DAVAO CITY (August 19) — Charita “Chari” Palmares Puentespina, the Davao agricultural pioneer who helped transform a family farm into the internationally awarded Malagos Chocolate brand, died Sunday, August 16, 2026. She was 86.
Her family confirmed her death but did not disclose the cause.
Puentespina was widely regarded as a driving force behind Davao’s rise in value-added agriculture, turning a diversified farm into a business ecosystem spanning cacao, chocolate, cheese, flowers, plants and agri-tourism.
More than an entrepreneur, she championed a central idea that defined her work for decades: Philippine agriculture could move beyond raw commodities and compete globally through quality, processing and innovation.
“She who turned the land itself into a legacy — advocating for the Waling-Waling and Philippine native flora, and growing a small farm into what would become the Malagos brand,” her family said.
From farm beginnings to agri-enterprise
Puentespina’s farming life began in childhood, growing vegetables, raising pigs and selling homemade goods in Iloilo before marrying Roberto “Bert” Puentespina and settling in Davao City in 1963.
At the foothills of Mt. Talomo, the couple built a farm that started with fruit trees, coconut, coffee, bananas and livestock, later expanding into a diversified agricultural enterprise.
Orchids became one of her early passions after she entered the orchid trade in 1977, inspired by Bangkok’s industry. She later expanded into tissue culture work, helping propagate the Philippine waling-waling and strengthening her advocacy for native flora conservation.
Building a Philippine chocolate industry
Her most lasting impact came from cacao.
In 2003, the family began developing a cacao farm in Malagos, Baguio District, Davao City. Rather than sell raw beans, Puentespina pushed for local processing and the creation of premium Philippine chocolate.
That vision led to the formation of Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation in 2012 and the commercial launch of Malagos Chocolate in 2013 as a tree-to-bar, single-origin brand.
The move helped position Davao cacao in the global fine chocolate market and demonstrated the potential of value-added agriculture in the Philippines.
Malagos Chocolate went on to win multiple international awards, including recognition in global cacao competitions and a 2021 Gold Award for “Best Drinking Chocolate in the World” at the International Chocolate Awards in Germany.
In 2017, Puentespina’s cacao beans were ranked among the world’s top 50 in an international competition, marking the Philippines’ early presence in the Salon du Chocolat, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.
Industry builder and advocate
Beyond her own farm, Puentespina worked to strengthen the wider cacao sector.
She helped establish the Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (Cidami) in 2011, bringing together farmers, cooperatives, processors, traders and researchers to build a more integrated value chain.
She served as its head for two years and consistently pushed for cacao to be treated as a priority crop, with stronger support for farmers in production, post-harvest handling and market access.
Her work earned multiple honors, including the 2017 Outstanding ASEAN Woman Entrepreneur award, the 2017 Leaders and Achievers of Davao recognition, and the Department of Agriculture’s 2017–2018 Gawad Saka Award for Outstanding Agricultural Entrepreneur.
In 2019, Puentespina Farms became the first Philippine farm to receive the Heirloom Cacao designation from the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, in partnership with the Fine Chocolate Industry Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A diversified agricultural legacy
The Malagos enterprise grew into a broader agri-tourism and food production ecosystem.
It expanded into goat raising for artisan cheese, cut flowers, ornamental plants and visitor-oriented farm tourism.
Malagos Garden Resort, which opened to the public in 1994, and Malagos Farmhouse, which developed from the family’s dairy goat operations, became key parts of the brand’s identity.
The Malagos Farmhouse team described Puentespina as a visionary whose belief in farming laid the foundation for its artisan cheese production.
“Charita had a dream of the bounty of the farm highlighted by Philippine talent,” the team said.
Legacy
Puentespina’s influence is reflected not only in awards and enterprises, but in the broader shift she helped advance: from farming as commodity production to farming as value creation.
Her work linked farmers to processing, branding and global markets, helping shape Davao’s reputation as a center for Philippine cacao.
She is survived by her children Angel and Arlene, Ed and Lies, Olive, Rex and Jen, and Charisse, and 13 grandchildren.
Her wake will be held at Waling-Waling Hall, Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels, along J.P. Cabaguio Avenue, Davao City. Funeral Mass is set for 1:30 p.m. on August 21 at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church in Bo. Obrero, followed by interment at 3 p.m. at Davao Memorial Park in Matina.
The family has requested donations to Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church in lieu of flowers.
Puentespina leaves behind a legacy rooted in a simple but far-reaching idea: that Philippine agriculture can do more than feed — it can build industries, livelihoods and globally competitive products.
