Lake Island is a haven to artists, nature lovers

The twin lakeside towns of Binangonan and Angono in Rizal have

been known for its active artist community and scenic view of the vast

Laguna de Bay. The world-renowned pre-historic Angono petroglyphs

or rock wall etchings that were discovered by the late National Artist

Francisco "Botong" Francisco in the 1960's in a rock hillside in Angono,

could prove that the area was (and still is) the epicenter of arts in the

country.

To showcase the expertise of the members of the Angono Ateliers, a group of

40 Angono-born artists founded by Nemi Miranda, Jr. 24 years ago, Lake

Island Business Resort, a onehectare finger of wooded land jutting out to the

lake in Barangay Tayuman in Binangonan, invited a group of journalists one

Saturday to observe their on-the-spot painting session and admire the place's

natural beauty.

After a heavy lunch of grilled tilapia and kanduli sa miso and other native

dishes, we were given a tour of the picturesque "island" resort. What makes it

unique is that it is surrounded by fishpens which serves as a natural barrier for

water hyacinths and debris from clogging its watery perimeter that is used for

kayaking.

The resort is situated on a hectare of land about 1,000 meters in length,

protruding from a land-filled access road from the narrow Binangonan-Angono

Highway. Known before as Reynoso Island, the Juan family, developers and

pioneering management group of Hidden Valley in Alaminos, Laguna, acquired

it in the early 1980's. It was originally intended to be a private vacation place

for its owners before they decided to open its gates to a select and distinct

clientele in September 1994.

Christened "Island Hideaway" in the 1980's, the resort started by catering to

functions with prior reservations only. It was during this period that the "island"

distinguished itself as a first class business resort in the Rizal province, some

15 kilometer from the Ortigas Center in Pasig City and was renamed as Lake

Island Business Resort.

In 1994, Eileen Juan-Grey, the resort's present president, took over its

management. It was at this time that the growing number of conferences and

seminars held at the resort created a new market for "Lake Island" walkins,

day trippers, and banquet functions.

Since 1995, the resort has been fully accredited by the Department of Tourism

and is a member of PHILTOA, PCVC, and HSMA. From 1996-1997, Lake

Island Business Resort has been consistently nominated as "AA Resort of the

year" in the DOT's annual Kalakbay Awards. In 1997, it was proclaimed as the

"Best Healthy Resort" by the Department of Health and was similarly

recognized by the same institution in 1998.

Lake Island Business Resort, which has 25 air-conditioned rooms with bath

and four fully equipped function rooms naturally shaded by the wide canopies

of centuries-old acacia trees, caters to both the business and the leisure

market. It targets the small to medium-size live-in or live-out corporate

meetings, planning sessions, conferences, symposia and team-building

seminars.

Be it for business or pleasure, or a venue for artists to showcase their

native-honed talents, Lake Island Business Resort is an ideal place for

everyone and a place for all occasions.