Blue Zone Summit, San Jose, Batangas

TONY MELOTO

Is BLUE ZONE possible in the Philippines?

The azure sky over Paraiso Village Farm on January 20, 2024, welcomed over 500 curious participants to the first BLUE ZONE SUMMIT in the Philippines to try to answer this question.

What was clear from the beginning is that many want to learn how to live happier and longer lives. 

Happy people live longer.

A fresh ambiance of positive energy was palpable everywhere, from the garden of blue blooms and long-life farm greens, the lively old world tunes from the Rondalla, to the welcome spread of boiled purple yam and saba banana, “suman malagkit” and steaming turmeric tea and barako coffee greeting guests as they happily came in through the Blue Canopy walk.

Many came to pray, play, and party to experience Paraiso’s simple formula for longevity for themselves.

BLUE ZONE is about Spirituality.

The Summit started with a call to the Almighty for the gift of faith that gives and lengthens life.

Faith-based communities “have lower cardiovascular diseases, less stress, depression, suicide, and a stronger immune system,” per Dan Buettner in his study of longevity in the BLUE ZONE areas of the world: Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; and Okinawa, Japan. And lately, Singapore.

BLUE ZONE is about Solidarity.

It is about unconditional love that binds families through life’s daily challenges. It is about nurturing communities around us without leaving the weak behind, to delight in cherished friendships that add laughter to our years and years of laughter.

Ayala and Bel Air ladies and the needy elderly from Payatas and several towns of Batangas, many from Gawad Kalinga communities, breathed the same refreshing air of goodwill and hope.

Together, they enjoyed good food that tastes good and does not raise blood sugar and bad cholesterol. It was a culinary delight of freshly harvested farm-to-table dishes without dangerous chemical enhancements.

My Blue Eagle friends, with a heart of gold who helped me care for older people at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, came.

They have gained the freedom and the wisdom with the years to fly without leaving the weak-winged behind, to be men for others by thinking less for themselves so there will be enough for all.

They came to the Summit to feast on the same healthy buffet, sing and dance to the same beat from the Spirit of ’67, Body and Soul bands, and the sprightly elderly ladies from our farm communities. Long Life in the Paraiso BLUE ZONE is the natural Social Equaliser where no one is left behind to be sad and lonely.

BLUE ZONE is about Generosity

It was inspiring to see Brent students practice their Project Goodwill, vending vegetables to fundraise for the less privileged, eating with Lolas and Lolos, and curiously absorbing what it means to live life with a purpose.

BLUE ZONE is about Family.

It was a deeply moving moment for me at the Summit to hear my 18-year-old granddaughter Ariel sing a hauntingly beautiful song that reflected her heart’s purity and her mind’s clarity. She regularly feeds the children in a slum community in Nuvali. She would leave me in July to attend College in California after graduating from the British School of Manila. But she will be back because the Philippines is her home, wherever she may roam to gain more knowledge that will deepen her Spirituality and expand her Humanity.

At 74, I am motivated to live longer as a grandfather to see my twelve grandchildren continue whatever legacy of goodness my wife Lyn and I leave behind.

BLUE ZONE is about Purpose.

The Summit captivated our audience in our jam-packed sessions on Wellness and Long Life with an array of top-notch speakers who walk their talk and enjoy life to the fullest, doing good to others.

Former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor still blazes at 86 running Int’l School for Sustainable Tourism.

Two Ateneo classmates – former Health Secretary Manolet Dayrit and coffee entrepreneur Leo De Leon – both able, nimble, and humble at 74 are credible models of longevity with quality of life.

Batangas State University Dr.Tirso Ronquillo spoke about the reality that BLUE ZONE is not only about the elderly. In his insightful session “Paano si Junior Maging Senior – before it’s too late,” he emphasized the need to re-engineer the lifestyle of the young who are getting heart attacks and other serious health issues in their thirties and forties. To put his words into action, he signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Paraiso on the study of longevity and to help make Paraiso the first BLUE ZONE Farm in the country with the support of science and system.

My neighbor and friend Raul Falcon spoke about his wise decision to retire in the Philippines after three decades as an Expat CEO for Procter & Gamble in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Home is where the heart is. To him, our heart is the seat of our BLUE ZONE.

Two Singaporean business leaders – Dr. John Ng and Ed Ng – prove why Singapore is a BLUE ZONE area. Singaporeans find happiness in a stressful environment engineered for success despite lacking natural and human resources with the right balance of economy, family, community, and ministry as top priorities.

Dr Vermen Verallo, still sizzling at 85, spoke as my angel and healer. She took me off steroids and dangerous drugs and healed me of the psychosis that came with my psoriasis and old age.

Healing for me came with the realization that I am not too old to chase my dream. It came with the passion to live and forgive, love and give, plant more goodness, and harvest happiness for myself and others.

Today, I dream of making Paraiso the first BLUE ZONE FARM in the Philippines.

BLUE ZONE in Paraiso is simple and doable:

*drive daily and play mahjong weekly to keep my mind alert and my senses sharp;

*walk on the farm daily with fresh, oxygenated air from the Bamboo Forest and early morning sunlight;

* get a good eight hours of sleep daily;

• drink eight glasses of water throughout the day, early morning barako coffee and turmeric tea, 
• and apple cider vinegar water at night;

* eat simple farm food free from MSG, transfat and limit intake of processed meat and soda;

• avoid meaningless arguments and stay away from toxic situations and people that cause   stress;
• drink good wine in moderation.

At the Summit, unlimited red and white flowed freely, courtesy of Novellino owner Nonoy Quimbo, who advocated wine as the drink for a long life.

Last year, 200 Senior Citizens who came to Paraiso regularly committed to staying healthy and not dying on us until the end of 2023. One of them, Nanay Ising, at 84, did not keep her promise and left us in November. But her neighbor told us the last year she came to Paraiso weekly to play bingo was the happiest year of her life.

My takeaway from the BLUE ZONE SUMMIT is simple: never give up on ourselves and those we love.

Throughout our lives, we do a lot of good and make many mistakes. The ultimate truth we can embrace as we age is clear: imperfect as we are, we have a Father with the perfect love that will correct our mistakes, forgive our sins, heal our hurts, and wipe away our tears.

The succulent roast calf given by an anonymous donor from Sta Teresita was a symbolic return-to-the-father metaphor.

The best preparation to be a BLUE ZONE is to be ready anytime our Father takes us home.

As long as we are still breathing, we will give our all to make Paraiso a BLUE ZONE FARM and a template to breathe more life into more communities in our country.

At the very least, we will happily die trying.