I am contemplating on the behavior of some allopathic doctors that they discourage their patients not to engage with Traditional and Alternative Medicine, the probable reason because some of Alternative Healing Modalities that they claim cure on certain illness. For me there is nothing wrong if a Healer becomes proud of Healing someone and their methods become effecting in helping people to have cure from their illness.
Bet let us be reminded that as Manghihilot, we have a principle we follow.
This principle have been taught to me by my Professor and Mentor in the Alternative Medicine School which I still carry to my practice and pass it over to You. And that principle states that:
All Human Being has the ability to heal themselves and our work as a Healer is only to assist our Patient in achieving their optimum Health and Wellness.
Dr. Ruben M. Galang Jr.- Founder of the School of Alternative Medicine, St. Francis Divine College, Novaliches, Quezon City, Philippines
So Beware of those who claim that they could heal Medical Illnesses and Disease, they will just Milk Cash from you and not treat you as you expect. Now-a-days there are many people who will take advantage of our weakness and in the end we will still be left unattended to our needs.
If Hilot cannot cure any disease, so what can Hilot do for you?
Hilot does not treat any diseases. It is different from the allopathic medicine. Hilot follows Traditional Medicine so the Illness that it treats is also Traditional. We refer to medical professional all the medical illness that a person may have. But we study it first and analyze if the Modern Illness will fall under the Category of Traditional Illness.
As Manghihilot we see illness may come in 2 forms. The first one is the Physical Illness and the other one is the Spiritual Illness. Both of these illness are known by a Manghihilot as Pilay. And Pilay has 5 types and they are:
Pilay Bali
Pilay Ipit
Pilay Hangin
Pilay Lamig
and Pilay Usog
The Manghihilot must carefully observe the condition of the patient before falling into a certain treatment methodology. This is done through Tawas. People might think that Tawas Diagnostic is done only for Spiritual Illness but Manghihilot has its Tawas Method in determining Physical Illness. This is the reason why as a Patient you must choose a legitimate Manghihilot does not only do Massage but also well versed in either Physical Diagnosis or Spiritual Diagnosis, because most of the time, the Physical symptoms are caused by Spiritual Illness such as having Frozen Shoulders and Back aches.
If you are interested to learn Authentic Filipino Hilot, just talk to me by messaging me at apuadman@hilotacademy.com
Very interesting question, and to answer this: we don’t have. Even the fact that our myth tells that the First Man and Woman came out of Bamboo through the help of ibong Adarna We do not do Bamboo Massage, but we use Bamboo Sticks to scrape off the mud attached to the Feet in Dagdagay Kulis Foot Care Treatment so as Historically according to the Book of William Henry Scott in Barangay Sixteenth Century Culture and Society in Page 118 it says:
Abortions were common form of family planning, practiced by ranking ladies to limit their lineage and preserve their heritage, or by others because of poverty or poor prospects for their children. They were induced by massage, strong herbal medicines, or probe with a stick.
William Henry Scott Barangay Sixteenth Century Culture and Society page 118
Though it did not mention what kind of stick that was used but throughout History Bamboo can be beneficial or malevolent for us.
In my research on the practice of Hilot, I never have seen an old Manghihilot brought out Bamboo poles or stick in giving treatment unless they scrape the skin in making herbal tea. I remember my father cutting bamboo poles into strip and the sticks he made put it in a pot to support the Fish he is cooking called Sinaing. Aside from support it will make the food tastier which I really enjoy.
In our Hilot Healing System, we use either Bamboo, Guava or any sticks we polish to stimulate the nerve endings found at the feet. Originally it was the young Children of Ifugao used this technique in Scrapping off the mud that is attached to their father feet that comes from the rice field.
In our Hilot Healing System, we use either Bamboo, Guava or any sticks we polish to stimulate the nerve endings found at the feet. Originally it was the young Children of Ifugao used this technique in Scrapping off the mud that is attached to their father feet that comes from the rice field. And when I am in a Mission at Cervantes, Ilocos Sur on 2013 and we call their group as Mabangaran Hilot which we incorporate the principles of Reflexology that it may produce more beneficial result rather on just scraping dirt alone.
In our Pamulngagan or Hilot Heling Center, we have a Traditional Foot Care Treatment that will start on Foot Bath. Your feet will be soaked on Lemon Grass tea and poured with coconut milk, then we will scrub it with chopped banana peel mixed on grated coconut and peppermint and wrap it for 5-10 minutes so that the feet will absorb the healing properties of the herbs then will rinse it out and perform the stick foot massage and do the regular hilot.
To end up, Bamboo Massage is not of Filipino Origin, it is part of modern spa services that becomes popular in Europe even the fact that South East Asian Countries has plenty of Bamboo. Spa Experts credited it to the Traditional Chinese Medicine so as to the Native Americans. But what is funny about the history of Bamboo Massage they credited the technique when a massuer saw a monkey massaging each other with bamboo sticks while going home. This is how Nature tell us when we adopt it. But Bamboo Massage is not part of Hilot Healing Tradition.
As Hilot Practitioners in the Philippines, the problem we face here is that People don’t give much value to our profession and instead go to Luxurious Spa to be pampered. But when they do not have money and is really sick they will go to be treated by a Manghihilot and expect it to be free or just cheap. And those who embrace Alternative Medicine, they rather want to spend their money enrolling on Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Naturopathy and Homeopathy rather than Learning our very own Healing Arts and Science. So as in Massage rather learning pagpapahid they instead learn Swedish, Thai, Shiatsu and so on. People here will give value when the modality comes from the west. It is evident enough that even the Religion that our Kababayan practices comes from our Colonizer which is Catholicism and even before that the Religion of Islam which also comes to the West.
No one loves their own but when an Individual goes abroad, from then they will realize the value of our own Culture and Tradition. Such as what is going to Happen now that a Hilot School will be established in London. I know many of our kababayan will react that it is not authentic but a Fraud. But I guarantee everyone that it is not because Hilot Academy of Binabaylan will be part of it.
When I started Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, I worked with my Japanese Ex- Wife that we even have established Hilot School in Japan which is the Yamahata Academy of Philippine Hilot which is in Hokaido and now in Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan. Our intention is to introduce Hilot to Japanese people so as to provide Holistic Healing method that will deal with Psycho-Emotional issues that affects the Physical Health of the Japanese people.
Now as Hilot getting popular, We aim to introduce Hilot Great Britain and United Kingdom to heal their Generational Trauma through our Binabaylang Siadtala Dayang Alab Sikat’s HilotHands.
Being one of our own, Hilot Hands can expect support from us in terms of technical and academic on which we will Guarantee that the Hilot in London will be Authentically Filipino as we work out to obtain Philippine Government Approval. Consider Hilot Hands to be an extension of Hilot Academy that has a solid structure to learn our very own Ancestral Healing Arts and Science.
So by 2023, we expect that 2 school of Hilot will rise, the First one is the Hilot Philippines Development center and Hilot Hand School in London.
There is an article in the Internet that Identifies the Male Babaylan as Asog. And this article can be found at The Aswang Project. I have nothing against Jordan Clark which is the Author and Publisher of The Aswang Project, he is just a researcher and what he is sharing is just a research and made by other person.
The Aswang Project have quoted the works of According to Milagros Geremia-Lachica’s which is alsoa researcher that :
some of the Spanish friars managed to chronicle religious practices of our ancestors headed by women. Yet they also found male priests who preside during sacred ceremonies. These male were properly called Fray Alcina, one of the Friars who took a keen interest on the early religion of our ancestors, elaborated as follows:
Alcina also added that society might tend to have degrading outlooks towards a man who is found incapable of partaking his role as a male, for it is expected of him to take part in the practice of matrimony and to beget children. For “effeminate men” who found themselves in this kind of position, becoming an is an alternative way to claim what would be perceived at this moment in history as their lost honor. Their traits and life style which lean towards being a female categorically puts them appropriately to the woman-centered class of
I SEE THIS ARTICLE AND STATEMENT AS AN INSULT TO OUR RACE CALLING A MALE BABAYLAN AS ASOG BECAUSE OF BEING IMPOTENT AND EFFEMINATE.
OUR ANCESTORS DO PRACTICE GENDER EQUALITY, IT IS DURING THE TIME OF SPANISH COLONIZATION THAT HAD GENDER ROLES AND IDENTIFICATION THAT EVEN EXTEND TO OUR UTENSILS AND APPLIANCES SUCH AS OUR SPOON IS CALLED LA KUTCHARA FOR BEING FEMALE AND EL TINIDOR FOR FORK AS MALE.
If we can recall Lakapati, which is a Second Generation Divinity of our Land being known as Female Diwata but also have Male aspect so as the Famous Bathala who has been always depicted a Patriarch Divinity but actually has its Femine Aspect as well.
Now-a-days, people make gender of Titles such as for Male Religous leader they will call as Pastor and for Female they will call Pastora. Male Healer as Doctor and Female as Doctora. In the use of English Language Doctor is doctor whenther the practitioner is male or female. The Babaylan is a Babaylan whether ther are born male or Female.
It is sad to say that because of the influence of our Colonizer, the colonized Filipino have this mindset of identifying our selves in accordance to gender roles and pronouns.
Notice our Tagalog word, we do not have pronoun for He, His, Him/ She, her, hers. When i am going describe a male person in English such as He is Handsome whereas in Tagalog we describe him as sya ay gwapo. and for female as she is beautiful while in tagalog sya ay maganda.
Male pronoun= He in Tagalog is Sya Female pronoun=She in Tagalog Sya
Gerone and Jeremy receives their Certificate of Training in Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan and Sibulan Adlaw Tala Baybayin Mystic Oracle Attunement.
Last August 25, 2022- me and lakay had an opportunity to have a lunch date with our Hilot Academy Graduates from France and they are a couple name Jeremy Pascal who is an Engineer and a Fermentation Guro who shares to us Water Kerfir Grain that we ferment to become a Pro Biotic Drink and Gerone Pascal who is a Filipina Yoga Teacher. They have taken our Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan Class for 9 days face-to-face last September 2019. Gerone and Jeremy were our First Couple who have taken our Face-to-face Hilot Class before the Pandemic.
Lunch date with Gerone and Jeremy after 3 years. Before i used to cook for them now they have treated me with a Great Lunch!
From my experience of Face-to-Face teaching, supposedly as teachers-we are the one who is transferring our technology to our students but having an in person interaction, I as teacher is also learning from them. Of course during their 9 days of staying with us, it is not 24 hours of making Hilot but there are free time we used to relax and do other things. So meeting them again in person brings back the memories i had with them including the time between that day to now. Because, even that they have finished taking the course, our line of communication are very much open in supporting their practice of Hilot.
Dr. Chris Lipat DC of Hawaii meeting in person for the First Time
I feel like I have organically been in the process of becoming manghihilot as my combined chiropractic and energy work practice includes addressing emotional, nutritional and increasingly energetic/spiritual components. I’m excited to be able to finally learn my traditional medicine to expand on what I have been intuitively doing!
Dr. Chris Lipat in her response on Why do you want 8/5/2020
Dr. Chris Lipat were among the first who took our online class during the time of Pandemic. Though traditionally Hilot is learned by individual through apprenticeship and should be done face-to-face as healing with hilot requires personal touch that the patient may receive the healing of Hilot. But the Pandemic of Covid 19 have changed this belief that allows me to contemplate deeper on the modalities of Hilot. This why the NCH-MSW class has been born which we teach online how to do tawas. And with the line of expertise of Dr. Chris Lipat, she have manifested to me how energy works not only in face-to-face but also distantly. She also have mentioned yesterday, that usually meeting with other person for the first time has the feeling of being stranger, but since we had been in touch online for how many months, that feeling of being stranger is gone but you have developed trust to one another.
I am grateful for yesterday meeting that I was able to experience the Energy Medicine that Dr. Chris have brought along with her though before meeting i courageously ask Dr. Chris about it because i don’t usually ask that to my students but this time, i acknowledge my current limitations and have asked Dr. Chris Lipat to work on me. And the session that i have received is somewhat life changing experience as it does not only deal with my current health issues but also have opened up a portal that addressed my issues not only to my current past life but also beyond my current life existence. The Energy Medicine that Dr. Chris have developed was already written in her book that you can find through Amazon’s Kindle and the Book Title is Knowing: The Intuitive’s guide for Transformative Healing. Then as of writing this, Dr. Chris is already preparing to go back to Hawaii as she will have an in person workshop on September 10. For more details about her public offerings kindly visit her website at www.drchrislipat.com
Have you remember that our parents have said that we should study hard so that we may land into a better paying job. Is this still true today?
In 2008 Technical Education Skills Development Authority have seen Hilot as employable skills that they created Hilot Training Standards and Regulation so that they may conduct National Assessment and Certification to manghihilot. With that they provide training to those who want to learn Hilot through schooling and for those who are unschooled but well skilled in Hilot they need to be assessed in order to be certified.
This year, we have participated in the talk between Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) and Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in terms of Certification of Hilot. But the current talk as of now revolves on the quality of services that a manghihilot provides. Well in terms of training it should be TESDA who will provide training just like in Commission on Higher Education they are the one who teach and Train the students and after they graduate they will apply license to Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC). The later was suggested by Dr. Isidro Sia former Director General of PITAHC. So let us let them who belongs to who but our main concern here is the future of our Manghihilot.
Let us be honest here, the skills of touching other people can be done by anyone such as in doing Massage. When I was a child I’ve been asked by parents to give the Hilot Massage either on head or legs. Everyone has a gift of touch when in times of emergency it is automatically activated. So as in our home, our parents have secret herbal formula that they use in times we are sick and out of budget going to the doctor. Having said this Regulating the Practice of Hilot by making its practitioners be Certified will give security towards public health but it will also give burden to our practitioners. But how is the manghihilot now-a-days even if they are certified? On what Industry will they fall if they received Standardized and Regulated Training? As I hear them out, these experts still think that a Manghihilot together with Massage Therapist work in a Spa which is a Hospitality Industry which is covered by the Department of Tourism.
Well it seems that our effort in telling that Hilot is part of Healthcare industry is wrong if all our graduates will fall into Spa Industry. But these must be properly addressed not only in terms of which industry should a graduate of Hilot must work? The issue here that i want to raise is to secure a Job for all manghihilot whether they are trained or recognized through assessment that upon compliance based on the Standards and Regulation, all manghihilot must have a descent job to work.
As of this moment, there are still many manghihilot who works at home in a donation basis system. Some who are schooled landed on a Spa where they do massage and other spa treatments. If they apply abroad their skills in Hilot is converted into massage so as if they apply in a cruise ship. These government agencies think of HIlot that is something to be proud of that they need to offer it to foreigners just to say that we have our own brand. Indeed we have but unfortunately we falsely advertise it by showing the wrong modality. As you browse on internet, you can always see articles telling Hilot as a Filipino Massage and there are some people in abroad call themselves as Hilot either because they are Filipino or have lived in the Philippines for a decade or two but what they make is Massage and not Hilot.
If a Manghihilot will be schooled at least at the end of schooling, they should land a better job which can give them security in their future. A schooled Manghihilot should have a Job that pays for their Social Security, Health Assurance and Pagibig Fund. Though some of our current practitioners have it by doing voluntary payment for their own SSS, Philhealth, and Pagibig.
If i have a right or authority, i do not want a manghihilot to work in a spa but instead they should be hired in Government Health Centers where people can avail the service of Hilot even that the people will not pay, PhilHealth insurance will cover it for the people.
The Work of Manghihilot
In reality, not all time people will need a manghihilot. Unlike Massage, Hilot can only be availed if you have a Pilay which is a condition that been treated with Hilot. Like what i’ve said, not everyday there are people who have pilay, so what other work can a manghihilot will do?
If our Government is really serious on uplifting the status of Hilot in the Philippines, aside from giving treatment, a Manghihilot can be a partner of PITAHC in conducting field research on Herbal Medicine. As field researcher they should be:
responsible in documenting herbs that is available in their respected barangay by going house to house and take pictures of the herbs that grow in their yard.
Take sample of the herbs and send it to PITAHC to further conduct research on the medicinal properties of the collected herbs.
Cultivate the sample herbs in the Barangay Botanical Garden.
Process the approved herbs into herbal medicine such as in making oils, soap, tea, capsules, syrup, etc. in PITAHC Laboratory.
becomes a sales partner of PITAHC in distributing approved herbs.
With that being said on the possible job that a manghihilot should perform, when schooled the manghihilot should be properly equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitude in performing the said job description.
So when a Manghihilot is properly Certified a secure jobs awaits them in the Philippines. And these will also grow as there are a lot more jobs that a manghihilot can do in the Field of Philippine Traditional and Indigenous Health Care.
It is very common now-a-days to have a massage at the Comfort of our Homes. I think that is okay if your Massage provider is a Family Member such as you husband, wife, son or Daughter. But hiring a Massage Therapist to indulge you in your home or hotel room is Illegal.
The practice of Massage in the Philippines has been established through the Presidential Decree 856 or known as The Sanitation Code of the Philippines.
According to this law:
NO Masseurs shall be allowed to practice their profession without first securing a Certificate of Registration issued by the Committee of Examiners of Massage Therapy.
Sec 4.1.1 Chapter 13 Sanitation Code of the Philippines
Aside from Certificate of Registration of Masseurs, the law also prescribed the workplace where a Registered Masseur should render their Services. In Section 3 of Chapter 13 in 3.1 it is said that:
No Massage Clinic or Sauna Bath establishment shall open and operate for public patronage without a Sanitary Permit issued by a local health officer. It even state that in 3.2. that Any extension or additional construction or alteration in an establishment shall require a new sanitary permit before it could be operated.
This mean the clients room unless it is part of your massage clinic must be inspected first and applied for a sanitary permit before you can render massage.
In Section 5 of the law, it states the Structural Requirement in establishing a Massage Clinic that includes:
Standard Flooring
Walls
Ceiling
Lighting
Ventilation
Change Rooms
Reception Rooms
Treatment (Massage) Rooms
Home Service Massage Workers do not comply on this government requirements in providing their Massage Services thus in accordance to the law: Any person who shall violate, disobey, omit or neglect to comply with any of the provision of this rules and regulation shall be guilty of misdemeanor that is punishable of 6 months imprisonment.
The Philippines is probably has the cheapest Hilot services offered compared to other countries that i found where Hilot is being offered.
From YK Hilot Center in Tolyo, Japan
So 15,000 Japanese yen today is equivalent to Php 6, 119.16 in Philippine money and that is for 2 hours of Hilot Treatment.
I also saw a Treatment center that offers Hilot in Madrid, Spain and the name of the Center is Xiao Ying.
And the cost of their 60 minutes Hilot is 60.00€ which is equivalent to Philippine Peso as 3, 412.69 and their 2 hours session cost 110€ equivalent to Philippine peso as 6,256.60.
Another center that I found offering Hilot is located in Canada.
Their 60 minutes Hilot Massage cost already $120 in US Dollars while their 2 hours session will cost $230.00, if $120.00 converted into Philippine peso as of writing this, it will cost around Php 6,766.80 for one hour treatment and for 120 minutes or 2 hours treatment session cost Php 12,969.70.
This is an Eyebrow rising cost that i knew. Well I understand why the price is too much comparing the price of Hilot being offered here in the Philippines.
I saw some day spa who offered hilot posted in their facebook page, and the price of their hilot is this:
60 minutes of Hilot in the Philippines is only USD 5.00 and USD 10.00 for 120 minutes
Well Filipino Hilot Providers who offers authentic Philippine Traditional Medicine are not compensated well, and this is the reason why some of them are holding tight to the edge of the blade or what we say as “kapit sa patalim”.
The Filipino Culture of colonial mentality have buried deeply our dignity almost already into oblivion. This is the reason why Hilot Academy and Luntiang Aghama is working hard to raise the standard of Hilot in the Philippines so that our dignity may be elevated again. Providing our Manghihilot proper education will enable them to perform Hilot in a more professional level that will allow them to work in Public Health Care centers of even in Private Health clinics or hospital.
There are so much Job opportunity as i see for our Hilot Practitioners. Not only in Spa. Let us leave the Spa to our Massage Therapist siblings. We can establish our own Hilot Healing Center where it can be a coordinating center with the Philippine Health department, social work and development, agriculture so as the Environment and Natural Resources. We are more than a Therapist, but we are also the Steward of Mother Earth.
The Book of Genesis nor the theory of Evolution are not the only sole resources that could explain the existence of Man. In my vlog at Luntiang Aghama, we have explained that before our country has been named as the Philippines, this archipelago in the Far East is composed of many Tribal Nations which we identify through their Ethnic Languages. Aside from their language, we will also recognize their culture, lifestyle and Spiritual Beliefs and practices. From that, we will also learn from their myths and folk stories how things started so as the creation of Man.
Vangelo Delle Streghe was an allegory written by an American Folklorist named Charles Godfrey Leland, which according my understanding is a collection of Legends fore told by the Aradian Witches of Italy.
In this story comparing to the Creation of Man, in the Book of Genesis, God made man with a clay which is also similar to the Story of Kabunyian when he created man using clay; but in the Vangelo del Streghe, we can see that Human existence is a direct manifestation of the Goddess Diana her self in her longing to be reunited again with her other self which is the God.
I first learned this story in the Correllian Seminary when I am taking my First Degree Priesthood and because of our activity in our YouTube Channel which is at http://www.youtube.com/luntiangaghama I was asked this question about the existence of man that makes me to post this here.
Hilot Academy of Binabaylan 
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