ProoPH, A Start­up Travel Agency Offers Sustainable Getaways in Romblon

Photo by Danielle P Ochoa

Do you remember the San Juan City Heritage and Food  Walking Tour I joined months ago ? Well, they have more upcoming out-of-town tour packages and I am very much excited to share these to everyone :) 

When sisters Meggie and Fiona Ochoa started ProoPH in 2014, they began with Metro Manila tours they called “MicrocAwesome.” From food trips in San Juan to walking tours of UP Diliman, their tours gave fresh insight into familiar places through quality storytelling and experiential learning.

This year, ProoPH is offering sustainable getaways to Sibuyan Island, Romblon Province—their first destination outside Manila. Each of the Love in Isolation Tours ​is a 4D/5N stay based in a different municipality of Sibuyan Island. Nature lovers will like the Magdiwang ​tour package.

Photo by Margarita P Ochoa

Nature lovers will like the Magdiwang ​tour package. This includes a visit to the Ikaduha Fish

Sanctuary for snorkeling and lunch prepared by local fisherfolk, a natural spa at a waterfall, a

floating restaurant, and firefly­watching with the Magdiwang Boat Riders Association. The tour

also heads to Romblon Island to see a heritage town, to go mangrove planting, to take a

glass­bottom boat ride through the Agnay Fish Sanctuary and to relax at a white sand beach.

Photo by Job P Ochoa

The San Fernando ​tour package is more adventurous. It features a trip to a four­ level waterfall where visitors can cliff­dive, another waterfall that has a natural slide, and a river tour for folklore storytelling and even more cliff­diving. One day is spent at Cresta de Gallo, a white sand islet where travelers can swim, trek and enjoy a grilled lunch. There is also a tour of Romblon Island’s heritage town, bird watching, mangrove planting, and a visit to a church built in the 1800s.

Photo by Margarita P Ochoa

Meanwhile, the Cajidiocan ​tour package focuses on the beauty of Romblon’s indigenous culture. It features a trek to the Sibuyan Mangyan Tagabukid community, where locals teach visitors how they harvest shrimps, use indigenous instruments and play traditional games—all in one day. The tour also includes mangrove planting, lunch at a fish sanctuary, a morning hike/bike, and folklore storytelling. Guides are also being trained to hold stargazing sessions.

Photo by Margarita P Ochoa

“Sibuyan is [geographically] isolated, so the flora and fauna have evolved in a way that is unique,” says Meggie. “Protecting the island can’t be done simply by preventing environmentally destructive activities. There need to be other options for the locals, sustainable ways to earn a living.”

ProoPH partnered with the GRassroots Economic and ENvironmental (GREEN) Initiative of
ABS­CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan. Meggie previously worked at the foundation as part of the team that developed ecotourism in Sibuyan Island. ProoPH now supports conservation and livelihood programs that help locals during the off­peak season for tourists.

“Joining our tour isn’t just about having the time of your life. You will be part of a bigger movement which will be the reason why our mountains stay forested, why certain species survive, why children of local farmers and fishermen finish college,” Meggie adds. “You’ll be able to look back and say ‘I was a part of that.’”
­­

To learn more about the Love in Isolation Tours, please visit: http://prooph.org/tours/
Or contact us at:
Email ­ proophinc@gmail.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/proophinc
Instagram: @proophinc
Mobile: 09177039839/09084109658