What makes a hero? A man in a cape? A woman with superhuman abilities?

It is in difficult times that we see profound and selfless actions from our heroes. Most of them are strangers whom we do not know personally but have shown and extended compassion and kindness to us. These are our medical workers who are risking their lives everyday to take care of the sick, our farmers who continue to feed the people with their harvest, and every person who has extended help to their fellow countrymen during this time. They are the new generation of unsung heroes and most of them are from our basic labor force.

Our annual Labor Day Holiday serves as a reminder to us and the rest of the world that our workers are the basic unit of force that empowers and propels us. Without them, our systems would collapse and nations would fall into paralysis. We are truly indebted to them and it is on this special day that we rightfully celebrate their heroic acts.

While we’re safely embraced in the comfort of our homes, let’s reflect on how we will honor our heroes who are out there still battling the war against COVID-19. 

Support Local, Buy Local, Honor Local

Just like our frontliners in the medical field, we saw how the roles played by our local farmers and the entire food and agriculture industry is important in helping us survive our difficult situation. After being contained in our homes, most of us were afraid of going hungry as we were not allowed to go outside. But despite the stricter measures and the tedious logistics, our farmers launched initiatives and have now found a way in providing for our needs by making their produce more accessible online. 

Malagos Homegrown Produce, together with the farmers and employees from the Malagos Farm, Malagos Garden Resort, and its sister companies, is one with the unsung heroes’ efforts in saving lives. And although our restaurants can not serve you as of the moment, you can still delight in the farm-to-table goodness in our farm-fresh finds and selections at Malagos Homegrown Produce. The team is currently providing healthy and locally-grown produce, signature farm-to-table products, high-quality meat and fish selections, freshly-baked breads and pastries, and fresh-cut flowers to the residents of Davao. Locals can also buy Malagos Chocolate and other local delights and favorites that are surely already missed by many.

Honor your local frontliners by buying from online market stores like Malagos Homegrown Produce. Their  livelihood was drastically affected by the pandemic but still continue to show acts of heroism by providing us our essential needs. They help us provide you with more farm-to-table and sustainable options while you are safely quarantined in your homes. 

Another less celebrated hero is a community of women weavers from the Community Livelihood and Enterprise Resource Center located at Barangay Malagos. Their advocacy for sustainability and zero-waste is manifested in their livelihood program of upcycling used plastic ties and turning them into products like bayongs/bags, trash cans, etc. Even before the pandemic arised and the temporary closure of the resort, their upcycled bayongs were used as packaging for our local souvenirs at the Madayaw Cafe and our souvenir shop. Now you can shop their hand-woven bags at https://www.malagoshomegrownproduce.com and have your orders packed and delivered in a sustainable way. 

We know that physical well-being is the utmost priority at this time. But mental and psychological welfare should be equally considered as well. That’s why we at Malagos Homegrown Produce take into account how we can still share a smile to our valued clients, even in the simplest of ways. Locals can now include buying fresh-cut Chrysanthemum and Gerberas flowers from Waling Davao in their homegrown orders. These flowers were used as an added decor in our villas and spa before, and now we’re including them in our list of products so we can help sustain our florists’ livelihood as they are important members of the community. You can now send your love to your loved ones who are miles and clusters away from you. These flowers symbolize cheerfulness and joy, sentiments that we are somehow compelled to share to get by. You can get these flowers at the Malagos Homegrown Produce for that perfect and sweet message of love and hope.

Buy Malagos products and honor our heroes -our frontliners- in time for the Labor Day holiday. Your support and kindness will definitely go a long way.