MANILA, Philippines - Amazing how things turn out. Before Punta de Fabian came to be, its founder Teresita Fabian Pamintuan was recuperating from her breast cancer operation. At the time, she found consolation in her faith, family, and friends. It was her way of healing herself, a restorative process that involved looking inwards.
This process was supported by both family and friends, which included her doctor Antonio Villalon and former First Lady Loi Ejercito. Everybody encouraged her to nurture herself, which she immediately did.
“I would instruct my driver to bring me to this and that place, anywhere that was calm and peaceful. We would go out of town just to do that. I really appreciate the beauty of nature,” Pamintuan shares. “Along the way, I realized that God gave me a second chance to serve my purpose in life.”
She communed with nature and discovered unspeakably beautiful places. Call it the work of Divine Providence, but her journey led her to a property with verdant vegetation sitting on a hilltop in Baras and Tanay, Rizal. The place offered a magnificent view of the Sierra Madre mountain range and the majestic Laguna de Bay.
“It was love at first sight,” she recalls. “I fell in love with it so much that I never stopped visiting the place. I knew this place was meant to be.”
In 1995, Pamintuan decided to purchase the three-hectare property and promptly built a private vacation for her and her family. The house would be called Villa Teresita. She recounts, “The future Punta de Fabian was made of bamboo and nipa houses.”
This rest house became more than a vacation house. It became a retreat house, thereby serving its purpose to the recovering patient. The location also proved to be advantageous, as it was far removed from the pollution of Metro Manila.
“During this time, Dr. Loi, supportive as she was, enlisted me to become a member of the Mare Program. She knew that making me do missionary work for the less privileged would help me recover,” she reveals.
The place would find itself relevant to her newfound calling. It did not only serve as a venue for her planning program, it also became the jump-off point for her medical and dental missions, and relief goods distribution. The vacation house was turning into a vocation house. Indeed, what began as her personal sanctuary was turning into a haven for others looking for relief for mind, body, and spirit.
It did not take long for family friends, and even friends of friends, to discover what her retreat house had to offer. “I got calls and inquiries from them, asking if they could spend their vacations and weekends at Villa Teresita,” she says. “I did not expect them to flock to this place but there they were, finding and experiencing the same peace and quiet that led me here.”
The demand for the place was so high that Pamintuan thought it best to convert the vacation house into a first-class resort, renamed Punta de Fabian Resort, with new facilities added to the existing features.
“Among our first clients were from UP Diliman, Miriam College, San Miguel Corp., Department of Agriculture, among others. They all supported our company to succeed in the corporate world,” she enthuses. “I am happy to say that Punta de Fabian has become the choice venue for events and parties.”
Since its opening six years ago, Punta de Fabian has become the premier resort in Rizal province. Families, corporate groups, leisure vacationers, and honeymooners have expressed their approval of Punta de Fabian as the place for celebrations, corporate activities, and relaxation.
Punta de Fabian recently added four junior suites, eight executive rooms and a new lobby where guests will be welcomed. The inauguration of these new additions and the blessing of the new Meliton Geronimo Building take place tomorrow.
Daughter Theresa Joy, who serves as Punta de Fabian president, says, “We give importance to our valued clients by developing bigger and better accommodations that will make their stay at the resort more enjoyable and relaxing.”
“It signified that Punta de Fabian continuously grows to render better services to our guests, both present and future,” she adds. “Punta de Fabian is extending its 15 percent percent discount from Dec. 1 until Jan. 5, 2012 for the soft opening of the Meliton Geronimo building and for the guests to experience an enjoyable holiday at a reasonable rate.”
All these only show that the resort has, indeed, come a long way. It was a journey meant to be fulfilled and shared. All things considered, Teresita Pamintuan continues to live her life to the fullest, ensuring that everyone who sets foot in Punta de Fabian will experience the same sense of tranquility that she so enjoyed when she first arrived here.
“Punta de Fabian makes my life fulfilling,” she concludes.
* * *
Punta de Fabian is located along Manila East Road, Barangay Evangelista, Baras, Rizal. For reservations, call 929-2920, 433-1995, 710-3153 or 994-1455. Visit its website at www.puntadefabian.com.