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FORMER Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala at his 25-hectare farm estate near Pagbilao Bay and Mount Banahaw, where he envisions the country’s first “Blue Zone” community—designed for longevity and natural living. The farm, which uses Israeli technology and sustainable practices, is already producing high-value crops like Japanese melons and honeydew. JOEL C. PAREDES
NATURE DECREES THE LIVES OF MEN N
By Joel C. Paredes
EAR the scenic Pagbilao Bay, with a full view of the mystical Mount Banahaw, is a 25-hectare farm estate that former Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala believes could be the country’s first “Blue Zone.”
FORMER Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala demonstrates enhanced free-range breeding methods at his farm estate. JOEL C. PAREDES
ORGANICALLY raised native pigs are being propagated within the farm estate as part of its natural farming initiatives. JOEL C. PAREDES
Learning from the pandemic lockdowns and inspired by the long, happy lives of people in self-contained farm estates, an ex-DA chief dreams of the country’s first “Blue Zone.”
A ROW of modern Mexican-style cabanas stands beside a greenhouse that yields high-value crops like honeydew and Japanese melons. JOEL C. PAREDES
AN automated greenhouse with an attached rain shelter, as viewed from one of the cabanas. JOEL C. PAREDES
Its exceptional environment, which he says is ideal for “natural” farming, holds the potential for allowing residents to live to 100 years, even while integrating modern technology. Call it an illusion, but the former agriculture secretary, who drew inspiration from his experiences during the Covid-19 lockdown, is now focusing on creating such a community where he intends to complete each cut of 1,500 square meters, with a modern Mexicanstyle cabana and employing Israeli technology: an automated 300-square-meter greenhouse with an attached rain shelter, a vegetable garden in the backyard and planted with 12 fruit-bearing trees.
He has already completed the first seven units, which use a drip process in the farm system that produces high-value crops like Japanese melons and honeydew. He admits that developing such a community “comes with a price,” and being a centenarian is not a privilege for all. Instead, it is for those who have succeeded in life and now desire to live in a natural farming community with the luxury of preparing their own farm-to-table food. The concept of a “Blue Zone,” where people live significantly longer and healthier, was actually coined by explorer Dan Buettner, who, along with a team of researchers, identified these areas by circling them in blue on a map. Today, there are five recognized Blue Zones where people often have a high concentration of centenarians (people who live to be 100 or older) and experience lower rates of chronic diseases. While genetics played a small role (20-30 percent), the remarkable longevity in Blue Zones is primarily attributed to shared lifestyle factors, environment, and social habits.
‘Longer life’
“WHAT people are looking for is to have a longer life,” said Alcala, a longtime diabetic sufferer who tries to manage the disease by regularly playing tennis, even at 70 years old. “Who would want to live for 100 years? People with good living conditions and where money is not a problem. But for all of us, living life to our fullest is always in the heart,” he said. Now, he believes that the solution to the problem of old age is to live in a stress-free environment, have a healthy lifestyle and enjoy nature with a complete source of natural resources. Continued on A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 55.7030 n JAPAN 0.3865 n UK 75.1823 n HK 7.1034 n CHINA 7.7511 n SINGAPORE 43.2880 n AUSTRALIA 35.8839 n EU 63.3455 n KOREA 0.0407 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.8521 Source: BSP (May 30, 2025)