Category: Activity / Events

Pista ng Katutubong Gamutang Pilipino 2025: Honoring the Sacred Tradition of Hilot The Indigenous Healing Wisdom of the Filipino People

The Pista ng Katutubong Gamutang Pilipino 2025 presentation is a powerful celebration of Hilot, the indigenous Filipino healing tradition that has endured through thousands of years of cultural evolution. From prehistoric Kalinga to the modern wellness industry, Hilot has remained a vital expression of ancestral wisdom, spiritual resilience, and community-based care.

Tracing the Roots of Hilot

The presentation begins with archaeological evidence of early healing practices dating back 709,000 years ago, when ancient Filipinos used rhinoceros parts for food and medicine. It then highlights the role of Babaylan, Manghihilot, and Albularyo—spiritual healers who used herbal medicine, massage, and rituals to treat physical and emotional ailments.

Hilot Through the Ages

Hilot’s journey spans multiple historical eras:

  • Pre-Srivijaya and Pre-Islamic Periods: Rooted in animistic and shamanic traditions.
  • Islamization Era: Hilot adapted and coexisted with Islamic healing practices.
  • Colonial Periods: Despite marginalization, Hilot remained the primary healthcare system in rural communities.
  • Japanese Occupation and Liberation: Hilot served as a lifeline for guerrilla fighters and civilians.
  • Martial Law Era: Hilot survived underground, preserving indigenous knowledge through oral tradition.

Modern Recognition and Institutional Support

The passage of the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997 (RA 8423) and the TESDA NC II certification marked a turning point in Hilot’s formal recognition. These milestones helped integrate Hilot into the national health and vocational systems, opening doors for professional practice in wellness centers, spas, and tourism.

🌀 Addendum: Reclaiming the Full Spectrum of Hilot Binabaylan Practice

While Hilot is now recognized as a wellness modality, key ancestral practices—such as spiritual healing, bone setting, and traditional midwifery—remain excluded from current regulations. This exclusion risks erasing the holistic essence of Hilot as practiced by our ancestors.

⚠️ Current Regulatory Gaps

  • Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) are prohibited from conducting home births in many localities due to safety concerns and lack of formal training.
  • Bone setting, a core skill of Manghihilot, is not included in TESDA’s Hilot Wellness Massage NC II curriculum or PITAHC standards.
  • Spiritual healing, though central to Hilot, is often sidelined in favor of clinical approaches. [Pista ng K…ipino 2026 | PowerPoint]

🌿 Why Inclusion Matters

To preserve the authentic form of Hilot Binabaylan, we must reintegrate these ancestral practices into a regulated, culturally respectful framework. This ensures that Hilot remains a complete healing system, not just a massage technique.

🔧 Proposed Integration Strategies

  1. Expanded Curriculum and Certification
    • Develop specialized modules on traditional midwifery, bone setting, and spiritual healing.
    • Partner with institutions like Templong Anituhan and Hilot Academy of Binabaylan to offer culturally grounded training.
  2. Community-Based Health Integration
    • Recognize Hilot Binabaylan as community health workers, especially in underserved areas.
  3. Multi-Agency Collaboration
    • Utilize the mandate of RA 8423 to involve TESDA, CHED, DepEd, and PCHRD in creating short courses and degree programs.
  4. Ethical and Safety Standards
    • Establish guidelines to ensure safe practice while honoring indigenous knowledge.

✊ A Call for Cultural Justice in Healthcare

The exclusion of bone setting and traditional birth practices is not just a technical issue—it is a cultural justice concern. By reclaiming the full spectrum of Hilot Binabaylan, we affirm the value of indigenous wisdom and ensure its rightful place in the modern healthcare delivery system.

🌺 Closing Reflection

Hilot is more than a healing technique—it is a living embodiment of Filipino ancestral wisdom. As we move forward, let us ensure that Hilot remains whole, respected, and empowered. Through education, advocacy, and cultural preservation, we can continue to heal, educate, and uplift our communities with the sacred wisdom of Hilot Binabaylan.

Pista ng Katutubong Gamutang Pilipino 2026Download

Why Hilot Academy of Binabaylan Deserves National Recognition: A Call to PITAHC

In the heart of the Philippines, where ancestral wisdom meets modern wellness, the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan stands as a living testament to the enduring power of indigenous healing. More than just a school, it is a sanctuary of cultural memory, spiritual practice, and community empowerment. As we prepare for the Pista ng Katutubong Gamutang Pilipino 2026, it’s time to ask: Why hasn’t this academy been formally recognized by PITAHC?

Let’s explore why it should be.

🌿 Hilot: A Healing Tradition Older Than History

Did you know that evidence of healing practices in the Philippines dates back 709,000 years? In Kalinga, early humans butchered rhinoceros not just for food—but for medicine. This ancient wisdom evolved into what we now call Hilot, a holistic healing system practiced by babaylan, manghihilot, and albularyo across generations.

From the Srivijaya period to the Islamic era, through Spanish and American colonization, wartime resistance, and Martial Law—Hilot survived. It adapted, persisted, and remained deeply rooted in Filipino cosmology, spirituality, and community life.

🏛️ Legal Milestones That Paved the Way

Hilot’s journey toward formal recognition began with:

  • Presidential Decree No. 856 (1975) – regulating massage and sanitation.
  • RA 8423 (1997) – the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act, which created PITAHC.
  • TESDA Board Resolution 2008-19 – establishing Hilot (Wellness Massage) NC II training standards.

These laws laid the groundwork. Now, it’s time to take the next step: recognize the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan as a formal educational institution under PITAHC’s guidance.

📚 Why PITAHC Should Recognize the Academy

Here are 9 policy recommendations, backed by historical and institutional data:

1. Institutional Recognition

Hilot is not spa massage. It’s a spiritual and therapeutic tradition. The Academy preserves this distinction and deserves formal acknowledgment.

2. Educational Integration

The Academy offers structured training aligned with PITAHC’s mandate to collaborate with TESDA, CHED, DepEd, and PCHRD for short courses and degree programs.

3. Accreditation and Licensing

Graduates of the Academy should be eligible for national accreditation, protecting them from being labeled “quack doctors.”

4. Research and Documentation

Hilot has survived through oral tradition. PITAHC can support the Academy in creating a National Archive of Indigenous Healing Knowledge.

5. Community-Based Health Programs

Hilot has always been the backbone of rural healthcare. Integrating it into barangay health programs will uplift underserved communities.

6. Cultural Preservation

Hilot is part of our Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Academy safeguards this legacy through ritual, education, and practice.

7. Economic Empowerment

TESDA-certified Hilot training empowers PWDs, solo parents, and OFWs. The Academy is a hub for inclusive livelihood development.

8. Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue

Hilot has harmonized with Islamic and Christian traditions. The Academy promotes respectful spiritual integration.

9. Monitoring and Evaluation

PITAHC can lead a task force to ensure quality, impact, and sustainability of Hilot programs nationwide.

✨ A Living Temple of Healing

The Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, rooted in the teachings of Templong Anituhan, is more than an educational center—it is a living temple of Filipino healing arts. It embodies the spirit of Melchora Aquino, the revolutionary Hilot of the Katipunan, and carries forward the legacy of the babaylan who healed not just bodies, but communities.

📣 Call to Action

We urge PITAHC to:

  • Recognize the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan as a formal partner in traditional medicine education.
  • Support its programs through policy, funding, and collaboration.
  • Honor Hilot as a sacred tradition that continues to heal, educate, and empower.

Let us not wait another generation. The time to uplift our indigenous healing wisdom is now.

Advocating for the Recognition of Hilot and Manghihilot

As we celebrate Philippine Traditional and Alternative Medicine Month, I invite you to reflect on a vital question: How well do Filipinos—both here and abroad—truly understand Hilot? For many of us, Hilot is a memory passed down from our lolo, lola, nanay, tatay, tito, and tita. It is a healing tradition rooted in our homes and communities. Yet today, Hilot is often mistaken for mere massage therapy offered in luxury spas, stripped of its deeper wisdom and purpose.

Let me ask: Do we still remember what “Pilay” is? Do we still recognize the Manghihilot as the community’s first line of defense in health care?

Sadly, our Traditional Healing Arts and Sciences are being commercialized and standardized in ways that leave ordinary Filipinos disconnected from their own healing heritage. Once, the Manghihilot was a trusted health care provider in the barangay. Now, even prescribing herbal remedies requires a medical license.

I have been monitoring the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) from 2020 to 2023, and I ask: Where is the support for Hilot? As of this year, only 27 Manghihilot practitioners are listed in PITAHC’s registry. Compare this to other modalities:

  • Certified Acupuncture Practitioners: 1,099
  • Certified Chiropractic Practitioners: 87
  • Certified Naturopath Practitioners: 249
  • Certified Hilot Practitioners: 27

This disparity is alarming. PITAHC’s mandate clearly states its goal to promote safe, effective, and culturally consistent health care modalities. But where is the Indigenous Traditional Medicine of the Filipino people in this promotion?

Our elder Manghihilot are aging. If we do not act now, their wisdom will be lost forever.

I respectfully call on PITAHC to:

  1. Recognize Manghihilot in the barrios without charging registration fees.
  2. Make Hilot Congress attendance free, especially for grassroots healers.
  3. Allocate government funds toward Filipino traditional medicine—not just foreign modalities.
  4. Extend PITAHC’s reach to regional, provincial, city, and municipal health centers to identify and support Manghihilot in every barangay.
  5. Issue a memorandum circular to protect Hilot practices, just as one was issued to regulate Hilot Paanak.
  6. Include accredited Hilot Healing Centers in PhilHealth coverage, just like birthing centers.

To all Manghihilot—whether certified by TESDA, PITAHC, or trained through ancestral lineage—you have the right to be recognized.

Join me on November 8, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM for a Free Online Webinar via Google Meet. Let us come together to reclaim our healing traditions and advocate for their rightful place in our national health care system.

Register here: https://forms.gle/9dScvdYnDB8gCPcc8

Maraming salamat po, at nawa’y pagpalain tayo ng ating mga ninuno at ng mga Diwata ng Kagalingan!

Preserving the Sacred: Why Hilot Must Remain Rooted in Its Indigenous Form

Hilot, the ancient healing art of the Filipino people, is more than just a massage technique—it is a sacred embodiment of our Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP). Rooted in the wisdom of our ancestors, Hilot is a holistic approach to healing that integrates the body, mind, and spirit, guided by the rhythms of nature, the presence of the Diwata and Anito, and the elemental balance of Apoy, Tubig, Hangin, and Lupa.

The Essence of Hilot as Indigenous Knowledge

In its original form, Hilot is a spiritual and cosmological practice. It is performed by Binabaylan, spiritual healers who walk between realms, invoking divine guidance and ancestral wisdom. Hilot is not merely about physical relief—it is about restoring harmony within the person and their environment. It includes:

  • Energetic diagnostics through pulse, heat, and intuition
  • Rituals and prayers to the Diwata and Anito
  • Herbal medicine and elemental therapy
  • Soul healing and spiritual alignment

This depth of practice reflects the Indigenous Filipino worldview, where health is not just physical wellness but a state of spiritual balance and ancestral connection.

The Role of TESDA and PITAHC

In recent years, TESDA and PITAHC have taken steps to promote Hilot as part of the national healthcare system. Their efforts have helped:

  • Provide training and certification for practitioners
  • Ensure safety and professionalism
  • Introduce Hilot to a wider audience seeking alternative wellness

These contributions are valuable and necessary. However, the institutional framing of Hilot has narrowed its scope, often reducing it to massage and relaxation therapy, detached from its Indigenous roots.

The Risk of Cultural Dilution

When Hilot is stripped of its spiritual and ancestral dimensions, it loses its identity as Indigenous Knowledge. It becomes a commodified service, disconnected from the cosmology that gives it meaning. This not only misrepresents the practice but also disempowers Indigenous communities who have preserved it for generations.

A Call for Dual Recognition

We advocate for a dual-pathway approach to Hilot:

  1. Institutional Hilot – promoted by TESDA and PITAHC for therapeutic and wellness purposes.
  2. Indigenous Hilot Binabaylan – preserved in its original form by spiritual communities like Templong Anituhan, emphasizing holistic healing of the body, mind, and spirit.

This approach allows Hilot to evolve and reach modern audiences without losing its soul. It respects the sovereignty of Indigenous communities and honors the sacredness of Hilot as a spiritual ministry.

Protecting Hilot as Indigenous Knowledge

We call upon:

  • NCIP to uphold Hilot as IKSP under R.A. 8371
  • IPOPHL to protect its Indigenous Intellectual Property
  • Educational institutions to include Hilot Binabaylan in cultural and spiritual curricula
  • Healthcare systems to recognize the value of spiritual healing in holistic wellness

Call to Action: Join Us in Reclaiming Hilot

To deepen this conversation and celebrate the wisdom of our ancestors, we invite you to join our free online event:

🕓 Date & Time: November 8, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
📍 Platform: Google Meet
🎉 Event Title: Panibagong Sigla: Indigenous Healing Wisdom for Modern Wellness

This gathering will feature Hilot practitioners, Binabaylan leaders, and cultural advocates sharing insights on how Hilot can be preserved, practiced, and promoted in its full Indigenous form.

Register here to join

Let us walk together in healing, remembering, and reclaiming the sacred path of Hilot.

🌿 Understanding the Three Faces of Hilot: A Path to Holistic Filipino Healing 🌿

Hilot, the ancient Filipino art of healing, is steadily gaining global recognition as a powerful modality for wellness and spiritual restoration. As more people seek natural and culturally rooted approaches to health, Hilot stands out as a sacred tradition that bridges body, mind, and spirit.

At the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, we honor the richness and diversity within this practice. Through years of study and experience, we have identified three distinct expressions of Hilot, each serving a unique purpose in the journey toward holistic well-being:

1️⃣ TESDA Hilot

This form of Hilot is widely taught through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and focuses primarily on physical relaxation and massage therapy. It is designed to relieve stress, promote circulation, and support general wellness through touch and bodywork.

2️⃣ PITAHC Hilot

Recognized by the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC), this approach integrates Hilot into the realm of complementary and alternative medicine. It is medically inclined, emphasizing diagnostic techniques and therapeutic interventions that align with traditional healthcare systems.

3️⃣ Hilot Binabaylan

This is our sacred path—Hilot Binabaylan—a culturally and spiritually rooted practice that draws from indigenous Filipino wisdom. It involves rituals, connection with nature, and ancestral guidance to heal not just the body, but also the soul. It is a spiritual calling that honors the sacred relationship between healer, patient, and the unseen forces of life.

🌺 A Gathering of Healing and Unity

On October 5, 2025, we will host a special gathering to celebrate and acknowledge these three expressions of Hilot. This event is not about division, but integration—recognizing that each form of Hilot contributes to a greater whole. When combined, they offer a comprehensive and deeply transformative healing experience.

Rather than contradicting one another, these approaches can be harmonized to provide optimum benefits for those we serve. Whether through physical touch, medical insight, or spiritual connection, Hilot remains a living tradition that continues to evolve and empower.

✨ Let us unite in honoring our heritage and empowering our future through the sacred art of Hilot. ✨

#HilotBinabaylan #AncestralHealing #FilipinoWisdom #HilotAcademy #IntegrativeHealing #TemplongAnituhan

We are recognized to be a Wellness Nation Builder

Early this year Luntiang Aghama Natural Divine Arts Shrine of Healing Inc. become an Affiliate member of the Wellness Tourism Association of the Philippines that aims to promote the Philippines unique wellness offerings, skilled professionals and evidence-based wellness experience. As they envisioned that by 2028, Wellness Tourism playing a vital role in nation building, generating significant tourism revenue and providing dignified, gender-equal job opportunities.

Though WeTap is a mundane organization and Luntiang Aghama focuses on Spirituality; As Hilot Academy’s teaching on balancing the Physical Health and Spiritual Health, we joined WeTap to have representation as we promote Authentic Filipino Brand of Wellness.

April 28, 2025 was the very first in person General Membership Meeting which at first I hesitated to attend because it was held at Okada Manila which is a luxurious hotel in the Philippines. Though there are no fee to pay since I am a member, so I come to fulfill my duty as member. For the first time I see other members of the Association and at first, I feel intimidated because all of them are not just a working professional but also a Wellness Property owners which means they are Millionaire or Billionaire. But I reminded myself for my reason in joining the organization which its not my ourpose to look at their pocket but to share with them the Philippine Indigenous Traditional Medicine which is our Authentic Filipino Brand of Wellness.

Onwards to our 9th Year Anniversary

I am always amazed to have people in our class that have the same flow of thoughts running in their mind and the class that they are taking with us serve as an affirmation to the calling that they have and long to manifest in their life.

Hilot Academy was established on April 5, 2016, which is now celebrating our 9th Year Anniversary, which start to aim just to provide skills training that is aligned to the Standards and Regulation of Technical Skills and Development Authority (TESDA). But as time goes by, the need of preserving the knowledge of our Indigenous Traditional Medicine Practices prevails that we cut our self from any Governing and Accrediting Body that forbids some of our Healing practices which only limits the practitioner in providing Massage such as the Hilot Wellness Massage NC2 provided by Tesda accredited Training Center.

On 2020 at the time of Pandemic, the former Tourism Secretary have searched for us and ask us to help her establish Hilot School under the International School of Sustainable Tourism that is located in Silang, Cavite, Philippines. And through the effort that we exert in creating Hilot Philippines Development Center, Hilot Academy, Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care (PITAHC), and Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) were able to have a dialogue about the scope of practices and certification of Hilot Practitioner which unfortunately, the agreed Memorandum Circular promised by former Pitahc Director General was not made due to the shuffling or change of person in authority that manage TESDA and the retirement of PITAHC Director General.

We were ambitious at the start of the new decade hoping that the work of Hilot will be recognized and be preserved by our Government Authority but to my regret, they have a blind eye and deaf hears and are convinced that Hilot is just a massage and Tawas should be excluded. Though many of their invited expert to convey the importance of Hilot in delivering health care do believe in Tawas being part of Hilot Modality, they are still bound to bow down to what the Roman Catholic Church would say specially from the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism that they gave reminder of not to teach tawas to the public as it invokes the devil in accordance to their teaching.

The Goal of lifting up the Practice of Hilot by professionalizing it has been hindered not only by modern science but also by the modern religion. The hope of calling our Manghihilot as Indigenous Traditional Filipino Medicine Doctor has been halted due to their not willingness to spend time in studying Hilot and find science on our healing modality.

As founder of Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, professionalizing our practice requires an Indepth study. This is why we do our effort to upgrade our curriculum. Our 9 days and 13 days course are just a familiarization course as many people whether Filipino or Foreigner do not know yet what is Hilot all about. But soon as we move forward to the future we can make it into a Bachelor’s degree course that is 4 years with Masteral and Doctorate Degree just like other Traditional Medicine Practices.

Empowering Healers through Skills Training

Last Sunday March 23,2025 by 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, we have started our Hilot Binabaylan Alignment Training Program for Local Filipino that is living nearby in Luzon. Unlike our Regular Training which we only serve 1 student maximum of 3. Our Weekly learning sessions can accommodate from 4 to 10 individuals. But our current enrollee now is 4 which we have started transferring our Knowledge through Sharing.

The topics we discussed on our first day.

In Class, we have emphasized the importance of understanding the Souls of Human being as it helps us in determining how we can help our Patient to heal them.

These four individuals have their own background being a healer using different modalities and through our alignment training program we are in High Hope that we will produce local Hilot Binabaylan practitioners to serve our fellow Filipino living in the Philippines.

We are still open to accept Enrollee to be part of this class by filling up the form on this link. Our Sunday Class will start 1:00 PM and End by 6:00 PM. And the topics to be discussed on March 30 are the following:

Holistic Anatomy & Physiology of the Soul

In Philippine Indigenous Traditional Healing, it is important for us not only to know the Anatomy and Physiology of the Physical Body of an Individual but also our Holistic Aspects that we can learn by understanding deeply our Dimensions of Reality and our plane of existence. Not all illnesses come from External Factor but also Internal on which we have to know which Soul affect the person that it becomes sick.

By having this knowledge in mind as Hilot Binabaylan, we can plan the right and appropriate treatment procedure to an Individual to affect cure.

Join our HILOT BINABAYLAN ALIGNMENT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR HILOT WELLNESS NC2 and become an Ordained #HilotBinabaylan Practitioner starting March 23, 2025 from 1:00 PM- 6:00 PM and the following Sundays up to June 22, 2025.

This will be a weekly learning sessions that we are going to share the practices of Hilot Binabaylan in providing care to your Community.

Enroll Now by filling up the form in this LInk https://forms.gle/SbWiNk1XFMmkwRXe9 as there are limited slot only for 10 persons.

Happy Hilot Month!

Happy Philippine Traditional Alternative HealthCare Month. Yesterday November 2, we have successfully conducted our First Free Webinar as we discuss the Fundamental of Hilot Practice and share the Definition, History, Principles and Philosophy of Hilot.

The Webinar yesterday was attended by 17 participants coming from different parts of the world, and they are the following:

1. Gat Anata Laylay

2.Rossielienne

3.Kimberly Arteche

4. Body Bliss

5. Annaliza Borcena

6. Lizel Cameron

7. Jerson Casol Jr.

8. Bubble Fajardo

9. LJ Fajardo

10. Vince Joseph Garcia

11. Sebya Gorre-Clancy

12. Jovy Labalan

13. Wilna Mirabel

14. Jocelyn Nguyen

15. Yolanda Pedrigal

16. Tatjna Simpson

17. Allan Valenzuela