(Editor?s Note: The German founder of The Farm at San Benito tells in his own words why he built a world-class resort in the wilderness of Batangas.)

MANILA, Philippines?At a time when Asia was still recovering from a financial crisis, and even before SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), bird flu and swine flu became global health threats, it would seem imprudent to plunge a sizable investment in the middle of Batangas? poultry and piggery land just to elevate the health consciousness of the Filipino and promote medical tourism.

But it came intuitively for this long-time Philippine resident, who built a fortune in this country, to plow it back and realize a dream.

That investment in 2002, required precision in concept, ensuring world-class standards in all details. It was something international guests?and a growing wellness industry?soon took notice of.

In the lush foothills of Mount Malarayat within Lipa City, a premier health resort called The Farm at San Benito took form.

It has become a world-class complex dedicated to integrated medical health therapies. At the facility, resident medical doctors are trained not only in contemporary textbook medicine but in natural or ancient healing practices as well.

For five consecutive years, The Farm won for the Philippines a series of Asian spa prestige awards, besting established hotel names in the region.

The Farm also holds the distinction of having the only gourmet living food restaurant in Asia?something American visitors will almost always equate with the well-known Pure Food and Wine restaurant in New York City.

Actors and rock stars

Tiffany Schauer is not the first American to discover the place.

?I'm not sure how in the world they found it, but ? Woody Harrelson and a few rock stars, such as (a member of) Coldplay, discovered this place before me,? she said.

Schauer used to be a lawyer in San Francisco, California, engaged in environmental litigation before she decided to take her cause a notch higher by founding Our Children?s Earth, (www.ocefoundation.org), the maverick public charity known for its environmental justice campaigns focusing on clean air issues.

In the course of her travels around the world to visit and bring attention to pioneering nonprofit projects, she discovered an environmental oasis in the hinterlands of Western Batangas.

She ventures to tell the world about it and to let Filipinos know what a treasure they have.

The intrepid American environmentalist had been scuba diving in Anilao, Batangas for a week when she decided to listen to rumors of a really nice spa not too far away.

She traveled to Lipa, passing horse farms, coconut plantations, lush jungle and scenic hills.

?And, at what seemed the end of the earth, there was an oasis: it is called ?The Farm.??

What resonated with Schauer, being an environmentalist, was the sharp attention given to the minutest details, ?each intended to affect an overall impact of perfectly balanced, natural and casual calm.?

?There are really relaxed peacocks and ducks wandering around. It?s beautiful,? she says. ?There is a release here I haven?t experienced before.?

Although tended by former Aman hotel manager Michael Di Lonardo and his wife Jennifer, the facility is staffed primarily by Filipinos ?lovely and nurturing??from the medical doctors and spa therapists to the natural nutrition chefs and organic gardeners who maintain the level of excellence.

Today, the facility is giving employment to over 150 Filipino men and women mostly from surrounding barrios.

Charly the wise peacock

All these alone should be worthy of some acknowledgment. But as with everything new?anything that runs counter to old belief systems and biases?The Farm has been criticized for its strictly vegetarian menu and no-cellphone-and-TV rules.

Those critics fail to understand that good health is always in direct context to the food we eat, a fact that the ancient Greek culture already embraced 2,500 years ago.

Still, The Farm remains buoyant. It is never easy to be original, visionary or special.

As our wise resident peacock Charly has put it: ?Believe nothing you are being told at The Farm, simply live it, experience it, then look at your experience and find the truth. On this day, you will rejoice.?

The truth Charly is referring to is that the future of modern medicine lies in the integration of old and new wisdom.

The fire of hope that pharmaceutical and contemporary medicine is still fanning?that humanity is but a short distance away from major medical breakthroughs, healing just about anything?will always remain that: a hope and a dream.

Only when modern medicine opens itself up to the ancient wisdom of countless generations of all cultures can this hope and dream be realized. The wisdom necessary to make this a disease-free-world is undoubtedly available even today.

This is the truth that is being lived at The Farm in the Philippines every day alongside the many miracles it produces.

On finding it too costly

While the weeks-long therapies do not come cheap, the cost is still way below that of other international resorts that offer similar services.

Everyone can afford The Farm. There are available payment plans.

Also, healing is within the reach of every person. All everyone needs is to follow Charly?s advice: live it, experience it, and find the truth.

The Farm is proud of the fact that its fame comes not from its huge investment, but from the caring that resides in each employee?s heart. The genuine love Filipinos show?to help, heal and serve?is legendary.

Schauer finds this to be so while in the Philippines.

?The Philippine people are kind, helpful and sincere. They are happy and project an optimistic and loving energy. They helped me arrange my visit at the last minute over the phone, nurtured my nitrogen-soaked body and delivered everything to my next destination what I had forgotten in my room upon departure.?

?The Philippines (is) the place to go if you need some tender loving care,? she declares.