Testimonials
"Not every camp is the same... I practically learned lessons and values that I need in life... I realized that winning is not as important as the lessons learned in the journey..."
"...I had more fun that I thought I could have..."
"Camp is fun and it's worth your time and money... Its better than just sitting in front of the computer the whole day..."
Camp History
A message for parents and grandparents…
The story behind Mount Purro Nature Reserve
by Toto Malvar
The idea of putting up a nature camp is inspired by my parents, my wife, and my children. It is our family vocation.
My parents, aside from sending me and my siblings to good schools, made sure that our formal traditional education in Ateneo, Assumption, and Maryknoll were supplemented by experiential learning situations outside the classroom. At every opportunity, our parents exposed us to all kinds of people, places, and events. We were encouraged to interact intimately with simple people: farmers, fishermen, market vendors, squatters, and street children. At school, we were able to interact with the rich and powerful in our society.
We strolled along Dewey Boulevard and still enjoyed breathing in and out the fresh air from Manila Bay. We learned how to swim in Balara, in the beaches of Paranaque and Cavite and in the Sto. Tomas, Batangas river. We went boating along Pasig river on our way to Cainta farm where we planted and harvested rice with our kasamas to the sound of guitars, and singing, “Magtanim ay Di Biro.” We also enjoyed freshly boiled kanduli, tomatoes, and newly cooked rice. We went mountain climbing in Ambuklao and Ipo Dam, lived with the Igorots, and played with the Igorot children in Trinidad valley. We participated in the Pateros fluvial parade. I was given the opportunity to shine shoes and sell newspapers in Burnham park for the experience.
So, it was not a wonder that I got attracted to Baby San Gabriel, a charming, educated probinsyana girl, so loving and so natural. We met in a six week immersion camp in Nueva Ecija. Our deep friendship brought about by “natural” setting of the camp culminated in marriage. She turned out to be the best wife to me and the best mother to our 7 children! We vowed then to put up a camp of our own, if there is an opportunity – to give the same outdoor opportunity to our kids and their children.
We brought up our children in the same tradition that our parents brought us up. We exposed them outdoors. We climbed trees and caught butterflies and grasshoppers. We physically harvested onions in Nueva Ecija, went mountain climbing in Pangasinan, Benguet, Banawe, Sagada, Negros, Davao, Antipolo, etc. We met all kinds of people. We visited scenic places all over the Philippines from Batanes to Davao. We explored the Philippines with our friends.
The outdoor experiences, the people we met, the places we visited, the things we did together made an impact on us, our children, and other families. Shouldn’t all families and children experience the outdoors? We became more human and more appreciative of people and nature. We realized that persons are more important than possessions. We experienced deep friendships, simple people, simple joys, and the reality that what is essential is invisible to the eye. We learned the “essentials of life”. We got to appreciate the beauty of nature. We resolved to do something for our Mother Earth. We learned courage, faith, hope, and love. GOD became real.
In today’s world of computers, internet, cell phones, credit cards, malls, and other technologies, today’s youth need to still be given these experiences to balance their lives and not lose their capabilities to relate to other people thru face-to-face interaction, and exposure to nature. The camp hopes to supplement the classroom and office experiences with experiential learning activities. We truly believe that the camp experience will help our children, will help us parents and grandparents, to make our children, grandchildren, and ourselves become better persons and eventually, our country a better place to live in.
Join camp with your loved ones. Make your children and grandchildren join the camps. Have loads of fun. Gain lots of friends. Live a full life. And be better persons…
Mabuhay tayong lahat!
Toto Malvar
Founder and Camp Administrator Mount Purro Nature Reserve