Brace yourself and take your soul to a garden where you immediately feel invigorated as you walk in sheltered by the shade of the trees and cooled by the gentle breeze. 

Plant-based food prepared from gardens is bursting with goodness to energize you.

Then you will see a hidden paradise situated in Barangay Dasay in San Juan town, the Lotus Valley Farm— a work in harmony with nature and appreciate all it has for us.

The forest farm started in 2013, and is owned by Ramon “Toby” Tamayo, a retired military man and environmentalist.

“The first time we saw the property that we now call Lotus Valley, it looked more like a sick man with plenty of wounds,” said Tamayo.

The terraces were cut into the slopes which were left bare except for remnants of tiger grass. 

Few trees that were left had been periodically chopped down. 

Several gaping holes in the ground were the silent proof that the wood was turned into charcoal. 

There were no signs of wildlife. 

The only hope they found was a spring and a small stream.

So, their family decided that the best way to let the healing start was to plant trees – lots and lots of them. 

Native trees like narra, banaba, kamuning, and kupang are planted so they would not only survive but help nurture other plants. 

That year, as they worked with the urgency of an Emergency Room trauma team, they experienced typhoon Pepeng. 

After assessing the new injuries of their  'patient', the family decided to do planting even more and make canals to direct all the water so that they could save topsoil and maximize the moisture left.

Through Tamayo’s sheer effort and wonderful vision, with the support of his wife and their children, as well as the local community and the environmental foundation SIFCare, he was able to heal (by planting trees and plants, among others) and transform the land into a thriving and sustainable eco-tourism farm and wellness sanctuary. 

The flora and fauna he’s managed to nurse back to health and cultivate are abundant and happily alive. 

According to him, the farm which implements responsible and sustainable practices in protecting the environment and natural resources, is his legacy for future generations.

Today, a thriving forest garden has become a model of sustainable agriculture. 

Aside from the trees,  the farm organically grows rice, beans, vegetables, fruits, healing herbs, and even materials for housing like bamboo and anahaw. 

Not only is the foliage back but also the chirping birds!

One can watch the bats flying at dusk and enjoy the magic of the fireflies in the evenings. 

Even the wild bees have made their home in the site ensuring pollination of flowers.

To sustain the province’s vision to be the heart of Agri-tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025, the Lotus Valley Farm partnered with the provincial government of La Union, the Department of Tourism, and the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority to come up with a training and wellness center.

So, come and see how it is possible to revive your corner of the Earth. 

Now that environment savers have healed the wounds in the valley, lotus plants rise above their murky waters signaling hope and health for all of the constituents in the province. (JCR/AMB/KJCR, PIA La Union)