It is almost time.

My journey to United States this year is almost about to begin. It will be 22 days to go before I fly from the Philippines going to California and we only have 29 days before our Class start at Danville Yoga and Wellness Center. As of writing this, we are packing all up my Pasalubong to everyone and send it off to Bahay Siadtala in Taguig City so that it will be easy for me to carry it to the airport. Our patients here in the Shrine will miss me a lot as i conduct my final donation based healing yesterday July 2nd.

But I assured them that I will come back and resume our donation based healing when I return home by September. Tomorrow, we will pick up our last student for this year in the airport that will come from Canada. She will train with us for 9 days from July 5-13, 2024.

And by July 18, 2024- I will conduct my predeparture webinar which i will talk about Hilot Binabaylan (Shamanic Healer) as a bridge to the Spiritual realms. This will happen through zoom 6:30pm on Pacific Standard Time. And if you are interested to participate or attend, kindly email mariahaswell@comcast.net

By the way, if you haven’t make payment of the 50% reservation fee you still have until July 15, 2024. 

I am very excited now to meet everyone. See you soon!

28 days before i step in again to the American Soil

How is everyone doing? I already have 38 days before i can step back to American Soil. It is not my first time to come to the US as last year 2023, i have been to Chicago Illinois as I attend the Parliament of World Religion that was held at McCormixk Place along Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois. Though it was only a short 9 days of convention representing our Indigenous Filipino Spirituality and I am very glad that our Sister Maria Haswell was able to accompany me in conducting a Ritual on which I speak in Tagalog and she translate it to English. You can watch how i do with sister maria through this link.

Name of Bathala was spoken aloud in Chicago Illinois, USA

And through that, the thought of coming back to the United States was born and now becoming a Reality as we manifest it. Last year it was all american and other nationality that i mingled with and I only see one Filipino who sings that i approached. And i was so relieved to find a Kababayan sharing our Culture and Tradition in the foreign land. But this year as I come to Danville, I know i will be more comfortable because the one that I will meet has a Filipino Spirit inside each one of you. Whether you are First Gen, 2nd Gen or 3rd Generation Filipino, I will be glad to reconnect you back to our mother land by sharing our Ancestral Healing Arts and Science and that is through Hilot. 

I pray that everyone is settle now in your accommodation where you will stay. By the way we have a whats app group so that you can connect with each other and talk about cost sharing on rooms. 

Here i found how to share the group link which is Hilot Training at Danville

See you very very soon!

Registration to Hilot Binabaylan Training at Danville, California Extended!

If you are a Filipino living in the United States, whether you are a first, second or third Generation Filipino and want to reconnect with Filipino Culture and Tradition, this is your chance to reconnect by learning our very own Ancestral Healing Arts and Science through Hilot Binabaylan Training that we are going to conduct at Danville Yoga and Wellness Center that is located at 125A/B Town and Country Drive, Danville, California, 94526, USA.

You may register until June 30, 2024 and make the 50% down payment/ reservation on or before July 15, 2024. You can register by filling up the form in the link below.

Register Here

Tolerating Emotional Pain

Pain is usually indicates the presence of an illness to a person. But be reminded that it is just only one of the many signs of illnesses that we need to verify. Usually, Heartache is also a sign of illness whether it comes from Physical illness or emotional illness. But most of Filipino do endure Physical and Emotional pain.

I remember my teacher at School of Alternative Medicine have taught us, Dr. Reuben M. Galang Jr., that anything that give us limitation is a sign of an illness. But that statement is very wide to understand. But in terms of the capacity of an individual to exercise life such as movement and actions of the Physical body, that is where we are directed to look out for limitations. That is why we are taught to assess Physical Body Range of Motion. But in my personal practice of Filipino Indigenous Traditional Medicine, the limitation in exercising and enjoying life does not only be seen in Physical Body but also in their mental and emotional body. Though, we observed that many Filipino have High Tolerance in Pain that they can endure the situations they have just to obtain what they want to achieve in their life. And that is enduring Physical Pain. They wont stop unless they will fall down and not able to stand up again.

Sometimes, in their life they will just ignore emotional and mental pain or illness. What matter’s to them is to have a means how to earn money to buy for their food and support their family. But what they did not realize is, this kind of tolerance of having emotional pain due to betrayal of ones partner affects how they interact with other people and how they work. Keeping the past painful memories like betrayal makes it a negative energies or as old pinoy would say as evil spirits that make them suffer by having usog, bati or even kulam. Even though, this person have claimed that he was healed before by a magtatawas, there is still residue of negative energies that make him bounded in a chain of past memories that inflict him that also affects the lives of his children.

Mental and Emotional Illness is hard to deal if the person is not willing to be freed from the chain of negative memories. This person needs to be cleansed not only in its physical aspect but also in his mental and emotional state that may improve his social aspects in life.

60 days more before our Hilot Training Begin at Danville, California

It was April when our Last Hilot Binabaylan Training was conducted at Bahay SiAdTala in Taguig City and it was Ale Sison from Columbus, Ohio who is our latest initiate in the practice of Hilot Binabaylan. And this coming August 2024, we will initiate and ordain 12 individual coming from different states in America that will come to Danville Yoga and Wellness Center.

Yes! There are 12 official candidates who made their reservation for our Hilot Binabaylan Training though there are total of 31 registrants. But I believe that there are more people that will be added to our 12 candidates that will undergo our Hilot Binabaylan Initiation. So, I am waiting for you until June 12, 2024 to make your downpayment so that I may include you to our list of candidates.

I have prepared many training activities for August 9-17, 2024 and that includes the following subjects:

Day 1 Saturday August 10, 2024 

9:00 AM- 10:00 AM Definition and History of Hilot 

10:00 AM- 11:00 AM Generations of Healers 

11:00 AM- 12:00 NN Hilot Philosophies and Principles 

12:00 NN- 1:00 PM Lunch 

1:00 PM- 2:00 PM Concept of Life, Health, Illness and Wellness 

2:00 PM- 3:00 PM Faculties and Concept of Man 

3:00 PM- 4:00 PM Traditional Health Care Delivery System 

4:00 PM- 5:00 PM Hilot Code of Ethics/ Laws/Policies concerning the practice of Hilot  

Day 2 Sunday August 11, 2024 

9:00 AM- 10:00 am Hilot Diagnostics 

10:00 AM- 11:00 AM Dimensions of Reality & Plane of Existence 

11:00 AM- 12:00 NN The Seven Souls according to our Indigenous Filipino Ancestors 

12:00 NN- 1:00 PM Lunch 

1:00 PM –2:00 PM Traditional Alternative Wellness Analytic System (TAWAS) 

2:00 PM- 3:00 PM Spiritual Diagnosis 

3:00 PM- 4:00 PM Finger Alignment  

4:00 PM- 5:00 PM Finger Poking  

Day 3 Monday August 12, 2024  

9:00 AM- 10:00 AM Hilot Profiling 

10:00 AM- 12:00 NN Physical Assessment and Evaluation using Senses 

12:00 NN- 1:00 PM Lunch 

1:00 PM- 2:00 PM Pulse Reading Analysis 

2:00 PM- 3:00 PM Locating Pulse Site 

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Collecting Information from Pulse 

4:00 PM- 5:00 PM Analyzing Pulse and giving remarks 

Day 4 Tuesday August 13, 2024 

9:00 AM- 10:00 AM Hilot Cleansing Ritual 

10:00 AM- 11:00 AM Internal and External Cleansing 

11:00 AM- 12:00 NN Demonstration & Practice 

12:00 NN- 1:00 PM Lunch 

1:00 PM-3:30 PM  Demonstration of DagDagay/ Kulis Filipino Traditional Foot Stick Massage 

3:30 PM- 5:00 PM Returned Demonstration/ Supervised Practice 

Day 5 Wednesday August 14, 2024 

9:00 AM- 10:30 AM Demonstration Banana Leaf Scanning  

10:30-12:00 NN Return Demonstration /Supervised Pratice 

12:00 NN- 1:00 PM Lunch 

1:00 PM- 3:30 PM Demonstration Tawak/ Bentusa Tandok 

3:30 PM- 5:00 PM Return Demonstration /Supervised Practice 

Day 6 Thursday August 15, 2024  

9:00 AM- 10 AM Hilot Elemental Touch Manipulations 

10:00 AM 11:00 AM Dry Touch Hilot Manipulation 

11:00 AM –12:00 NN Wet Touch Hilot Manipulation 

12:00 NN- 1:00 PM   Lunch 

1:00 PM- 2:00 PM Hilot Manipulation on hands, arms & shoulders 

2:00 PM- 3:00 PM Hilot Manipulation on Head, Face & Chest 

3:00 PM- 4:00 PM Hilot Manipulation on Feet, Legs and Thigh 

4:00 Pm- 5:00 PM Hilot Manipulation on Abdomen & side Lying Position 

Day 7 Friday August 16, 2024  

9:00 AM- 10:00 AM Hilot Fertility Rituals 

10:00 AM- 12:00 NN Hilot Fertility Ritual for Male 

12:00 NN- 1:00 PM Lunch 

1:00- 5:00 PM Hilot Fertility Ritual for Female 

Day 8 Saturday August 17, 2024 

9:00 AM- 10:00 AM Review/ Q & A 

10:00 AM- 12:00 NN Assessment & Evaluation of Learning 

12:00 NN- 1:00 PM Lunch 

1:00 PM- 3:00 PM Graduation Ceremony 

Aside from these, I have a lot of side stories to tell specially on the status of the Indigenous Healers in Siargao Islands, in Mactan Islands in Cebu, and in Banaue, Ifugao , so as in Obando, Bulacan.

What will we do, if family members refuse treatment for their patient?

It was our usual day on May 18, 2024 when a Young Man ask me to a Hilot Treatment for his Father. And I said yes and apply our policy to let the patient come here as we provide donation based hilot treatment. And to my surprise, the young man brought his father on a wheel chair that could not walk on his own because he had stroke last November 2023.

I assess the situation of the man whose name is Kuya Eddie and found hope that he could be recovered soon. The first thing i do is test kuya Eddie’s sensitivity. next is mobility which i find that his joint were stocked or seems locked up. I also checked on his strength and found it limited and lastly endurance which if i will give percentage, he only have 20-30 %. He complains that he lacks balance and pray that he could stand and walk and do the normal things he does. Unlike other stroke patients, his speech does not have any defects. He could speak well and even have tell me elaborately to what had happened. His memory is clear, though emotionally he is suffering from depression and anxiety. I also learned that he is just my neighbor who lives on the next door. So in his case, I disregard our policy that I my self have come to their house.

I also made it clear to them that they should not worry much in terms of making payment or donation. So, when I do treatment Kuya Eddie’s son is watching and assisting me in doing Hilot. The first day was successful but at the end of the treatment session I sense problem which is called Utang na Loob. The son is shy because he is worried that he could not pay my treatment services for his father. To be honest, I do not make my patient to sign waiver, specially if they are living around the community because they are just our neighbor and we apply the term pakikisama and pakikiapagkapwa. I feel that they are just an extended family to me which I already know their background in terms of finances and life style. So, I gave them my assurance that no single cent will come out of their pocket in the service that I provide to Kuya Eddie.

But on the next day which is our 3rd session, the son was not around and only Kuya Eddie is lying on his bed. At least one of his relative was there that my presence was known in the compound where kuya Eddie lives and know that I will give treatment to Kuya Eddie. So, I finish my 3rd treatment session with him and went back home to the Shrine. Then after a while as I am drinking coffee and having a Chat with Lakay, there was a woman calling for us and looking for the Manghihilot who treats kuya eddie. And I answer her that I am. and I ask back who she was, and she said that she is the Ex Wife of Kuya Eddie. And I ask her what happened and what she wants. She told me that her son would like the treatment to stop as they do not have money to pay me. But I looked at her and saw her that her head was wrapped and has towel on her shoulder, I also asked her what happened to her and she said that she is having a hair treatment on a Salon. In my mind, she have money to spent for her beautification, but she does not have money to sent her ex husband to a proper medical care and she is even the one to ask me to stop treatment to her ex husband.

I really feel so bad though she claim that she is already separated to her husband but as I know there is no Divorce here and only annulment, but in their condition or economic situation, I know that they are not annulled so technically by papers and legality, they are still husband and wife. So, what i feel here is that when you are sick and incapacitated such as stroke and were not able to stand and move by your self, you loose your rights to choose and to have a proper health care. I even hear the son say to me that her mother decides to send her ex husband for a medical check up whenever kuya Eddie is already able to walk again. This breaks my heart and explode my eyes in tears. This situation adds up to my heart break that I had many male patients that had stroke that been left by their wives and family. What happen to love when they first met and also the cause for them to have children? Is it okay to neglect the Father and only honor the mother? This hurts me so much. And I do not have words to describe how hurt I am with the situation that I am encountering with. I feel that I am powerless, that I can only heal the sick person but healing the brokenness of the family is difficult to reset.

I think that this post is just a rant but I hope this can be an eye opener to everyone. We still do not know what lies ahead of us. But through our current action, I believe we can predict what will happen tomorrow and on the following days. If I stop helping Kuya Eddie, he might loose his life. But If I continue to help him, I know by the end of this year he could walk again and restore back what he loose in the past, Kuya Eddie still has the power of choice, unless he is the one who refuse my treatment then I have no power against his own will.

Birthing a New Healing Modality from a Different People

From 2018 I keep hearing of a word that they call as Hilot Lagatok which they claim to be part of Hilot Modality that cracks and pop bones where they derive the word lagatok as it has sound of popping. In massage therapy or Swedish Massage there is a manipulative stroke that is called tapotement which is a rapid and repeated striking of the side of the palms or cupped palm on the fleshy and muscular area of the body. It is performed to increase the blood circulation in local areas as it warms and soften muscles. It also tap off mucus that sticks on the walls of our lungs or also been used as technique when someone has been choked to remove foreign objects that obstruct passage of the air flow thus improve breathing.

Though this group of people are from Filipino Bone Setter Inc. They don’t do massage but instead they do pop and crack joints in all body parts as they claim to align the misaligned joint. Upon evaluating and assessing them, what they do is Chiropractic Manipulation but do insist that they are bone setter. From the definition that been formulated to describe the works of Modern Filipino Bone Setter, they have said that:

Modern Filipino Bone Setting is an alternative health care practices that focus on treating misaligned joints and other Musculoskeletal ailments through the conduct of Physical assessment and evaluation, muscle preparation, joint mobilization and joint alignment in providing relief from pain, weakness,
numbness and reducing nerve compression, relief from muscle tension and promote natural healing by restoring proper alignment and functions to the spine and joints. Filipino Bone Setter Inc,

Whereas, the scope of practice of Traditional Bone Setter includes:

  1. Joint Manipulation
  2. Reducing Joint Dislocation
  3. Reset Fractured Bones
  4. and treat MuskuloSkeletal Injuries

But upon our initial interview with their President Mr. Gary O. Trinidad on which the members call him Master, they do not take the resetting fractured bones but instead refer patients to Medical Professionals. Indeed that they loose one point of becoming on being a Traditional Bone Setter (which I am glad that this work of setting Fractured Bones remain on the scope of duties and responsibilities to the Authentic Manghihilot on which in Ifugao they call as Mun’apyuh was still revered by the Indigenous People and even with the Christians convert.)

In order to extract the health benefits of Bone Setting, I asked Filipino Bone Setters members that is present at the moment yesterday May 15, 2024 to what case of illnesses that have positive response on their treatment. The participant on this Assessment and Evaluation are Mr. Gary Trinidad, Mr. Rommel Reyes, Mr. Disler Vingco and Ms. Raquel Juacalla. According to them:

Bone Setting may provide beneficial effects to the person by improving body posture, improving range of motion and other health related problems such as:
✓ Injuries Issues (Tendonisis, Tennis Elbow)
✓ Reducing Arthritic Pain
✓ Scoliosis
✓ Muscle Spasm
✓ Vertigo
✓ Migraine
✓ Sciatica
✓ Frozen Shoulder
✓ Metabolic Function (Gain & Loss Weight)
✓ Infertility
✓ Misalignment
✓ Dislocation

We also have help them formulate their own code of ethics to follow which is very important part for them to be recognized and accredited by the government accreditation body; which they have formed the following:

  1. . Filipino Bone Setters take pride on our knowledge and skills on the effectiveness of the Treatment method we apply on addressing issues on musculoskeletal injuries, joint misalignment, improving body postures and range of motion.
  2. Filipino Bone Setter prioritize the well being of our Patients. Our primary goal is to alleviate pain, promote healing and restore function.
  3. We approach each patient cases with compassion and empathy, considering the patient’s overall health and wellbeing.
  4. As Filipino Bone Setter, we respect patients’ confidentiality. We do not disclose personal information about our patient without consent.
  5. We maintain professional relationship with client/patients and avoid gossip or sharing sensitive details.
  6. While formal informed consent may not be obtained in the same way as in modern medicine, bone setters typically explain their treatment methods to patients or their families.
  7. Patients are informed about the risks, benefits, and expected outcomes of the treatment.
  8. Consent is implied when patients seek their services voluntarily.
  9. Bone Setters provide honest assessments of the injury and the expected outcomes
    of the treatment.
  10. We do not promise miraculous results but emphasize the importance of following
    the instructions for optimal healing.
  11. As Bone Setters we recognize our own limitations, only if the cases we handle are
    beyond our expertise or required specialized care that we refer our client/patient to
    appropriate healthcare professionals.
  12. We collaborate with other healers, such as Hilot and other alternative, traditional
    and complementary Health Care providers to address various aspects of health.
  13. Bone Setters learn from experience and continuously refine our techniques through
    our continuing Education program.
  14. We seek guidance from elders and attend gatherings where knowledge is shared.

And the most important part of this birthing process that we do for them is that we were able to describe elaborately their bone setting techniques which they can present for their Government Recognition and Accreditation application.

Through this I feel proud of my self, that we were able to help them to exist and not hide on the guise of Hilot which endanger our Manghihilot practitioners of have lack of opportunity and be banned again in practicing our Indigenous Traditional Healing Method.

Days are counting fast

My first travel to United States was in Chicago, Illinois and this year I’ll be heading at Danville Yoga and Wellness Center which I only have 80 days left before I travel.

My round Trip Plane Ticket has been paid and I will leave Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on July 26, 2024 by 6: 45 PM and will arrive in San Francisco International Airport in California on the same date July 26, 2024 by 8:25 PM It seems that i will only travel for 2-3 hours but it will be a 13-14 hours flight. And when I reach there, our Sister Host and her husband, Maria and Mark Haswell is going to pick me up at the airport and will stay in their house the whole time I am there in the US.

Regarding Hilot Training at Danville Yoga & Wellness Center, we only have 87 days and our training session will start by August 2, 2024 and will end by August 18, 2024 which is a total of 17 days of intensive training ( 5 days for Hilot Daloy, 8 days for Hilot Binabaylan and 10 days for Hilot Tanglaw program).

From August 19 to the last day of my US Visit, I am going to offer my services which is the KGP or Katutubong Gamutang Pilipino ( Traditional Indigenous Filipino Medicine) such as the Tawas Spiritual Diagnostic, Pagpag Pauli (Soul Retrieval) Kulubansa Elemental Name Energetic Balance Analysis, and Hilot Binabaylan Healing Ritual.

The Practices of Hilot Binabaylan

I am so glad that the practices of Hilot Binabaylan is aligned to the practices of the Cebuano Indigenous Healers according to the Document that i found through Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Volume 4, no.1 of February 2016.

In their abstract they have enumerated the practices of Cebuano Traditional Healers as the following:

  • Himulso
  • Palakaw
  • Pasubay
  • Pangalap
  • Palina
  • Tayhop
  • Tutho
  • Tuob
  • Orasyon
  • Hilot
  • and Barang

These are the healing practices of Cebuano Traditional healers that was known in their local language as Mananambal which is derived from the root word Tambal which are plants, root, leaves or barks that has medicinal properties which during the time of Colonization these Mananambal or Tambalan are called as Albularyo. My first understanding of the word Tambalan is to pair. So, before all i thought of in doing healing works (which we still continually do) is that every Physical Illness there is also a Spiritual healing to make as the life is not just about the Physical body alone but also of the Spirit.

It has been said on the History of Medicine in the Philippines in accordance to an American Historian named Eduard Gaylord Borne that, “the Philippine is ahead of all other European Colonies in providing ill and invalid people during the start of the 17th Century.” and it is said that: ” there had been a state-of-the-art medical and pharmaceutical science developed by Spanish Friars based on Filipino Curanderos (Folk Healers) that was unique to the Philippine Islands.

With these statement, we found out that the modern medicine that our Government implement for us to use is still based on the knowledge of folk healing practices, the only thing at the current moment is they promote more of the modern medicine and prohibited the indigenous healing practices. Well, the modern medicine might be based on the latest updates of Scientific and Academic Research whereas the Indigenous Ancestral Knowledge is based on personal life experience and Divine Providence. And the Struggling existence of this knowledge of our own Ancestral Healing Arts and Science is based on the collective memories of the practitioners and of those who have experienced it. And now-a-days, the practice of Hilot that you can found with accreditation from the Philippine Government only focuses on manipulation of the Physical body and omitted the Spiritual aspect of a person.

As far as I know, it is only us here at Hilot Academy of Binabaylan that teach the integration of Physical Healing into Spiritual Healing. Such as the Traditional Chinese Medicine is integrated to their Spiritual practice of Fung Sui; Hilot or the Philippine Indigenous Traditional Medicine deserves to preserve its healing practices and integrate it to the modern health care delivery system in the Philippines.

So now, let us describe the healing practices of the Cebuano Traditional Healer that we also apply as Hilot Binabaylan.

Himulso or Pulse Reading Analysis

Pulse Reading Analysis is one of the traditional diagnostic or health assessment and evaluation method employed by a Manghihilot to detect the source of the illness of an individual. The method we share is the Traditional Chinese Method, which has been widely accepted to South East Asian countries as well as the Ayurvedic Medicine which has similar system but of course different manner of explanation.

Though when we say Pulsuhan, it does not only mean to check the pulse or knowing the rate of heart beat per minute; but also indicates of knowing the activities of the internal organs that makes the whole body alive. Usually, rural healers such as albularyo in this modern times are not schooled but their knowledge of detecting illness has only passed to them through experienced healer. So, the method of Himulso is done through finger alignment in order to detect if the illness is caused by the spirit or of physical cause; then after learning that it is caused by the spirit, another diagnostic method will be employed which is the finger poking method to know which elemental spirits afflicts illness to the person involved.

Hilot Academy of Binabaylan offers training on this Diagnostic Method.

Palakaw

Palakaw is a Cebuano word that is derived from it’s root lakaw which means walk. Then a suffix word Pa was added to the word Lakaw that will make the whole word to walk. Though in the Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, they define the word palakaw as petition, and to some other organization such as on the practice of escrima or stick fighting which means defence, if we put all the terms all together, Palakaw will describe the act of making petition for the person to have a natural defense and make and to walk again or restore back the optimum health and wellness of a person.

Pasubay

As it has been described in the Journal as determining the cause of illness and possible means of Healing, this Cebuano word means follow up or an act of continuation or repetition of something that has already been started or done.

In Hilot Academy, we understand this word/practice as performance of Tawas Diagnosis or Divination. In Tawas or Traditional Alternative Wellness Analytic System we can determine the cause of illness and find its possible cure or healing. Though the word Tawas is also associated to the mineral “Alum” that is why we create an acronym to tawas and upon contemplation and further study, we found the word Pagsasala is more appropriate term to use. Though originally the word Pagsasala refers to the use of leaf in scanning body parts that is affected with illness. I, personally found the word more appropriate to describe the whole process of determining the cause of illness and not limited only to the use of leaf scanning. The word Pagsasala is an action word; and if we remove the suffix “Pag” it will only leave its root the word Sala which may mean as filter so as sin.

Pangalap or Gathering of Herbs.

Usually herbs are gathered in the wild or forest which is common practice by indigenous traditional Visayan healers. And now-a-days, people plant herbs in their yards specially the practitioners of Hilot.

It is natural that after knowing the cause of illness to provide immediate cure, having a herbal garden within the premises of the Hilot Healing Center would be handy than going out to the woods or forest. Though the problem in this present time specially in the Urban areas in the Philippines, there are no forest anymore, but the Good thing is we can reforest our city by planting in our yards such as on what we have at Bahay SiAdTala.

Palina

Dry herbs are pounded mix with chopped used candle and incense resin and burn it over live charcoal to produce smoke in fumigation. Smoke is a warding off element such as mosquito coils that burn and ward of insects. But if you place it under the chair and cover your client with blanket, it will create heat and sweating that will extract also negative energies and toxins out of your body.

Tayhop

Gentle Blowing is a common traits that you can found among Indigenous Traditional Filipino Healers as incorporates whispered prayer in a gesture to bridge to power of Divine Healing after the Physical work of healing. This method also incorporates the pure intention of the healer as he pass this intention to the person being healed. Since we also believe that having intention is under the Elemental power of Air, the healer manifest it through Blowing. Faith in the Spirit is common among Filipino Indigenous Traditional Healers as we recognize life coming from the Spirit.

Tutho

This is a common medicine among rural folks that use their saliva in healing. In the Tagalog Area, they incorporate this to puwera usog by wetting their fingers with Saliva and make a sign of the cross on the stomach, hands, feet and forehead. Tutho was the same among the Visaya and noticeably among the Mindanao Muslims, they literally spit on the ground if they witness unpleasant scene, or even behaviour. As if they are rejecting and throwing out negative vibrations out of their System.

Tuob/Lu Op/ Suob

This is a Hilot treatment that employs steam vapor which according to Hypocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine which dates back 400 BC he said that: “Give me the power to create a fever, and I shall cure any disease.” As fever is our natural response against pathogens or disease cause by bacteria and viruses. That is why in Cebu during the time of pandemic from 2020-2023.

Orasyon: The power of Prayer to Heal

Spoken or written words has power to heal. Watch the video discussion to learn more on this. As you listen or watch, the words you hear or read or seen creates image in your mind that can affect your well being. This is how orasyon works.

Hilot

Traditionally, Hilot was known as the ancient Science and Art of Filipino Healing. Today, it is known not only as a modality that employs chiropractic manipulation and massage for diagnostic and treatment of musculo-ligamentous and musculo skeletal ailments, such as resetting dislocated and sprained joints, but now Hilot is known as a Holistic System of Filipino healing arts and sciences that uses the modality of massage for diagnostic and treatment incorporating the use of herbs, water, and bio-energy to promote positive well-being. Hilot offers healing not only to the physical health of an individual but also it
heals the person intellectually, emotionally, socially and spiritually (Health, intellect,love life/ relationship, occupation and tenure). Thus, hilot becomes a healing, initiating, life changing operable therapies. It provides the virtues of hope, inspiration, love, optimism and trust between the recipient and the Hilot provider. The hilot practitioner uses not only massage for treatment but also use Herbal (Halamang Gamot), Init, Lamig, Orasyon and Tubig to achieve balance of the elements within an individual. Hilot heals the symptoms of Hangin, Init, Lamig that makes the body ill and at the same time can help relieve the person with pilay ipit ugat condition & pilay bali (dislocation).

Barang or Sorcery

This aspect of healing was the most avoided modality as many of the people in this present generation are converted to the Abrahamic Religion. So, the practitioners of this method has been demonized as the practice of Black Magick is condemned as enemy of the Church. But if we are going to understand the scope of modern health care and medical profession, there are people specialized in bacteria and infection control. Some of the medicines they make come from animals, insects and even bacteria. So the practice of barang is the same but unfortunately, Christianity have demonized it.

But for us as Hilot Binabaylan, this is our culture and heritage. We embrace and protect it to our practice.

The existence of Filipino Indigenous Traditional Healing

The existence of Indigenous Traditional Healing dates back from 1400 BC or beyond in the Archipelago that we know now as the Philippines. This is in accordance to Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research on which they focus on Cebuano Traditional Healing Arts and Science.

It is said that the Healing Practices of Cebuano are known as Panambal and its practitioners are called Mananambal. And the modalities of healing of the mananambal includes: Himulso or pulse checking, Palakaw or petition, Pasubay (determining the cause of illness and its possible cure. which now we know as Tawas), Pangalap or searching for medicinal herbs that will be used in healing, Palina or Fumigation, Tayhop or gentle blowing, Tutho or saliva blowing, Tuob Boiling or Steam bath, Orasyon or mystical prayers, Hilot or massage and Barang or Sorcery.

These are the Traditional Healing Modalities that a Mananambal employ in their treatment practices, which Hilot Academy of Binabaylan aims to preserve and promote in this present Generation. You will learn this practices as you study with us through our Hilot Binabaylan Training here at Hilot Academy of Binabaylan.