From Rags to Rich Soil: Haydee’s Integrated Farm

 

    In Victorias City, Negros Occidental, a farm stretches across three hectares, alive with vegetables, livestock, and stories of resilience. At its heart is Haydee Panhilason, whose life journey is nothing short of extraordinary. From scavenging garbage in Payatas to standing on the stage of Malacañang as “Ang Natatanging Entrepinay,” she embodies the power of courage, creativity, and faith.

    Haydee grew up in Victorias City as a farmer’s eldest daughter. Early in life, she had learned to be resourceful and creative because of poverty. She married early and had three sons. Hoping to find greener pastures, she moved her family to Manila while her boys were still in school, but life there proved even harder. They did not know anyone, so they ended up in Payatas – one of the country’s largest dumpsites. To survive, Haydee washed clothes and scavenged through garbage while her husband worked as a welder. She was determined to make sure that her children would not inherit the same struggles she had endured.

Haydee at the façade of her farm, her harvest and her rags displayed in the showroom inside.

    That determination became her compass. When her barangay introduced a livelihood program, she seized the chance, transforming waste into wealth. She developed technologies from discarded materials — rugs, placemats, bags, soap, detergents, candles, fortified fruit juice, and puto pao — simple products that became powerful tools for survival and empowerment. With only a few hundred pesos in capital, she proved that ingenuity could turn garbage into thriving businesses. Her creativity earned her national recognition, media appearances, and opportunities to teach Filipinos abroad. From the margins of poverty, Haydee carved out a name that inspired others, while ensuring her children could finish college and pursue the futures they dreamed of.

CPSU Campus Administrator Mr. Noel B. Fordente, his student interns at the farm, and coasters as outputs of Haydee’s livelihood programs

    When Haydee retired, she came home to her roots in Victorias City and bought land in the very place where she was born and raised. At first, she planted sugarcane but soon realized the challenges of maintaining it. Her turning point came when the local government unit, together with the SM Foundation, offered training on organic farming. Inspired by what she learned, she decided to replace her sugarcane with vegetables. By 2021, she had fully embraced organic agriculture and established Haydee’s Integrated Farm.

    Soon, she welcomed a collaboration with Central Philippines State University – Victorias Campus, opening her farm to new technologies and livelihood programs. Her shift to organic farming brought remarkable success. Yet for Haydee, the true reward was not wealth but the chance to share. She gives surplus produce to elders and students, and she opened her farm as a living classroom where young people could learn, research, and even keep their harvests.

Different farm produce and Haydee with her student interns from CPSU

    Haydee’s story is not just about survival; it is about transformation. She turned hardship into opportunity, poverty into innovation, and farming into a legacy of hope. Her journey shows that resilience, when paired with vision and faith, can create a life that uplifts not only one family but an entire community. She is more than an Entrepinay — she is proof that even the humblest beginnings can grow into something extraordinary.

Article and video script by: Leezo Dionzon

Photos by: Jase Javier

Video by: Unit A Creatives