendo’s eldest daughter) uses her background in media production and design, her previous experience working with international and local corporations, as well as her work with her father that brought her across the globe, in hopes of keeping House of Travel Inc. up-to-date and relevant in today’s fast-moving, demanding world.
Growing up a traveler
While she finds it wonderful experiencing the outdoors and the different landscapes outside of Manila and the Philippines, Lagdameo admits that she has always had an affinity with water. “I love nature and the outdoors. Seeing greenery just recharges and calms me. But as a child, I was always in the water,” she shares. She tells us that on one trip to Sierra Lakes, Laguna, the stubborn grade-schooler that she was chose to stay in the water the entire day. Lagdameo shares, “By the time it was time to leave, I had to be carried out because my lips had turned blue and I couldn’t move due to hypothermia!” Their family trips usually occurred two to four times a year to places such as Baguio, La Union, Laguna, Davao, Pagsanjan, plus Quezon province, where the Lagdameo family is from. Lagdameo recalls a couple of road trips to Quezon, witnessing the Pahiyas Festival. She beams, sharing that their trips would often include not just their family, but at times, their extended family and friends’ families as well. After all, traveling has always been a family affair for the Floirendo-Lagdameos’ family of nine.
In the 1980s, Lagdameo’s grandfather, “banana king” Don Antonio Floirendo Sr., acquired a piece of property formerly known as Aguinaldo Pearl Farm, mainly as “a place to take his family for quick escapes and for a short respite from the everyday hustle and bustle,” Lagdameo shares. Her grandfather Don Antonio and grandmother Doña Nenita would take all of their six children and grandchildren regularly to their farm outside of Davao City and the beach
in Samal Island. Then in the early 1990s, he saw the potential in offering the property to the public. With the shared belief in preserving nature, Don Antonio, with the help of architect Bobby Mañosa, brought to fruition the vision of constructing accommodations that blend into nature, with the least disturbance to the environment. It was also around this time that Linda, along with her husband and three youngest children, came back to the Philippines after spending almost 10 years in the United States.
In 1992, the family sanctuary was shared to the public and it was also around this time that they went with Mr. Lory Tan of WWF Philippines on a mapping trip and spotted pilot whales and bottle-nosed dolphins at the tip of Samal Island. Then some time in 2011, as the family was looking out onto the water from the main villa at Malipano Island across the main resort, Lagdameo, some cousins, and her aunt Marissa Floirendo spotted what seemed to be a small family of whales and dolphins again. Lagdameo recalls, “It took us by surprise because it is very unusual for whales and dolphins to swim in this area since the water between Malipano Island and the main resort is quite shallow. They eventually swam out to open sea after a few hours.”
Being the water baby that she is, it is all but natural that two of Lagdameo’s most memorable experiences involve the sea and its marine life.
Coming home
After several years of traveling for work with her parents to Mexico, Spain, and later on, London, Lagdameo came back to Manila with her daughter, and was tasked to take over the family’s travel agency. “Although I manage a travel agency, it doesn’t necessarily follow that I get to travel extensively. Between checking the offices, meeting with clients, and a few business
trips to see-through corporate bookings and requirements, there is not much time for leisure travel nowadays. The occasional annual or bi-annual family trip is still something to look forward to, though. It’s also good because my daughter, Danni, will be able to grow up with her cousins as I did with my own. My paternal grandparents, Lolo Ernesto and Lola Pilar Lagdameo, as well as my maternal grandparents, Lolo Tony and Lola Nenita Floirendo, instilled in us the importance of family,” Lagdameo shares.
This also means being able to spend more time at Pearl Farm where, just like the travel agency, changes have paved the way for growth. Lagdameo shares, “When the resort opened, my late grandfather ensured to employ primarily inhabitants of Samal Island, so that they would benefit the most. What’s most striking to me is, despite the influences that have passed through the Pearl Farm Beach Resort, in form of guests, varying managing entities, renovations and upgrades that the resort has undergone over the course of 25 years or so, what remains constant are the hospitality and pleasant manner in which the staff communicate. Their accommodating demeanor is something to keep coming back to, time and again! Yes, you can experience nature at its finest, with the clear water and reefs boasting of giant clams, the resort’s features and conveniences, but it’s the people that really make the experience.”
Continuing the legacy of family
With the attention that Samal Island has received in the several years that have passed, and the surge in local travel, Lagdameo divulges that while they are glad for the new wave of business, they are also a bit wary. “It’s good that there is continued development as this shows progress for the South. However, not all developers may follow the same ethics and beliefs in preserving the area. Thus, the very core of the island may suffer in the long run. Although maintenance of the resort may be tedious and definitely more costly given that natural, indigenous material requires constant upkeep, it is the price that has to be paid to preserve the beauty of the area that we love so much.”
Likewise, Lagdameo proudly tells
Metro Society that with the leadership of aunt Maricris Floirendo-Brias, in partnership with the general manager, Mikel Villaverde, the resort continues to “stay true to its belief in preserving nature and pushing for Filipino craftsmanship.” The constant upgrades on the interiors of the houses, spearheaded by Lagdameo’s aunt Maricris Floirendo-Brias, continues to use accents of locally produced materials, further promoting Mindanaoan products. In fact, the resort has a dedicated area where guests can witness the T’boli tribe weaving tradition, in hopes of raising awareness and giving the locals a sustainable source of income. Lagdameo shares, “Even in Malipano Island, the seemingly identical six villas may have different interiors and aesthetic, but the common theme of Filipino craftsmanship is carried throughout.”
With the resort’s effort to proliferate and protect nature and marine life, the focus on continuous growth, and the support given to the local community, it is without any doubt that Pearl Farm will continue to thrive. Much like Lagdameo, the rest of the Floirendos and their friends, and the staff that make up the resort’s core, the guests will be welcomed and treated like family. After all, Pearl Farm is still what Don Antonio envisioned it to be: a place where the family comes together to relax and engage with nature. A place we can call home.