In Maria, Aurora, stands the biggest and tallest Balite tree in Asia. Its massive body has the diameter of 52 meters and the height is ascending to 47 meters according to the surveyors from the municipal office of the town. The research team from University of the Philippines who conducted the carbon dating said that the tree is 400-600 years old. The huge body can also accommodate as many as 30 people inside. The owner of the said Balite tree is refutably also has the “biggest heart” in the community. He is Mr. Onasis Ronquillo, a relatively young but very diligent farmer.
Mr. Ronquillo is native of Brgy. Quirino, Aurora, Isabela. His ancestors were one of the oldest clan in the community. He was 9th in the 12 siblings of his hard-working parents. They are the one who conscientiously taught him how to live a simple yet decent life. His early farming techniques, such as planting during the 11th of the month or following the Honorio Lopez planting calendar, was also from his father.
He studied Political Science in Far Eastern University but failed to complete his fourth year in college and earn a diploma. Mang Onasis, as called by his colleagues, returned to Baler to cultivate the two and a half hectare of farmland his father entrusted to him. He was married to Mercedes, an industrious and loving wife of whom he has two daughters. The eldest was eight and the other was six.
Mang Onasis used to plant corn in his farm. Last year while he was reading an agriculture magazine, he saw the opportunity in venturing to another crop; Papaya. He meticulously studied the chances of getting better profits from planting Papaya. One of his brothers is also planting the same crop and he has a sister in Manila who is buying Papaya in wholesale. With experienced brother and a sure market of his product, he decided to concentrate in his new venture. 
It was January 2006 when he first planted 1, 800 Papaya trees. Because of financial constraints in the maintenance of his crop, he sought the help of a Microfinance institution. ASKI responded and gave an initial loan of Php12, 000. Mang Onasis is one of the first clients who received a loan for agricultural purposes because it was also the same year ASKI Baler Branch offered Agri-Loan. “Mag-isa ko lang noon nag-aalaga ng tanim ko. Ako ang nagdidilig at nag-i-spray sa isang ektarya kong tanim” (I used to be the sole caretaker of my farm. I was the one who water and spray chemicals to my one hectare farm), said Mang Onasis.
After eight months, he had his first harvest which he delivered to Baguio City by a bus. The net profit from his first harvest was Php14, 000. But Baguio City cannot accommodate his productions. So the second and third yields were transported also by a bus to Manila and bought by his sister. When his production is getting bigger, he hired a passenger jeep. The interval of his harvest is every ten days.
While preparing the other one and a half hectare of his farm in November last year, a typhoon came and devastated almost half of his crops. “Magtatanim na sana kami nun nung biglang bumagyo. Nung una 300 pa lang nasira sa mga tanim ko kaya tinawag ko yung mga kasama ko na nagtatrabaho para tukuran yung mga Papaya pero pagbalik namin 600 na yung naputol” (We were about to plant new seedlings when suddenly a typhoon came. At first there were only 300 trees destroyed so I called on my workers to put a support on the Papaya trees but when we returned, there were already 600 torn downed trees), Mang Onasis recalled.
His perseverance was not easily swept away by the typhoon and what had happened to his crop. He boldly pursue planting 3, 500 more trees right after the rain and strong wind had gone. Luckily, the 600 trees which were destroyed by the typhoon sprouted branches and continue to bear fruits until now.
Typhoon is not the only problem Mang Onasis encountered in his crops. Three times during his early harvests, there were thieves who robbed sacks of his produce. The ever present pests and diseases was also one of his predicaments. To minimize this “man-made disasters”, he hired watchmen on his farm and sought help from farm technician.
Mang Onasis also planted hot pepper to maximize the land aside from the coconut trees he planted when got married. Because of hard-work and diligence, he now earns an average of Php50, 000 from every transport of his goods (three times a month) where he has an average net profit of Php30, 000. He now has a regular 15 workers for harvesting and three (3) more workers for spraying and maintenance. He also bought a second-hand elf last December. His good natured character and attitude cannot be questioned because residents who elected him as a barangay councilor will prove that he really is. In fact, his constituents were urging him to run for the upcoming local election as their Barangay Captain.
“Malaking bagay ‘yung tulong na pinansyal sa aming negosyo. Kailangan iyon ng mga magsasaka at maliliit na negosyante na tulad ko. Kaya nga nagpapasalamat ako sa ASKI kasi mula sa simula sila na ‘yung katuwang ko sa pagpapalago ng aming negosyo” (The financial assistance was a great help to our business. It was needed by farmers and small scale businessmen like me. That is why I am thankful to ASKI because right from the start, we are working hand in hand in growing our business), Mang Onasis shared. He is planning to buy his own vehicle for transporting his goods to Manila. Producing export quality Papaya is also on his priority list.
Baler, Aurora maybe prone to natural and sometimes man-made disasters, but for Mang Onasis, his strong faith and determination will prevail. And at the end of the day, he will remain standing tall against these obstacles.