While in the midst of our culinary exploration of Zamboanga Peninsula and on our way to more Hilom (wellness) and Habi (weaving) discovery, we passed by a province I’ve never been to before: Zamboanga Sibugay. Only a few days removed from ticking Basilan as my 75^th province visited in the Philippines, I stare intently outside the window of our van engrossing much scenery wondering if I could check mark it already. However, I have a personal rule that if I don’t stop to either eat or sleep, it doesn’t count. Good thing though—despite having a hearty breakfast already—our group stopped for another round of breakfast at this hilltop property in Ipil called Stonehill Farms.

Diners come to Stonehill Farms for its specialty dishes like lechon, tinolang native chicken, sugbang tuna belly, sinuglaw, fish kilawin, calamares and platters of the best appetizing delicacies from Zamboanga Peninsula.

Since we already had a full breakfast, we opted for some native snacks plus platters of lumpiang shanghai and pancit canton to go along with brewed coffee and the bonus scenery of Sibugey Bay and Buluan Island. A few from our group tried out the tsokwate (hot chocolate) drink instead of coffee and they raved about it being so good.

As I finish my cup of coffee, I took the opportunity to savor the experience of finally visiting Zamboanga Sibugay. While I can now call it my 76th province, I am still uncertain of fully experiencing it until I explore its other attractions.

Our knowledgeable tour operator slash historian Errold Lim Bayona of iTravel Tourist Lane told us that we should allot a separate trip just to explore Zamboanga Sibugay. In fact, a few days after our trip, the Department of Tourism Region 9 premiered a video showing the many tourist destinations of Zamboanga Sibugay — which you can watch here.

For travelers who want to experience more of Stonehill Farms' beautiful outdoor setting, they can stay in one of their Bahay Kubo (which can sleep up to 8 people) or rent a tent of various sizes.

Spread over a 10-hectare hilltop land, one can enjoy enough space to fully enjoy the wide nature spots of Stonehill Farms. Although we only stayed here for a couple of hours, I would say that it provided me not only with a hearty meal but also with a beautiful glimpse of my 76th Philippine province, Zamboanga Sibugay.

A feast of a brunch consisting of mouth-watering Tausug and Sama delicacies on a floating cottage, followed by a beachfront banquet with curacha crabs and other fresh seafood catch, made for one memorable first day in Basilan. It goes without saying that I expected our lunch the next day would be equally fulfilling - and it indeed was.

However, before our monstrous appetite dealt with the lunch situation that day, we first need to journey to a city that still carries a long-standing misconception — no thanks to the infamous events that dominated headlines more than 20 years ago; Lamitan City.

Up until several years ago, I was one of those who harbored safety apprehension about traveling to Basilan, particularly Lamitan City. Thankfully, I was exposed to a circle of travelers where a good number have visited Basilan (including my ex-Girlfriend who went alone there in 2011). As I read and listened to their accounts, it became clear that Basilan as a whole is no different from other places in the Philippines.

As developments started happening in the early 2010s when the whole island became connected by a diversion road, local economies flourished and the youths who was once a favorite target of insurgent group's recruitment program, found other better things to do namely; attend school or go to work.

Following that make-over, the rich culture of Basilan — upstaged by the headlines of Government battles with terrorist groups — slowly emerged into the consciousness of us outsiders.

Traditions widely known and practiced in the province — such as Yakan weaving — soon became an object of fascination and interest among travelers. Other than that, nature sights like Malamawi Beach became a favorite among avid travelers. Among those great outdoor gems of Basilan is Bulingan Falls.

We arrived at Bulingan Falls the night after torrential rains lashed the forests of the province. Consequently, murky-colored water flowed through the wide cascade of the waterfall. The tour officer who was with our group was so apologetic because of that. She tells us in Tagalog that “If only it hadn't rained last night, the water would have been much clearer today”.

Murky waters it may be, Bulingan Falls still appear majestic enough for me to be captivated by it. Upon close scrutiny (aka me sitting on a slab or rock staring at the waterfalls and contemplating life), I noticed its magnificent nature-chiseled walls as if a sculpture meticulously shaped it. Its sculpted appearance reminded me of Pongour Waterfalls in Da Lat, Vietnam.

On a hot summer day, I would have opted to swim. On this day though, I preferred to just ogle and listen to the sounds of the streaming waters of Bulingan Falls. That and dealing with another delicious lunch situation that involves buttered large shrimps dipped in sweet and spicy sauce, fish in pineapple express — as i call it, Tiyulah Itum (braised meat in black soup), chicken curry, garlic fried giant crabs, and a savory dish of mashed vegetables with meat served inside a Squash (Kalabasa).

Since we came here to explore the region’s Hilom (Wellness), Habi (Weaving) and Halal (Cuisine), I dealt with our lunch situation at Bulingan Falls by slowly savoring every bite while listening to the soundtrack of nature nearby. Lamitan City isn’t bad after all — in fact, it’s up there among the best provinces to explore in the Philippines.

After leaving a high-paying job in a HK-based exporting company more than 25 years ago, Helen Rulloda never doubted she was making the right decision. Driven by a strong faith that she’s headed to her path of true calling, she eventually stumbled into a little-known handicraft trade in her home province. Recognizing the beauty of an industry where generation to generation handing down of artisan weaving skills persist, Helen seized the occasion to answer her calling.

An advocacy to champion bridging small medium enterprises (SMEs) to local communities became Helen’s main motivation. Soon after, she started marketing the fine baskets handcrafted by weavers from strips of branches of labtang trees to various stores and malls.

“I went home to La Union in 1994. I saw neighbors and relatives weaving. I thought of offering these to the malls.”

Now in her early 50s and having faced the global pandemic crisis, Rulloda’s faith and commitment have been tested. Tragedy struck when her former community coordinator suffered from depression due to financial problems, later succumbing to Covid-19 in 2020. This drove Helen to pitch new samples to Kultura—SM’s specialty store selling local crafts and handicrafts.

Two new communities showed her new designs. Impressed by the quality of the woven labtang and bamboo baskets, she presented the samples to Kultura.

The pandemic was not a hindrance to securing orders in bulk. “After I showed our samples, Kultura ordered in bulk. Their purchase order now reaches 3 million pesos,” Rulloda shared in delight. “Before, we sent orders to 12 malls. Under Kultura, we deliver to 45 stores including provincial stores,” she added.

The partnership with Kultura also spilled over to helping Rulloda achieve some of her dreams. “I was able to buy a small farm, renovate my house, and travel to 7 countries all because of this business,” Rulloda shared.

When Helen Rulloda started tapping additional communities to meet Kultura’s increasing bulk orders, it also opened doors for second chances to several people who had lost their jobs during the pandemic.

“I used to work for a lending company in San Fernando,” shared Rex Villarosa, one of the basket weavers in the community of Brgy. Ar-Arampang in Balaoan. “When businesses closed, my boss had no more money to lend. I lost my job,” he adds.

Already a skilled basket weaver since he was a teenager, Villarosa first went back to weaving during the pandemic, working for a roadside store selling woven materials made from baging. That didn’t last long because his daily take-home pay of 250 pesos was not enough to sustain his family’s everyday needs. Fortunately, around April of that year, Helen started increasing the orders for woven baskets to meet the demand from Kultura, and Villarosa became one of the basket weavers the community gathered.

“Now with the orders from Kultura, if I make big boxes, I earn 450 to 500 pesos a day,” adds Villarosa.

As neighboring towns in the province—specifically the tourism hub of San Juan—suffered great economic losses during the pandemic, the community of Ar-Arampang experienced the opposite. “Kultura’s continuous orders are such a big help. Since April, our production never stopped,” says Lolita Valdez, the community’s coordinator of basket weavers in Ar-Arampang.

To date, in the barangay of Ar-Arampang alone, there are at least 15 active basket weavers benefiting from the collaboration between Helen Rulloda and Kultura.

Asked what she thinks are the reasons that made it possible for her to tap local communities for a collaboration with Kultura, Helen stated the power of faith, the importance of hard work and dedication, plus the consistent high quality of products being produced by the community basket weavers themselves.

“I always wanted to deliver quality baskets to strengthen our relationship with our clients,” says Helen.

To Helen Rulloda, the journey that took her to head a community-based SME and into a fruitful collaboration with Kultura was a testament to her heeding a call. “I am grateful to God because I am just a steward of this business to help share the blessings with other communities,” she said.

It turns out that the call Rulloda is alluding to also made its way to the weavers of the communities in several towns of La Union and Kultura, who both answered with fervor. Who knows, this once obscure handicraft basket industry of La Union might soon join the growing list of SMEs that became household names in the Philippine market after partnering with SM. Looking at the commitment of both Helen Rulloda and her weavers in further improving their business, the chances are high that they will achieve just that.

“I highly encourage other entrepreneurs to also invest in agriculture. Why? Aside from the fact that there’s a growing demand for sustainable food, we are in an agricultural country and yet our farmers are the most neglected sector in our society. Let’s help them to improve the quality of their lives. My wish and prayer are to pass it on from generation to generation so that the Filipino farmers will be proud of who they are and what they do. Let us keep our Filipino pride alive by helping each other out. And hopefully, we will be able to grow local, go global.” — Helen Rulloda, GIDC President & CEO