While in the midst of our culinary exploration of the Zamboanga Peninsula and on our way to more Hilom (wellness) and Habi (weaving) discovery, we passed by a province I’d never been to before: Zamboanga Sibugay. Only a few days removed from ticking Basilan as my seventy-fifth province visited in the Philippines, I stared intently outside the window of our van, engrossing much scenery and wondering if I could checkmark it already. However, I had a personal rule that if I didn’t stop to either eat or sleep, it didn’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.

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 catches, made for one memorable first day in Basilan. It went without saying that I expected our lunch the next day would be equally fulfilling—and it indeed was.

After leaving a high-paying job in a Hong Kong-based exporting company more than twenty-five years ago, Helen Rulloda never doubted she was making the right decision. Driven by a strong faith that she was 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 persisted, Helen seized the occasion to answer her calling.