On September 8, 2026, I will take a significant step beyond my comfort zone as I embark on a sacred outreach mission to the United States of America. My flight departs the Philippines at 6:45 PM and arrives in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 11:20 AM on the same date. Because of the international date line, it may appear that I am traveling backward in time. Yet beyond this interesting phenomenon lies a much deeper purpose: carrying the healing wisdom of our ancestors across the Pacific Ocean to reach Filipinos living abroad.
This journey is not simply about travel. It is a pilgrimage of service, education, cultural preservation, and spiritual reconnection.
My first destination will be the St. Anthony Retreat Center in Kalihi, Honolulu, where from September 9-16, 2026, I will facilitate the Hilot Binabaylan Informed Certification Program. For eight intensive days, participants will gather from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM to learn, experience, and reconnect with the sacred healing traditions of our Filipino ancestors.
Following Hawaii, my mission continues to Long Beach, California, from September 22-30, 2026, where I will once again offer the Hilot Binabaylan Informed Certification Program. Then, from October 22-30, 2026, the outreach extends to Oakland, California, bringing the same teachings to another Filipino community seeking to reconnect with its cultural roots and ancestral wisdom.
More Than Geography: Reaching Filipinos Wherever They Are
To be Filipino is more than merely being born within the geographical boundaries of the Philippines. Today, Filipino identity extends across continents, oceans, and generations.
Millions of Filipinos and Filipino descendants now live abroad. Many have inherited Filipino blood, family traditions, values, resilience, and stories from their ancestors, even if they were born in another country. While distance may separate us from our homeland, the ancestral spirit remains alive within us.
The mission of Hilot Academy of Binabaylan is rooted in the belief that every Filipino, whether in Manila, Hawaii, California, Toronto, Sydney, or elsewhere in the world, deserves the opportunity to rediscover the healing gifts of their ancestors.
Many second- and third-generation Filipinos abroad grow up asking important questions:
- Who are my ancestors?
- What was Filipino spirituality before colonization?
- What were the healing traditions practiced by my forebears?
- How can I reconnect with my cultural identity in a meaningful way?
Hilot Binabaylan offers one pathway toward those answers.
Preserving a Sacred Heritage
For generations, Hilot has survived through oral tradition, family practice, and community healing. It is one of the oldest systems of holistic wellness in the Philippines, addressing not only physical health but also emotional, social, cultural, and spiritual well-being.
Yet as modernization continues and younger generations become increasingly disconnected from ancestral traditions, there is a growing need to preserve and transmit this knowledge before it is forgotten.
This outreach mission is therefore more than a certification program. It is an act of cultural stewardship.
Each class conducted abroad becomes a living bridge between past and present. Every participant who learns the principles of Hilot Binabaylan becomes a potential carrier of ancestral knowledge. Through education, mentorship, and direct experience, these traditions continue to live and evolve while remaining rooted in their indigenous foundations.
Healing Through Identity
One of the greatest challenges facing many people today is a sense of disconnection from their roots.
For Filipinos living overseas, healing often involves more than addressing physical symptoms. It may include healing the separation from culture, language, ancestry, and community.
Hilot Binabaylan recognizes that wellness involves the whole person. By reconnecting with ancestral traditions, many individuals discover a renewed sense of identity, belonging, and purpose.
When a Filipino abroad learns the healing wisdom of the ancestors, they are not only acquiring techniques. They are participating in an act of remembrance. They remember who they are, where they come from, and the sacred lineage of knowledge that has been entrusted to them.
Answering the Call of the Ancestors
Throughout my journey as a Hilot practitioner, educator, and Binabaylan minister, I have witnessed how ancestral healing can transform lives. I have seen students discover confidence in their cultural identity. I have seen families reconnect with traditions they thought were lost. I have seen communities find inspiration in the wisdom of their elders.
For me, this mission to America is not merely a professional undertaking. It is a response to a calling.
I believe that the ancestors have entrusted us with a responsibility: to ensure that the Sacred Healing Arts and Sciences of the Philippines continue to benefit future generations.
Every plane ride, every training session, every conversation, and every classroom gathering becomes part of that larger purpose.
As I travel from Hawaii to Long Beach and Oakland, I carry with me not only educational materials and training manuals, but also the prayers, stories, resilience, and healing traditions of our people.
A Global Movement of Ancestral Healing
This outreach mission represents something greater than one individual journey. It reflects a growing global movement of Filipinos seeking to reclaim, preserve, and celebrate Indigenous Filipino wisdom.
The future of Hilot Binabaylan does not depend solely on institutions. It depends on people willing to learn, practice, teach, and embody these traditions in their daily lives.
From the mountains of the Philippines to communities across America and beyond, the call remains the same:
Remember who you are. Honor where you came from. Carry forward the healing wisdom of the ancestors.
As I begin this journey from September to October 2026, I do so with humility, gratitude, and a deep sense of purpose. May this mission strengthen the bonds among Filipinos worldwide and inspire a new generation to embrace the sacred legacy of Hilot Binabaylan.
The healing continues. The lineage endures. The ancestors are calling.
Hilot Academy of Binabaylan 