(From Lifestyle Asia, June 2019 Issue)
Â
Davaoâs Hijo Plantation, acquiredâ¨by Jose âBoyâ Tuason in 1968, was formerly a banana business that has now branched out to other industriesâ property development, leisure and tourism, agri-business, and port and logistics. The strategic diversification rooted from Joseâs vision of nation and capacity building, Filipino empowerment, and the conscientious stewardship of the countryâs natural resources, a noble cause his daughter Rosanna Tuason-Fores continues to lives by.
âHijo and Mindanao is a promise for me. Itâs â¨a promise to transform, to give simple happiness. The Filipino is very resilient. Theyâre happy people,â Rosanna says.
 Built on the foundations of her fatherâs FELICE (based on the Spanish word feliz, which means happiness) principles, she kindly explains to us that their meaning of happiness lies in each letter of the word: food, education, livelihood, identity, clothing/cottage (referring to shelter), and equity. âEvery Filipino should have that, thatâs their God-given right. So he wanted at that point to transform in his way to effect that happiness for every Filipino,â she says proudly.
Rosanna is happy with how the current administration has put the spotlight on the islands of Mindanao, âMindanao is finally given attention forâ¨the first time in the history of the Philippines. Beingâ¨the breadbasket of the Philippines, finally, thereâsâ¨some equity there. When I first started in 2006, Iâ¨did a demographic situationer and 60% of the Hijo communities were all survival families, meaning they (families of four) earned between 4,000 to 6,000 pesos per month. So you can imagine itâs hand to mouth. Thatâs where we started. So my purpose, my mission, is to give these FELICE principles. Todayâs reality, agriculture, and tourism, for me, is the hope of the Philippines. So, weâre going to revolutionize agriculture.âÂ
With Hijoâs purpose revolving around the improvement of the communitiesâ quality of life, it is easy to surmise that challenges are quite common. But it is the same vision that fuels Rosannaâs passion to persevere and do more. âEvery time I want to cool down, I just walk down about 100 meters to the elementary school within Hijoâs property and I see the childrenâs smiles and their hope. So that just washes away everything. Itâs finding hope. Thereâs always hope,â she says with a tone of positivity.
Relentless in the fulfilment of her fatherâs vision, years of hard work just seem to pass by, but the fire⨠in Rosanna remains the same. âIâm surprised Iâm still here, still persevering with the same mission after 12 years. You can get jaded kasi. We started with hardly anything. Iâm praying that Hijo will be a game changer for Mindanao as my fatherâs legacy has taught me and has promised. Itâs a work in progress. I cannot say weâve delivered,â she humbly says.Â
Â
  Cultivating the right mindset and encouragingâ¨the youth were instrumental in the progress of their goal. âMy passion is to revolutionize agriculture in the country. In November of last year, we actually put to action this vision. One is âHow do we make agriculture sexy again?â so that the youth can see that farming isâ¨a noble profession because itâs not looked upon as a noble. My sister said putting food on the table â¨is noble. In other parts of the world, farmingâ¨is noble. In Japan, youâre a farmer, youâre wealthy. I reviewed the way we were doing business; things doesn’t seem to be right. So in November 2018, we started implementing this revolution. 287 of the normally outsourced workers, we renamed their job titles to a more sexier, more millennial term, we call them âagrilodisâ or âagri-idolsâ instead of laborers and welcomed them as full-time employees of the Hijo Family. You should be proud to be a farmer. I see the change in the environment, I see the motivation, I see pride. They canât be stepped on anymore. Iâm hoping that this pride comes from a feeling of community. They should not isolate themselvesâthat all stakeholders are taken care of, that we take care of each other, and no one gets left behind. Thereâs a circle of safety and trust amongst the community,â she explains.
Rosanna shares her own definition of a meaningful life. âLife is a gift. You donât just live life living life. Your childrenâthatâs the joy. Make them socially good corporate citizens. Bringing my four kids and developing their God-given talentâwhatever it is, it could be big or small. A sense of cultivating the best in people. That brings me a lot of happiness, because in the end you take part and touch lives and motivate, culture, nurture them to be the best they can be.â
  Before we finished the interview, I asked Rosanna if her children share the same vision similar to her with her father. With no hesitation, she answers with strong conviction, âWhen we talk about caring, about real empathy, about nurturing, they have that in them. Theyâre not very far from me, the apple doesnât fall far from the tree. They embrace it. I think theyâre trying to live it. Itâs a tall order. But the answer is yes, a resounding yes.â