‘Paraiso’ here on Earth: Celebration of healing, faith, and purpose

With the aim to care for the lonely, feed the hungry, and heal the sick, the Paraiso Village Farm was born. Bobby Joseph, who endured stage 4 cancer for 15 years, together with Antonio Meloto, founder of Gawad Kalinga. recognized the power of healing and purpose despite the challenges and excruciating pain they had to go through their journey in life. Together, they founded Paraiso Village Farm in San Jose, Batangas, in 2018. But there's more to the farm than being another tourism destination, it became a big comfort for the lonely elderly and subsistence farmers.

Through the renewed power of faith in action, they fed a thousand evacuees for two weeks in the town of San Jose and Cuenca during the Taal eruption and built toilets and baths at their evacuation center.

Serving its purpose to bring comfort and strengthen faith, the Seniors Faith Club was born on 14 February 2020 to give good food and good cheer to 200 indigent elderly. The movement continues to deliver its message — to touch lives and make them meaningful.

Seniors Hope Expo: Celebrating life

The first-in-the-world celebration of the Seniors Hope Expo gathered over a thousand senior citizens from 18 towns and cities of Batangas. The day was filled with feasting, fun, and fellowship.

The ladies were beautiful in their resplendent ternos, talents overflowed in the competition in ballroom dancing, singing, cooking and cultural presentations. The kurobuta steak, lechon baka and Balayan lechon baboy with lomi, Taal tapa and sinaing na tulingan came with Ralph's Corona beer and wine to satisfy the craving for Batangas heirloom dishes. It was a "walang bawal" day — the seniors could eat and drink anything — even play mahjong.