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Howie Severino shares the story behind his nature retreat resort by Taal Lake

Article (news)

E. Kristhoff Cagape

Push Team

<p>Veteran journalist Howie Severino opened up about the story behind his nature retreat resort in Batangas by Taal Lake.</p><p>&quot;Ang tawag namin dito nature retreat kasi ang farm you are growing crops, products for a market. We are basically growing vegetables and ornamentals for ourselves. So it is more like a garden, eh hardenero ako,&quot; he shared in an interview with Karen Davila in her latest YouTube vlog.</p><p>Howie calls the property Kapusod. When asked about the inspiration behind the name, he explained: &quot;Kapusod [because] magkaka-pusod tayo, dahil iisa ang ating inang kalikasan. We share Mother Nature.&quot;</p><p>He added: &quot;Ang kabila [na property] ang tawag diyan Pusod [Conservation] Center. [And] &#x27;ka&#x27; is a very important syllable in our language. It connotes connection.&quot;</p><p>Howie shared that the property used to serve as their family&#x27;s weekend retreat. &quot;Una naging tahanan namin ito. It was just a weekend place for our family but because we were getting visitors, my wife decided to put it on our Airbnb, &#x27;yun ang umpisa niya,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="695" height="391" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xrfd0NBH7ws" title="HOWIE SEVERINO’s Kapusod Earth Dome &amp; Tree House Sanctuary! | Karen Davila Ep242" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>Today, Kapusod welcomes many guests. &quot;Ngayon, we have a lot of spaces here that are not even on Airbnb. People just come because of word of mouth. We used to go here to go kayaking, to hike the volcano, we just love the water, you know, we built our own sailboat,&quot; he said.</p><p>Howie relayed that it was his wife, environmental lawyer Ipat Luna, who discovered the place in 2011. &quot;I have to give credit to my wife... Siya talaga ang brains nito. She&#x27;s more entrepreneurial than I am. Of course, as journalists, we are busy. Our heads are full of other things like politics, pero ang wife ko she has a mastery of detail when it comes to running things,&quot; he relayed. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/2024/9/3/karen-davila-reflects-on-her-youtube-journey-for-the-past-three-years-1239"><strong><u>READ: Karen Davila reflects on her YouTube journey for the past three years</u></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Howie also discussed the design principle behind Kapusod. &quot;&#x27;Yung isang design principle namin dito, as much as possible, we won&#x27;t buy anything from a hardware store. Kaya naman namin i-fabricate eh. Kasi gusto namin ipakita na you can craft a lot of what you use at home,&quot; he said. &quot;We have a spirit here of just trying things out so people are not afraid or not shy of suggesting.&quot;</p>

<p>Howie Severino says that his nature retreat resort started as a weekend destination for his family. </p>

Howie Severino says that his nature retreat resort started as a weekend destination for his family.