The Duyan House at Sinagtala Resort

Sinagtala - The Birth of A Shining Star   The mountain barangay of Tala is blessed with fertile soil and with a topography and climate not too dissimilar to that of Tagaytay as both share the same altitude of 500 meters above sea level.   For the coffee planting Batangueṅos from Mataas na Kahoy in Lipa, Batangas, it   made sense to migrate   to Tala after the Second World War to plant Robusta coffee on the slopes of Mount Natib.   At that time Mount Natib was denuded, devoid of timber felled by kaingeros to feed the lumber yards of Bataan which was supporting the rehabilitation of Manila from the ravages of war. It was unfortunate that the nearest source of lumber for Manila was Bataan and Zambales across Manila Bay.   The fast disappearance of forest cover was attributed to carabao logging as carabaos could penetrate deep in the forest vis-à-vis heavy logging trucks which could not. As a historical note, carabao logging where carabaos...

Duyan House - The Cradle of Sinagtala   To operate a bed and breakfast is not difficult for Federico and Frances Pascual, owners of Duyan House. Since starting travelling in their youth way back in the late sixties and up to the present, the couple would stay in a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) accommodations wherever they could, which was popular in the United States or in Europe at that time. During the mid-seventies when the Philippines hosted the Miss Universe Pageant and the International Monetary Fund Meeting, the government encouraged the establishment of B&B’s in Manila to cater to foreign guests who could not be housed in the then few operating and reputable hotels in Manila.   The couple who then lived in a 6-bedroom house plus a guest house in the center of Malate, Manila (then a top tourist spot, and only one block away from Manila Bay) answered the call of Government, and, together with a group of B&B proprietors in Manila, formed the fi...