GLOBETROTTING

SEVENTEETH ISSUE - SPRING 2000 SPONSORED BY TYCO INTERNATIONAL, LTD.

“THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE DEVOTION TO MOTION WORLD TOUR”

DESTINATION - THE PHILIPPINES

Welcome friends as we circle the globe in search of more effective ways to improve the quality of life. During our journey we will explore various forms of complementary medicines and share our findings with you. We will also address accessibility issues and investigate more convenient options to ease the never ending pressures of traveling. In each issue, Globetrotting will have a special section created for today’s youth with an emphasis on educating children and teens on the historical facts of each country. Finally, each issue will contain two trivia questions and some popular words and/or phrases from each country. For more updated news, diary entries, in-depth research results, and pictures from our journey, please visit our website, www.d2motion.com.

We hope you will enjoy the path we have chosen!

D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #1
Which ancient civilization invented paper, the calendar and tamed cats as pets?

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
What would you say if I told you that there was a type of surgery in which you are opened up without a knife, no anesthesia, no pain, and something was actually removed from your body that helped you feel better? Crazy. Secondly, how would you respond if I told you that there is a type of complementary medicine that focuses on energy, nothing physical, just pure energy? Still think I am crazy? Well, welcome to the worlds of psychic surgery and pranic healing, two of the Philippines most commonly used forms of complementary medicine. Let’s satisfy your taste buds with some psychic surgery first and then move into a more “believable” modality, pranic healing. Psychic surgery was born in the Philippines and has not expanded too far West because of the surgeons loyalty to their own people. People from all over the world have traveled to the Philippines in search of some type of “cure” for their physical ailments. Many “miracles” have manifested during visits to psychic surgeons, leaving many skeptics shaking their heads in disbelief. Seeing is believing, right?

Pat and I were taken to one of the country’s finest psychic surgeons, Brother Romeo. He realized he had a gift at the age of 14 when he began to extract people’s teeth with his bare hands. There were no tools or utensils used in the process. He followed in the footsteps of his father and became a very reputable psychic surgeon in his mid-teens. Today, close to 40 years of age and thousands, possibly millions of patients later, Brother Romeo still draws huge lines from locals in need of healing. We observed his work from an arm’s distance away as he briefly spoke with his patients about their illnesses, followed by an actual treatment which usually lasts about 2-3 minutes tops. Hundreds of people waited anxiously with numbers in their hands, hoping and in many cases, knowing that Brother Romeo would heal them. Most of the cases we observed were major ailments which required a quick scan from his assistant who is clairvoyant and can supposedly see where distress lies in the physical body and how many treatments are recommended for healing. He worked on patients with illnesses that included tumors, kidney stones, blindness, cataracts, clogged arteries, and many others. A woman from Russia was treated on the day we were observing. During the treatment, the psychic surgeon begins to move his fingers in the area of distress, somewhat like the motion of a pianist. Instantly, blood appears and you notice his hands begin to penetrate the skin. Let me remind you that there are no knives, scalpels, etc. You can hear him plunge into his patient’s body. He works intensely while the patient is fully awake and usually quiet during the treatment unless the surgeon wishes to show the patient what he has extracted. He showed one of his patients, who was suffering some kidney pain, five kidney stones that he had scooped up in his index finger. Once he finishes his work, he closes up the patient with his hands, his assistant wipes away any remnants of blood, the patient smiles, thanks the surgeon, and is on his or her way. We looked at each patient as he or she left and all of them just smiled and reassured us that they felt no pain. It’s that quick, that painless, and in many cases very effective. Now by this time, I have probably lost many of you. Trust me, we looked for the magic, the fake blood, any actors or actresses, and came up empty. It’s all on video that we plan to watch again and again. Our conclusion is that even if there is a chance that it is an example of the placebo effect, where patients know that they will be healed and actually heal themselves on the way to seeing the surgeon or during the surgery, the surgeons intentions are positive and people are being cured, believe it or not. As I have expressed many times, it is my belief that no matter what the modality may be, we cure or heal ourselves. Anyone who assists in the process is a facilitator. We all have the potential to be healers, of ourselves.

Let’s move on to a more “accepted” form of complementary medicine which is practiced throughout the world, pranic healing. Many of you may have heard of “prana” or “ki” or “chi” or “life energy” sometime in your life. A simple way to feel this “energy” is to take your middle and index fingers and press them into the middle of the palm of the opposite hand. Push there for about a minute or two. Then do the same to the other hand. Once you have done this, bring both of your hands together, then separate them about 4-5 inches. Do you feel any heat or maybe a tingly sensation, almost like pins and needles? The feeling may also feel like two magnets repelling. This is the energy that your body gives off. A human’s whole physical body is comprised of two parts, the visible physical body and the invisible energy body called the bioplasmic body. This invisible, luminous body extends beyond the visible physical body by about 4-5 inches. Traditionally, clairvoyants call this energy body the etheric body or the etheric double. Within this energy body are chakras or whirling energy centers that control and energize the major and vital organs of the physical body. Still with me?

In pranic healing, the main objective is to focus on the energetic body, knowing full well that by either cleansing and/or energizing this part of the body, the visible physical body will eventually begin to heal. According to a pranic healer, the energy body in distress is either suffering from pranic depletion or pranic congestion. In the case of a pranic depletion, cleansing and energizing is emphasized. Both of these techniques take much skill and begin with getting to know your own energy and feeling it. When there is a case of pranic congestion, removal, extraction, and cleansing is required. Finally, a malfunctioning chakra is restored by cleansing and energizing with prana. There are four levels of pranic healing that one must go through to eventually become a pranic healing master which include: elementary, intermediate, distant, advanced, psychotherapy, and pranic crystal healing. Depending on the commitment you make to this ancient science of healing will determine how quickly you deepen your sensitivity to energy, your psychic abilities, and your abilities to begin treating patients. We were extremely fortunate to spend time with a master pranic healer, Greg Castanarez who is part of the Institute for Inner Studies, Inc. in Makati City. This is the third time I have caught up with this amazing man, who has really given me the insight to exploring my own etheric body and how it effects my paralysis. We would like to thank Greg Castanarez, his colleague Fay, and everyone at the Institute for Inner Studies for their friendship, guidance, and wisdom. They can be reached at (63) 2 819-1874 or you can email The World Pranic Healers Association, Inc. at wphf@iconn.com.ph. Finally, we extend our gratitude to Brother Romeo for letting us observe his amazing work. If you want to connect with him, you have to come here and track him down yourself. Everyone knows him so all you have to do is ask and the rest will take care of itself.

NOTE: If you or anyone in your circle of friends are connected with any healer or complementary/alternative medical practitioner around the world who you would like us to research or visit, please email us: chesney12@comcast.net

D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #2
If the horse in a statue has two legs raised, how did its rider die?

ACCESSIBILITY

In our last newsletter, Scott wrote that Malaysia is like India, well, Manila isn’t too far either. As we arrived into Aquino airport, we were greeted by Scott’s wheelchair at the gate, always a relief to me. Then we were asked to follow the porter who was assisting an elderly lady. This is the first time that we have trouble while retrieving our luggage. First of all, this is the first international airport that charges for a trolley. Think about it guys, you’re landing in a foreign country, expecting to get your bags and then heading to the foreign exchange so you have some local currency. The international airport in Manila doesn’t understand the problem associated with charging for trolleys upon landing. We had just landed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and primarily had Malaysian currency (the Ringitt), and I figured Scott could wait by the bags, and I could head over to the other side of the airport to the foreign exchange and get some Filipino pesos. When I reached the exchange bank, I was informed that they do not exchange Malaysian currency, in fact, no place within the airport will exchange the Ringitt. Luckily, I found a one dollar note somewhere in my purse, and managed to get us a trolley.

One more note regarding currency exchange, the porters helping the elderly woman were instructed to pay for the trolley; it’s a complimentary service to those in need of help. Next time I’ll keep this in mind. By the way, for any of you traveling on this route, please exchange your Malaysian money before leaving the country, there is no place in the country that will exchange the Malaysian currency, not even hotels; and boy did I try. O-Kay, I feel better after venting to you and hope that this information comes in handy for someone. After leaving the Philippines, we were told that there are not many places outside of Malaysia where one can exchange the Ringitt, something having to so with governments not recognizing or honoring one another, so please exchange it before leaving Malaysia.

On to the remainder of our visit in the Philippines. We’ve been told that the islands of the Philippines are the best place to visit in the country. However, due to our research schedule, the islands will be visited some other time. Manila is like any major city with tons of people that are rich, poor, and in between. There is a lot of traffic, and even more pollution, in fact we found out that Manila has four times more air pollution that recommended healthy by the World Health Organization . The primary way to get around is by cars hired from hotels; they don’t recommend tourists traveling by taxi because you’ll get overcharged, and the rates for car hire are pretty affordable: $5(US Dollar) for one hour. The locals travel by car, bus, scooters, motorcycles and jeepneys. Aside from walking, the jeepneys are the cheapest mode of travel, they’re like ornate military jeeps which have street routes written on them and people just hop in and out at their location. With respect to walking or pushing a wheelchair down the street, forget about it!! Even thought there are wheelchair signs on certain roads, I can’t figure out why they are there, because not only are there huge (10-12 inch curbs), but even when there is a curbcut available, there are so many parked cars on the sidewalk or uneven pavements, you’re better off on the street. Even this isn’t very safe because as we were instructed by our Filipino friend, in order for the driver to acknowledge you, there must be “eye contact,” which also is virtually impossible, because people are driving pretty fast. On to hotel accessibility, we stayed in Makati City which is about a one hour drive from Manila. There are numerous hotels to choose from while in Makati City. The name of our hotel is the Dusit Nikko Hotel, which proved to be an economically priced establishment located in the heart of the city. We researched a number of four, five-star and deluxe hotels within the area. All the hotels had at least one accessible room, however, as is the case with varying forms of accessibility, please call the hotel directly and speak with a representative to make sure they have what you require. For your information, there are new hotels popping up everywhere in Makati City. In addition to the Dusit Nikko Hotel, we have contacted the New World Renaissance, Shangri-La, and Inter-Continental.

Unlike Malaysia, where we were able to interact with many disabled members of society, we only saw one person in a wheelchair while in the Philippines. I have a feeling it is a result of combined issues such as inaccessible roads and buildings, societal stigma and inaccessible public transportation. Hopefully, seeing Scott going on about his daily life has inspired and encouraged others to do the same.

Our thanks go out to the friendly staff at the Dusit Nikko Hotel for their assistance. A word of thanks to Mamasanand our friends at the Isshin Japanese Restaurant, in Makati City. During our week long stay in the Philippines, we have eaten the majority of our meals at this delicious, clean, friendly and affordable restaurant, and miss their food tremendously.

EDUCATION

PROPER NAME OF COUNTRY: Republic of the Philippines

Facts:

Also known as: The Philippines (pop 69,282,000)
Capital - Manila
Time difference - 13 hours ahead of eastern standard time (USA)
Head of Government - President Joseph Estrada
Political System - democracy
Currency - peso (41 peso equivalent to one US dollar at time of print)
Main trading partners - Japan, USA, Singapore
Main agricultural products - rice, maize, cassava
Age distribution - 38.3% are of the age of 15 or younger (1995)
Ethnic distribution - comprises more than 50 ethnic communities, although
95% of the population is designated ‘Filipino,’ an Indo-Polynesian ethnic grouping
Languages - Tagalog (Filipino, official) English, Spanish; Cebauno, Iiocano, 70+ indigenous languages
Religion - mainly Roman Catholic; Protestant, Muslim & local religions Education - 6 years (compulsory)
Literacy rate -90 % men; 89 % women (1995)
Unemployment rate - 8.9 (1993)
Life expectancy - 67 men; 70 women (1995-2000)
T.V. sets - 49 per 1,000 people (1995)
Radios - 147 per 1,000 people (1995

Historic dates

14^th century - traders from Malay peninsula introduced Islam and created Muslim principalities of Manila and Jolo.
1521 - Portugese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the islands, but was killed in battle with islanders
1536 - Philippines named after Charles V’s son (later Philip II of Spain), by Spanish navigator Ruy Lopez de Villalbos.
1565 - Philippines conquered by Spanish army led by Muguel Lopez de Legaspi 1571 - Manila made the capital of the colony, which was part of the viceroyalty of Mexico.
17^th century - Spanish missionaries converted much of lowland population to Roman Catholicism.
1762-63 British conquered Manila
1834 End of Spanish monopoly on trade; British & American bought sugar & tobacco.
1898 Spanish-American War: US navy destroyed Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, Aguinaldo (leader of revolt against Spanish rule) declared independence), but Spain ceded Philippines to USA.
1898-1901 - Nationalist uprising suppressed by US troops; 200,000 Filipinos killed.
1935 - Philippines gained internal self-government with Manuel Quezon as president.
1942-45 Occupied by Japan
1946 - Philippines achieved independence from USA under President Manuel Roxas; USA retained bases and supplied economic aid.
1965 - Ferdinand Marcos elected president
1972 - Marcos declared president martial law and ended freedom of press; economic development financed by foreign by foreign loans; of which large sums were diverted by Marcos for personal use.
1981 - Martial law officially ended but Marcos retained sweeping emergency powers, ostensibly needed to combat long-running Muslim and communist insurgencies.
1986 - Marcos falsified election results. Corazon Aquino used ‘people power’ to force Marcos to flee country.
1987 -‘Freedom constitution’ adopted; Aquino’s People Power won congressional elections.
1989 - State of Emergency declared after sixth coup attempt suppressed by US aid.
1995 - Imelda Marcos (widow of Ferdinand Marcos) elected to House of Representativeswhile on bail from prison
1996 - LDP withdrew from coalition. Peace agreement between government and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) after 25 years of civil unrest on Mindanao
2000 - Devotion to Motion stay in Makati City, to avoid volcano eruption in Legaspi.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

So, what did you think of that commercial during the Super Bowl, showing a computer-enhanced Christopher Reeve walking again? Boy, has it created such a huge commotion around the world! While examining this commercial from both sides of the spectrum, either in support of it or appalled by it, I recognized that it’s message needed to be shared because of all the energy that it created inside people. Think about it. If this commercial did not “shake” people up in some manner, then it would not have been effective. How many of the other commercials launched during the Super Bowl or any commercials are people talking about nowadays? There was a definite message in this commercial and it needed to be shown. Was the general public ready to view such a commercial? Was the paralyzed community ready to view such a commercial? Were the family, relatives, and friends of those paralyzed ready to view such a commercial? And finally, was the medical community ready to view such a commercial?

It is my belief that Christopher Reeve has one ultimate responsibility that takes precedent over any other responsibility, and that is to be true to himself. If he believes that he is going to move his body again and walk, then no one can take that desire away from him. Now, on the other hand, what is his responsibility to the paralyzed community who he is unofficially representing because of his fame and popularity? Should he not express his excitement, passion, desire, and unrelenting belief that a cure will be found because people are not ready to hear it? Bottom line, this is a personal question that each and every one of us has to ask ourselves, especially those of us in wheelchairs? Why were we so inspired and motivated by what Christopher Reeve did or on the other hand, why did we feel so threatened, or angry, or confused by his message? The answer to those questions is much more profound than “what did you think of the Christopher Reeve commercial?” Please read my diary entry, “The Christopher Reeve Commercial: How did it really make you feel?” on our website, www.d2motion.com for more insight to this interesting topic.

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!!

We will be traveling to Germany, Sweden, and Brazil in the next few months. If you or any of your family, friends, and/or colleagues have contacts (alternative medicine practitioners, hotels, children, or simply friends and family) in these countries, please email us and let them know we are coming! Thanks for your support!

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY??

Please email us your thoughts, questions, comments, and/or suggestions about our newsletter and world tour. In addition, if you know people who can benefit from receiving future issues of “Globetrotting,” please forward their email addresses to us or simply forward the newsletter to them. You can reach us at chesney12@comcast.net

NEXT ISSUE!!

Click on that email in two weeks when we visit “The Land of Smiles” Thailand, more specifically, “The City of Angels” Bangkok. Learn about Traditional Thai Massage, find out what a “tuk-tuk” is, and get some of Pratiksha’s advise on bargaining and haggling on “A Lighter Side.” Until next time, keep globetrotting in your world!!

D2M TRIVIA ANSWERS

Trivia Answer # 1 - Egyptian civilization

Trivia Answer # 2 - The rider was killed in action

Thank you for listening and we’ll visit you again in two weeks!

Scott & Pratiksha Chesney

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