The Del Monte Pineapple Plantation in Bukidnon, Philippines

The Del Monte Pineapple Plantation is one of the largest pineapple plantations in the world and the biggest in the Far East. It is owned by Del Monte Philippines Inc. (DMPI) which is based in Cagayan de Oro City, the main urban center of Northern Mindanao. DMPI is a subsidiary of Del Monte Pacific Ltd.

Situated on plateaus with elevations ranging from 1,600 to 2,200 feet, the pineapple plantation covers an area of 23,000 hectares that includes the municipalities of Manolo Fortich, Impasug-ong, Sumilao and Libona of Bukidnon Province of Mindanao. Harvested fruits are sent to Del Monte plant in Philippine Packing Corporation in Bugo, Cagayan de Oro City for processing and canning. Products such as sliced pineapple and pineapple juice carrying the household brand Del Monte are sent to different countries like the United States, Japan and European and Middle Eastern Countries.

The focal point of the Del Monte Pineapple Plantation is Camp Phillips, the place where administration and control of plantation activities are conducted. Officials and employees of the plantation constitute a community in Camp Phillips. Officials and regular employees are provided free houses which they can occupy as long as they are active personnel of the company. Camp Phillips is as good as a typical small Filipino town. It is a town within a town. It has tennis court, post office, hospital, cooperative, gym, school and other social facilities.

Camp Phillips is the visitor's gateway to the pineapple plantation. The surrounding environment with its cool climate and beautiful scene created by a sea of pineapples make it an ideal place for sightseeing.

Pine trees and other trees line the road of camp Phillips and adjacent areas. On a road within the plantation one can see vast expanse of land planted with pineapples. He can see pineapples as far as his eyes can see. There are ripe pineapples along the road, but picking them up is prohibited.

People who are going for a ride on the zip line at Dahilayan Adventure Park, the longest zip lines in Asia with a length of 840 meters, will have the view of the pineapple plantation as a bonus. The route from Camp Phillips to the park traverses an area of the pineapple plantation.

One of the attractions within the Del Monte Pineapple Plantation is the Del Monte Golf Club in Cawayanon, San Miguel, Manolo Fortich. The golf club which was established in 1928 is five kilometers away from Camp Phillips. The route to the golf club also passes through the pineapple plantation. The golf courses are well maintained. Golf enthusiasts from Manila and other places in the Philippines come to the place to play golf. The golf club has a famous world class 18 holes, 6,300 yards par and 72 golf courses.

A fixture of the Del Monte Golf Club is the Del Monte Clubhouse. Even though it is primarily intended for golfers, it is open to anyone who like to dine in it. Visitors from the zip lines find the clubhouse an ideal place to have a dinner after a daring experience at the Adventure Park. The specialty of the clubhouse is beefsteak. But patrons can have other orders like pork steak, fried chicken, sandwiches, salads, pineapple juice and other foods and drinks. The clubhouse's beefsteak has a taste that perhaps suits the western palate rather than the Filipinos' who prefer spicy taste. Nevertheless, the beefsteak is great. It is probably cooked to give it a distinctive Del Monte Clubhouse taste. A tour to the plantation is not complete without a visit to the clubhouse and without tasting its specialty.

Camp Phillips is just 34 kilometers away from Cagayan de Oro City, the cultural and commercial center of Northern Mindanao. It can be reached by private car, by van or by other local means of transportation.