Visionaries

It takes visionaries to build a community from heavily forested land and shepherd its growth over nearly 30 years.

Sinagtala, which is located in the mountain barangay of Tala in Orani, Bataan, was a big unknown gamble back in 1996 when it was first offered to then Congressman Felicito “Tong” Payumo by two families who had homestead claims over 48 hectares of coffee farms that were extensively damaged by ashfall resulting from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.

Back then, in 1996, Barangay Tala was a sleepy community without adequate water and electricity. It is located in the mountains seven kilometers from Roman Highway, with a rough road that turns muddy in the rainy season and dusty in the dry season. However, its climate and topography is similar to Tagaytay in Cavite.

Payumo, fortunately, saw the potential of the 48-hectare coffee farmland even though he did not have enough resources to acquire the property. He, instead, was able to convince a group of friends to join him and take a gamble on the potential of the land.

Those who shared Payumo’s vision and chose to invest in acquiring the 48 hectares included PNB chairman Federico Pascual, former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario, Guillermo Luchangco of the ICCP Group of Companies, former PSALM head Ed Del Fonso, former insurance commissioner Ben Santos, former investment banker Renato “Bing” de Guzman, Glicer Sicat, Cesar Samaniego and well-known architect Nestor David, who eventually became the planner for Sinagtala.

However, the potential of the property remained untapped for another 18 years, until in 2014 when Payumo, Pascual and David decided to finally explore the forested land and discovered that it offered a fantastic and breathtaking views of lowland Bataan and Manila Bay, as well as that of Mount Arayat, Mount Natib, Mount Pinatubo and Mount Malasimbo.

It was then that the vision of the group crystalized to create, initially as a mountain retreat which they named Sinagtala.

According to Pascual, it was decided to build a chapel, which they wanted to be blessed by then Balanga Bishop Socrates Villegas, who then required them to name the chapel after the Maria Ai Monte Church in Rome.

David, a well-known environmental planner, then commissioned a crucified Christ using coffee branches from the former coffee farmland.

From the initial concept of a retreat, however, the development continues to evolve and most of the properties owned by the initial investors have been converted into bed and breakfast facilities.

Pascual, for one, whose lovely wife Francine has a history of owning and managing bed and breakfast facilities, developed the first B&B in the Sinagtala called “the Duyan House.” Complementing the B&Bs are three public pools.

Recent developments are now offering more adventurous activities such as a forest canopy zipline, hanging bridge walk, and a daring bicycle tightrope ride.

For those opting to go camping, they have developed two camping sites where families can pitch their tent or can opt for trailer or car camping.

Parties, weddings, team building events and an adventurous forest walk or hike is also on offer.

Thus, from a sleepy backwater community, Barangay Tala has now become a tourist destination that has helped improved the economic well being of the area, offering employment and economic opportunities for the landowners and residents who decades ago were tagged as rebels due to the lack of development in the area.

Geno’s ice cream

While Orani, Bataan may be the domain of Tong Payumo and Pascual, apparently DMCI’s Isidro “Sid” Consunji regularly enjoys the quick drive-up to the area.

During a recent “birthday” dinner he hosted for business editors at the Manila Golf in Makati, Sid revealed that during weekends he likes to drive out of town... sometimes to Laguna, but often to Orani, where he buys tubs of ube-gabi ice cream from well-known Bataan ice cream maker Geno’s.

Sid even promised us that he would buy the famous ube-gabi ice cream, which are sold in tubs and are well packed in styrofoam to keep them nice and firm for the travel back to Manila.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to taste the ubegabi ice cream because it turns out that it has become so popular in Alabang that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has chosen to run after and close the small SME ice cream maker for failing to pay the proper taxes!

I ran into Sid Consunji last Saturday at lunch time at Everybody’s Cafe in San Fernando, Pampanga, where he, indeed, confirmed that he had also gone up to Bataan that weekend to try to buy his usual order, only to learn about Geno’s closure.