Have you ever considered the farmer whose hands nurtured the rice in your morning meal? Or wondered if the elder who taught a young villager to plant their first seedling realizes how that simple lesson grew into a lifetime of harvests?
Often, the connections in our food systems carry this kind of imbalance. The grower might tend thousands of plants without knowing whose tables they will grace, while we savor fruits whose origins remain faceless to us.
This asymmetry, so fundamental to agricultural life, takes on an extraordinary form at Villa Socorro Farm (VSF), where one man’s loób has touched many, creating a shared kapwa that thrives like the heart of their saba trees.
At Villa Socorro Farm, the puso ng saging (heart of the banana) and puso ng tao (person’s heart) nurture each other in silent harmony, hidden from view yet giving life to everything that flourishes above the soil.
Loob as the root
With Villa Socorro Farm’s core, Sir Mars Aaron, whose loób, strengthened through years of corporate success and personal reflection, brought him back to his first love: farming. His journey from Unilever to the rural heart of Pagsanjan, Laguna, was less of a career shift and more of a return to his roots.
His decision to establish VSF as an agri-social enterprise wasn’t purely business-driven; it was a reflection of his strengthened loób, one that sought to uplift the farming community around him.
Sir Mars’ son, Sir Raymund Aaron, carried this familial loób into his own journey. While Sir Mars laid the groundwork, Sir Raymund nurtured it by fusing his education in social entrepreneurship with the values his father instilled.
This passing of loób not only shaped VSF’s direction but deeply influenced the partner farmers and employees who are now part of their ecosystem. Farmers like Tatay Golem and Kuya Joseph have intertwined their own loóbs with that of the Aarons, fostering a culture that is more family than farm.
Kapwa as the trunk
Beyond banana chips production, farmstays and farm-centered activities, VSF takes pride in a culture of trust and respect. Partner farmers aren’t bound by strict quotas or pressured by rigid timelines; they deliver what they can, when they can. Employees describe their bond as one of siblings (pagiging magkakapatid), sharing meals, laughter, and life beyond the workplace.
This dynamic didn’t emerge by accident. Through everyday interactions, Sir Raymund’s loób gradually wove itself into the fabric of their community, creating a collective kapwa. Farmers like Kuya Joseph have actively encouraged others in their communities to start planting saba, transforming idle spaces into sources of livelihood. The flow of loóbs, one feeding into another, has built a sturdy trunk of interconnected lives that holds VSF steady through time.
Shared space for growth
The banana tree’s cycle mirrors the rhythm of VSF’s relationships. Just like how a banana tree regenerates after bearing fruit, the farm’s ties with its people continue to grow and flourish. The “puso ng saging,” often overlooked yet vital to the banana plant’s life cycle, becomes a perfect metaphor for the unseen but deeply influential role of loób in shaping their kapwa.
In the same way that banana peels, trunks, and blossoms find new life in various uses, the values that began with Sir Mars have extended far beyond their initial form. Farmers pass down skills to their children, employees bring in relatives, and even new interns — like Justine, Raizel, and Lheslyn from Leyte — become part of this evolving narrative. The shared kapwa at VSF continues to expand, branching out like a tree whose strength lies not just in its trunk, but in the enduring web of relationships it has fostered.
Villa Socorro Farm isn’t just a banana chip producer; it’s a testament to how one loób, when deeply rooted, can influence and inspire many others. From Sir Mars’ founding values to Sir Raymund’s leadership, from partner farmers like Tatay Golem to new interns stepping into the fold, the cycle continues. Loób begets loób, creating an ever-growing kapwa – a shared space for growth, renewal, and belonging, much like the heart of the banana tree itself.
Indeed, at Villa Socorro Farm, the puso ng saging and puso ng tao nurture each other in silent harmony, hidden from view yet giving life to everything that flourishes above the soil. – Rappler.com
Patch Aure, Alexa Abary, Melka Antipolo, Hannah Sharmae Prado, and Sharky Roxas are part of a research team seeking to explain how Filipino values and dynamic capabilities lead to social sustainability outcomes. patrick.aure@dlsu.edu.ph