Philippines: Taiwan Practitioners Go to Manila Introduce Falun Dafa

Last year when Taiwanese practitioners went to the Philippines to introduce Falun Dafa, they were warmly received by the Philippine people, who hoped the practitioners would come again to introduce Falun Dafa and teach them the exercises. On August the 7th this year, about 22 practitioners in two groups from Taiwan travelled to Manila to introduce Falun Dafa. We visited people from different circles and gained extensive support from them. We also held a nine-day seminar.

1. Practising the Exercises and Introducing Falun Dafa in a Park

At 5:00a.m., we went to Manila's Luneta Park to practise the exercises and introduce Falun Dafa. Many Chinese people do morning exercises in this park every day. Practitioners in the Philippines felt that it was difficult to clarify the truth to these people, because the practitioners don't understand Chinese. This time, the Taiwanese practitioners helped the Philippine practitioners make a placard with a message that people could freely take and read the materials, so that Chinese people could come to take materials on their own.

There are three million Chinese in the Philippines, and many of them have been deceived by Jiang's group's propaganda and have a negative impression of Falun Gong. Especially the senior Chinese, some of them do not dare to read or listen to anything about Falun Gong. Last year, several Chinese tore our banners and kicked our display boards. This year, once again a person came to kick over our display boards and report us to the police. Taiwan practitioners were not bothered by his presence, as whoever came, we would clarify the truth to them. Every day, that malicious person reported to the police, but the police were tired of him, and simply came to walk around and leave. One day, the chief of the police came by bicycle and said, "Do whatever you want to do." He also joined a large group of people to sing the song, "Falun Dafa is Great." The Philippine police support Falun Gong.

There are several practice sites in Manila. Philippine practitioners hold a group practice at a park on Sundays. On holidays, many people came out to do morning exercises. Most of them were Philippine citizens, and many of them were glad to listen to the truth about Falun Gong, and even learned to practise the five sets of exercises on the spot. Taiwan practitioners gave out balloons to children with the words, "Falun Dafa is Good," and "The World Needs 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance'" in both Chinese and English, and the children took them everywhere in the park. A Philippine man came along with his wife and their child to spend their holiday. Seeing us teaching the exercises free of charge, the whole family came to learn to practise the exercises.

There is a practice site in a suburb of Manila. Philippine practitioners there did not practise the exercises quite correctly. Taiwan practitioners went there to teach them the exercises and help correct their movements. After practising the exercises, they studied the Fa [the teachings of Falun Dafa] together and also presented the practitioners with a copy of Teacher's exercise instructional Video-CD, telling them about the importance of studying the Fa, and hoping that they could hold group Fa study regularly. The Philippine practitioners happily accepted our suggestions.

Practising the exercise and having a photo taken with practitioners at a practice site outside Manila

2. Clarifying the Truth to People from Different Circles in the Philippines

Philippine government: We had to apply for a permit to hang banners in Luneta Park. Practitioners went to related department to apply, and at the same time introduced Falun Dafa and clarified the truth in the park. The related department could not grant us a permit immediately, citing various reasons. So we set up display boards, and in the end, practitioners made a large display board with the words "Falun Dafa is Good" in both Chinese and English. Some practitioners went directly to the tourist bureau and the Senate to clarify the truth and gained positive support from them. Several people in the tourist bureau learned to practice the exercises immediately on the spot. Officials in the Senate asked the practitioners to teach them to do the exercises every Friday.

Educational System in Philippines: Practitioners visited some schools, and most of them had no understanding of Falun Gong, but through truth clarification, they all had a positive attitude toward Falun Gong. An official in the educational system warmly received the Taiwanese practitioners, and when he learned the truth about Falun Gong and Falun Gong's tremendous effect on healing illnesses and keeping fit, he was glad to pass the truth clarification materials to principals of all schools. He also suggested that we seek help from the Physical Education Association to introduce Falun Dafa.

3. Holding a Nine-Day Seminar

On the third day of a nine-day seminar at the YMCA, a journalist from United Daily News came to conduct interviews and file a report that was published the next day
The report in United Daily News	A notice for changing venue

The YMCA originally promised to provide us a site to hold a nine-day seminar, but it suddenly notified us that they would not let us use the site. We knew they might have received some pressure from somewhere. Falun Gong practitioners then found another place and published a notice about the change of venue in the newspaper the next day.

The afternoon the notice was published, when we went to Chinatown to introduce Falun Gong, someone told us they had read about it in the newspaper. That evening, when the nine-day video series began, some Chinese people came to enquire and learn to practise the exercises. Some other news agencies saw the positive effect of our ads in the newspaper, and were willing to publish our ads. They left their telephone numbers and hoped that we could find them to publish ads in their newspapers.

During the days when Falun Gong practitioners were staying in the Philippines, except for morning group Fa study and group practice, during the daytime, we all separated into different groups and did different things. Some practitioners wore formal suits to visit different departments; some practitioners went to Chinatown to hand out flyers on the streets. Some held the nine-day seminar; some drafted a speech for a press conference, some translated it into English and the language of the Philippines. Some contacted news agencies; some went to schools. Practitioners' efforts received positive feedback: the Philippine Senate expressed hope that the practitioners would come to teach them to do the exercises. A school principal hoped that someone could go to the school to teach the exercises every Friday morning in September. The seeds of Falun Dafa and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" have sprouted in the Philippines, and we believe there will be blossoms and fruit in the near future.