Our Story
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Panuluyan is the farmstay of Island Harvest which is a community agribusiness model that aims to take smallholder farmer families beyond the farm gate into processing, producing, hosting, so they can increase their earnings.
Located in the remote hills of Sta Cruz, Marinduque, We believe it’s not about the size, location or topography of one’s land but the size of one’s aspiration that determines what one does with the land.
We also know the best way to create this paradigm shift is with a success story so in 2016, we decided to start farming ourselves to create a proof of concept. So far, it’s our numerous failings that have successfully shown them what does not work.
The Founding Farmers
Donna Lecaroz
At 24 years old, Donna made herself unemployable. At that time, she was struggling solo parent with three young children, without a college degree, money, means and ability, yet with a hope for a future that was borderline crazy.
That hope opened up a path that has taken her and her sneakers on an incredible journey- starting as a homebased micro entrepreneur, to the board room of a Hong Kong billion-dollar corporation, before retiring her stilettos for tsinelas. All because her hope has expanded to include those who dare not even hope.
Lenlie Lecaroz
Lenlie is a fourth-generation Marinduqueño who, after 30 years in the corporate world, decided to call the island home. His father was the first Congressman of the province who served 3 terms until Congress was abolished during Martial Law.
He believes farming and not politics is a more sustainable path for him to serve his hometown and give back to the island.