BOUNTY FROM LAND AND SEA
Being one of the largest provinces in the Philippines and with majority of its constituent municipalities falling along the coastlines, Quezon province holds a trove of promises for every visitor. The land is rugged, with patches of plains, valleys and swamps, while the coastlines are long, facing expanses of water that lead to remote island towns of brilliant beaches and mesmerizing coves. The land and the sea bring forth produce from which locals derive their livelihood. The place also offers guests numerous playgrounds for recreation and adventure.

In the municipality of Dolores, which lies at the foot of Mount Banahaw, Rico Acuña recounted how cultivating bees, an endeavor which sprung from his childhood interests in animal husbandry and gardening, has managed to provide him a profitable business. Starting off in 2010 what was supposed to be just a hobby, with only a few colonies of imported European honeybees, Acuña has additionally introduced two local bee species into the Mt. Banahaw Bee Farm. These harbor hundreds of bee colonies and has since thrived to become a buying station for honey connoisseurs and a bee supplier for other bee farmers throughout the country. Having taken off with some government assistance, Acuña’s bee farm enterprise stands as a showcase of a livelihood development initiative spurred under Quezon’s overall development plan.

A strong entrepreneurial spirit rooted in the appreciation of the land’s bounty seems to connect many of the personalities whom I have met during my tour around this province, of which the primary industry, namely coconut, is agriculture-based. In the municipality of Pagbilao, there is Cortijo de Palsabangon, a 5.1-hectare track of what was once a coconut plantation, which its owner, Ayrin Llorin further developed into an agricultural training center, organic vegetable farm, recreational park and restaurant. Then in, Lucban, there is the popular dining destination, Kamayan sa Palaisdaan, which before started out with floating cottages built on a tilapia fish farm and which has ever since expanded to afford visitors hotel accommodations. It even has an interesting theme restaurant, the Air Summit Gourmet, where an entire passenger jumbo jet was turned into a fanciful dining place.

And then there are the places where nature itself is the main attraction. At the Herbal Pavilion, located by the ZigZag Park within the Quezon Protected Landscape in Atimonan, Quezon’s flora is showcased as a bountiful source of medicinal herbs. The Herbal Pavilion aims to launch Quezon as the herbal capital of the country.

Beyond the Quezon mainland and a five- hour boat ride from our jump-off point in Real is the island municipality of Jomalig, a rustic town where roads are mostly just foot trails on which only motorcycles can pass, and electricity is rationed in the afternoons and evenings. “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations,” as one saying goes, and Jomalig, for all its quaint roughness, utterly delivers on the scenic goods. The magnificent backdrop of rocky islets at Kanaway, the dazzling stretch of white sand beach at Alog, and the breathtaking cove at Lingayen, all left me awestruck and appreciative at the gem of an island. It has managed to keep its bucolic charm amidst the increasing number of tourists who have been visiting the place due to awareness through social media.

TREASURING TRADITION
Milada Dealo Valdez, dignified in her 70s yet possessing the disarming amiability of a child, showed me around her house, a 1970s-built split-level bungalow which she has converted to a bed- and-breakfast place called Sulyap Sa Pahiyas (“Glimpse Into Pahiyas”). A well-respected personality in the social circles of Lucban, Mommy Milada, as she prefers to be addressed, recounted how she spearheaded the Pahiyas tradition in Lucban and how she intended it to be a celebration of her hometown’s heritage and bounty. Likewise a prolific cook who has published a cook book of traditional dishes of Quezon province, Mommy Milada impressed on me her advocacy on going back to the basics of her home province’s tradition.

Over an evening banquet of Lucbanon dishes such as pancit habhab (traditional Lucbanon noodles) and hardinera (traditional Lucbanon meatloaf ), Mommy Milada recounted stories from her younger years. She spoke about how her hometown has changed through the passage of time, and how the popular Pahiyas festival – where Lucban’s townfolk elaborately dress up and adorn their houses in farm produce and colorful kiping (leaf- shaped rice wafer) – has evolved from its inception as a small town fiesta into one of the country’s most popular festivals. In a lot of ways, Mommy Milada encapsulates my general impression of Quezon – a composed and cordial host, embodying olden Tagalog charm and hospitality.

Throughout my trip, I have noticed that, among almost everyone whom I’ve met, there seems to exist a common sense of appreciation and pride in local heritage and tradition. There was Francisco Nadera and his wife, an amiable elderly couple, who demonstrated to me during one evening at the Nawawalang Paraiso Resort and Hotel in Tayabas how to make minukmok (or nilupak), a delicacy made primarily from banana, particularly the saba variety. As Francisco mashed the main ingredient into a sticky paste and mixed it with margarine and condensed milk inside a huge wooden mortar and pestle, he narrated how, in the olden days, the custom of making of minukmok somehow functioned as a courtship ritual. It was by this very custom that Francisco and his wife met and fell in love.

Then there is the Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort in Tiaong. It's a self-contained and still- operational coconut plantation, as put by Cocoy Ventura, Villa Escudero’s executive chef. It now stands as a veritable conservatory of Philippine heritage and tradition. There's a water buffalo-drawn cart and resort staff members garbed in traditional Filipino costumes, serenading visitors with old Filipino kundiman songs. There's the grand luncheon banquet of traditional Filipino fare set against a waterfall and river backdrop. An there's the museum houses with rich memorabilia and artifacts, collected from the time of the original founders of the plantation. Villa Escudero is truly a worthwhile destination to visit and behold.

COUNTLESS DISCOVERIES
I have visited Quezon province many times before, having stayed over and passed through many of its constituent municipalities and having experienced for myself a lot of her attractions. Yet, I have not fully realized just how much more expansive, rich and captivating her lure as a travel destination actually is, until now. There were a lot about Quezon that I apparently still don’t know, and what I have so far come to realize for myself is that the pulse and the verve of Quezon is deeply rooted in the land. The people make their living from the land’s bounty, and their culture and traditions reflect the ties that bind Quezonons to their mother province.

Suarez and the other people I met during my trip tantalized me with talks of numerous other destinations and points of interests that I should see. There were festivals in which to participate; islands, beaches and hot springs in which to luxuriate; mountains and highlands to climb; and historical sites from which to learn and appreciate Filipino heritage. And given how the Quezonon spirit shines with such warm hospitality and pride for the province, I definitely would take up the invitation to come back.