So....Why Palawan and Why Now?

Relocating from your home country often prompts many questions from friends and family. A frequently asked question is, "Why Palawan?" This inquiry makes sense, especially considering the Philippines is an archipelago with over 7,641 islands. So, how did we decide on Palawan as our home and the site for Ros Cole Farms?

We had been visiting the Philippines for over 20 years, beginning in the 2000s. Initially, most trips were related to our work in call centers, primarily taking us to Manila, Pampanga, and Cebu. In 2018, we began discussing retirement and the possibility of a less stressful life in the future. We quickly realized that staying in the US would likely mean working into our late 60s or even 70s. We wanted to enjoy life sooner, recognizing its brevity!

We were fortunate to travel the world for work, which provided us with many options, particularly places where our money would stretch further. This was crucial to ensure our decision was sustainable. Our hearts were set on the Philippines as our desired destination!

We embarked on a thoughtful exploration of the country and its numerous islands. A common theme in the Philippines is the kindness and amazing nature of its people. They are humorous, helpful, and value family. This would be true regardless of the island we chose, so that criterion was met. Major city traffic is notoriously bad, and we had experienced enough of that over the years to know we didn't want it daily. We also wanted to avoid excessive air pollution. Think of California's smog, and that's the major cities in the Philippines. So, Manila and Cebu were quickly ruled out. We love these cities for their vibrant culture and activity, but they're too busy for us.

We chose Palawan because our research indicated it was becoming the next big destination in the Philippines. It was beautiful, clean, and colorful. The air was fresh, and the oceans and mountains were stunning. We already had some family there, and it was very affordable. Not to mention, there's no heavy traffic here! It offered so much of what we were looking for and checked many of our boxes.

Palawan offered affordable land and housing. We had always dreamed of owning a farm, and this was a unique opportunity to make that dream a reality. We found land and a plot for our home directly across from our farm. We started forming friendships with the welcoming locals and, over two years, built our home and farm from the US in preparation for the big move.

We acquired about 4 hectares of land for our farm and planted 1,000 calamansi trees. The land already included a rice field, so we maintained its operation. We constructed a piggery where we now produce about 75 pigs a year from our 5 mother pigs. Among everything we have on the farm, the poultry business has been the most successful. I'll be posting more on that soon, but in short, these two city folks now run a several thousand chicken farm operation. To answer your next question, no, we would have never imagined being where we are today 20 years ago. God has blessed us with this opportunity, and we are happy to have a place here where we can share our experiences with you.