Healing haven
Sonya Garcia, who pioneered the bed-and-breakfast scene in the Philippines by opening Sonya’s Garden in Alfonso, Cavite in 1997, has a personal belief that one should leave this planet better than one found it.
She believes that a kind table—a table laden with food that does not only satisfy the stomach but also nourishes the soul—should be had by everyone because healthy eating is all about living a gracious and grateful life.
At Sonya’s Bed & Breakfast, dotted with 30 charming cottages (five of which have air-conditioning units), she serves greens harvested from her greenhouses. She helped the members of her staff—over a hundred of them—establish a cooperative and taught them to plant vegetables, cash crops and fruit trees—all natural, no fertilizer, no pesticides. She encourages them to sell their produce to her at a price higher than what is sold in the market.
Long before farm-to-table concepts became the mode, Sonya had already been practicing it. She was conscious about carbon dioxide footprints and that was one of her ways of “making sure I will leave this planet better than I found it.”
From the plot-to-plate concept, to social fencing (an advocacy to keep peace and order in Barangay Buck Estate, where her “secret gardens” are located, by giving work and livelihood to the residents), Sonya has kept her promise to be a protector of Mother Earth. For about a decade now, she has espoused health, wellness, and longevity. She also espouses acupuncture that should also be served “on the table.”
“The body has the capacity to heal itself. Acupuncture supports the body’s natural healing by improving circulation, easing pain, reducing stress, and restoring balance—promoting overall wellness in a gentle, non-invasive way. It also includes cosmetic acupuncture, which helps improve skin tone, boost collagen, and promote a naturally healthy and radiant appearance,” says Kim Tae Sung, the Koreammaster acupuncturist at Sonya’s Garden. He’s more popularly known among the regular guests as Mr. Kim.
Mr. Kim has been part of Sonya’s Garden even before the pandemic. He has lived in Alfonso for years now, away from the city, embracing the peaceful ambiance of nature while sharing his healing practice as part of Sonya’s Garden’s holistic wellness advocacy.
As part of the Sonya’s Garden family, he also extends his care by offering free acupuncture sessions to the staff and their extended families, reflecting the shared commitment to community wellness and compassion. He also actively promotes and teaches the community about traditional healing practices.
Over the Easter break, Sonya and Mr. Kim celebrated the Resurrection by providing health restoration and renewal for guests, employees and relatives of employees of Sonya’s Garden and invited them to avail themselves of free acupuncture treatments. The acupuncture sessions were made possible by a a group of acupuncturists from the Korean Acupuncture and Moxibustion Association (KAMA). This was the second time Mr. Kim, vice chairman of KAMA, had brought a team of Korean acupuncturists to conduct a free medical mission in Alfonso, Cavite, further extending healing and service to the local community.
The road to healing for some patients—many are stroke and diabetes patients and individuals with hypertension and cholesterol concerns, one patient was open about her mental health concerns and she thought acupuncture needles would help her—was a beautiful experience as they had their acupuncture sessions amid a lush garden that was festooned with the colorful bracts of bougainvillea and other blooms.
(Mr. Kim and his acupuncture needles were instrumental in bringing back my sense of smell when I lost it for almost two months after I had COVID in 2021.)
“This kind of medical mission helps the community because it gives access to alternative and preventive healthcare that is not readily available to the community. We are grateful to Sonya Garcia, Mr. Kim, and the staff of Sonya’s Garden for giving us the opportunity to help,” says Chae Duckwon, chairman of KAMA.
Joining Chae at the medical mission were Korean acupuncturists Kan Guemsik, Kim Kyunghyang, Choi Suhee, Cho Oki, Noh Youngwoo, Kim Youngmi, Min Young Hee, Jung Dayhun, Kim Il Hyun, Kim Chong Hyun, Lee Man Sik, and Yeo Ingeum.
Mr. Kim said the three-day medical mission was held in close contact with the regional Department of Health, the municipality of Alfonso, and the Philippine Integrative Traditional and Alternative Care.
Healing is holistic. Food is medicine. Sonya Garcia believes in that. And acupuncture, for her, is a holistic cure.
“Healing commences when the body has the liberty to have space to restore its natural balance. Acupuncture is not just a remedy, not a mere therapy; it is a quiet reconnection of the body, mind, and soul,” Sonya believes. *
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