It has become innate to us, Filipinos, to still be resilient despite the trying times. Although it was never advised to be forgiving of a difficult situation and just accept what is less, it is as if we have come to develop the initiative and capability to turn a simple thing into a fun yet worthwhile piece. Filipinos always make sure to find leisure to preserve sanity. When the pandemic rose, it birthed small and local craft businesses, food ventures, and the likes that have been the community’s staple as we wait for the total eradication of the virus. Slowly, the way we preserve our peace became a daily habit which then turned into a routine to continue what was paused by the year of 2020.
It is as if there had been a flashback to the golden times wherein people would rather appreciate nature’s beauty than to delve into the chaotic world of social media. People aged, at least, 10 and up, are the city’s lurkers every dusk till dawn as they either drive their bikes or jog all over the last frontier. This movement inspired a lot of business owners to arrange gimmicks that are enticing enough for the interest of Palawenos, one of these being the city’s newest coffee shop by north, Golden Hour—deriving its name from the fact that the sun rises and sets just by the area.
Located at KM 19.5, Brgy. Bacungan, North National Highway, Golden Hour expects their passers-by as the sun rises, 6:00 AM up to 10:00 AM, and resumes their operations when the sun is about to set, approximately four in the afternoon up to seven in the evening. The current manager, Maeken Jacobo, shared the reason behind the business’s establishment and history behind its name.
“Honestly, matagal ng plano na maggawa ng coffee (shop), tapos hanggang naisip na bakit di na lang gawin (considering) na meron na rin namang lugar, location,” the current manager answered as his uncle, Gregorio Jacobo, who is the owner of the bikers’ usual haven, is currently not in the location during the time of the interview. Since Golden Hour is located at the usual spots of mountaineers and bikers, it has become a hangout place for the community, a place where one may soothe their tiredness from pedaling, a place where one may sip a good hot coffee to start the day.
The manager told Palawan Daily that considering the situation of the pandemic, they did not expect their business to grow fast, since they only started last June 2021.
“Hindi naman po (inexpect). Kaya lang, nagulat na lang din kami na umuso na (ito) sa mga vlogs, pictures, dinayo na ng mga tao dito, puro posts na rin (dito) sa social media,” she stated and followed it up with the history of the prior planning of the business.
“Actually, gusto rin po talaga nilang (the actual owners) mag-tagal ito kaya naisipang pangalanan na lang rin ng Golden Hour, Golden Hour dahil sa pagsikat at paglubog ng araw dito,”
“Nung nagstart ang pandemic, di pa po ‘to maganda, ako na po yung nag-landscape—naglagay ng mga bulaklak which is lahat ng mga halaman sa area e galing lang din sa may-ari, sa bahay nila,” she further added that the collection of the plants in the area originated from the family’s collecting whenever they go out for an outing.
Golden Hour serves as a breather for everyone, an open place for children and ages above. Their usual target market is for bikers who often stop-by for pictures, families before they go straight to a river or beach trip, and barkadas who are searching for Instagram-able locations to complete their feed.
“Sa ngayon, wala pa masyadong plano na activities since under furnishing pa siya,” Ms. Janobo explained upon being asked if the shop has other gimmicks or activities that one may anticipate in, but also told the team that they still give boiled bananas to people who visit during Saturdays and Sundays, usually, bikers, who will often order their now bestsellers, Lomi and Arroz Caldo.
A once famous Filipino movie glorified Baguio’s ‘Sagada’, wherein people who just came from breakups are invited to come and ‘heal’ upon their stay in the place. However, Palawenos no longer need to spend a big cost to have their hearts healed—only if they manage to explore the city is when they would find God-given places, warm enough to thaw their cold hearts from heartbreak, for a sight of nature’s lights are more than enough to realize that life is worthy of living, even amidst these chaos.
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