Since 2020 we are working with these in Uplifting the status of Manghihilot in our Country. Hilot Academy of Binabaylan through Apu Adman have work out with former Department of Tourism Secretary Dr. Mina T. Gabor, together with Former Department of Social Work and Development Secreatry Dr. Corazon Alma De Leon, Former Department of Health Secretary Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, Former Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care Director General Dr. Isidro Sia which is now Pitahc Academe & Research Institute Sectoral Representative and with the Current PITAHC Director General Dr. Anabelle Pabiona De Guzman.

In this meeting, I present the Curriculum for Hilot Philippines Development Center as a continuing Education Program for our local Manghihilot to improve their skills services and prepare them for a more sustainable income opportunity in working as a Professional Traditional Health Care Provider.

It is such a Great Honor for us at Hilot Academy of Binabaylan to become a Cultural Doula in rebirthing other countries Traditional Medicine and Indigenous Spiritual Beliefs and Practices such as for our new Hilot Binabaylan in Training Quynh Vy who is from Vietnam. For us in Luntiang Aghama, it was the Correllian Nativist Tradition of Wicca had help us to dig deeper on our History, Culture and Tradition which allow us to resurface back again our Indigenous Spirituality. And it is through Hilot where it becomes our Doorway to found again the medicine of our ancestors which is strongly connected to the Spiritual realms.

Indeed, that as we always say that Hilot is our Traditional Indigenous Medicine, which is part of the applied science, whereas, in Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, we do not only focus our study on how to treat Human Illness but we go beyond the Physical Body to understand more the wholeness of the individual who seeks healing from us. As we believe that the Physical Body is just a vessel of life force to dwell in, and when it left the physical body, it will become lifeless. The lifeless body will not be able to feel, move, speak nor think because the life force is already absent in the body. And this life force within us is what we recognize as our soul. If the soul is complete within our body, Life is present, and the individual may achieve Wellness or Illness. all of this are being taught in our Hilot Binabaylan Training.

If we better understand how our ancestors value life, how our parents care for us prior to the coming of modern Phamaceuticals and the conventional medicine, we will know our Traditional Indigenous Medicine, and aligned to our Traditional Indigenous Medicine is the Indigenous Spirituality of our Ancestors. As we believe that we could not separate the Body and the Spirits. But even in Death, how our ancestors deal with it, we will find their spiritual beliefs and practices.

Hilot Academy of Binabaylan has been in operation since 2016 that make us work for already 7 years as an Educational Ministry of Luntiang Aghama Natural Divine Arts Shrine of Healing Inc. And during those years, I have thought twice of stopping to work and that is when my mother died on 2019 and when I had a stroke last year of February 2022. But every time I am thinking to stop, the Spirits of the Ancestors will come to me and tell me to Continue.

This year and it’s almost Mid Year of 2023, I would say that we have served 7 people coming from Diaspora in sharing the knowledge of Filipino Ancestral Healing Arts and Science. And at the same time, on this year, I have received proposal of establishing Hilot School in London, UK. It seems that I have gone far with Just 7 years. But on those years that I have done, I still feel unaccomplished.

Yes as a school, we have produced Graduates that carry their acquired knowledge, skills and abilities in the country where they are now in. But as Filipino living in the Philippines, I am still striving to mold the status of Manghihilot in the Country. I am not certain to what I feel about when someone have asked me a Question if I do know an Authentic Manghihilot who still practices at this generation. And to be honest about my feelings, I want to answer that do you think that what you have learned from us is not authentic Hilot? I am weighing if that question offend me or just confuse me to what I am doing. So upon completing the course of the last enrollee of May, I had time to think and reflect on the works that I do.

Am I doing Authentic Hilot? Is the Hilot that I provide to my student are not Hilot? But who knows what Authentic Hilot is? If I am not doing Authentic Hilot, so will that mean that the experience that I have as a Child is not valid and authentic. So as the work of my Lolo and other Elderly Manghihilot are not Authentic? I feel that I have been Gaslighted through that Question. But now, my mind have recovered from the poison of greed and arrogance that have been energetically thrown to me and holding to the truth of my reality that I have created for my self and to the world.

I have been an Alternative Medicine Practitioner since 2002 and as an Accredited and Certified Trainer/ Assessor of Hilot in the Philippines since 2008. And throughout those years, I know that I have done my role not only as a Trainer/ Assessor but also as a Practitioner. And when I established Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, I realized that I have created a Bridge, where 2nd and 3rd Generation of Filipino in Diaspora may walk back again to the Path of our Race where they will not only know but also experience the Medicine of our Ancestors that make possible to our Existence today.

What I am ensuring in my work is that to make people of the present time to experience Hilot as how our ancestors benefit from it. I am safeguarding the practice of Hilot not to be commercialized and be molested. As the practice becomes popular and almost all countries wanted to have Hilot in their land. But as they commercialized Hilot in foreign land, it is the people in that place will benefit from it. So the local Manghihilot in the Philippines will be buried down as Foreigners will not come any more in the Philippines to experience Hilot but instead go to the nearest Hilot Center where it has been established. But what if, You who was born and raised in foreign land and still living there and want to have Hilot Business in your area, why not invest on Hiring Filipino Manghihilot to work in your place that they may earn an income from you as you profit from their work. Employing a Manghihilot to work in your business center will not only help you in promoting Hilot in your land but also will help Filipino’s to practice what they love and at the same time they can help their Family here in the Philippines to sustain their living.

But that is the thing if I think of Hilot in foreign Land, it requires the practice to have license or registration in practicing Hilot. But the problem is that your local government still is not aware of this, and the recognition must start here in the Philippines. And the Philippines already have National Accreditation and Certification of Hilot and that is through Technical Education Skills Development Development Authority and their standard regulation was implemented since 2008 (and we are so blessed to belong to the pioneer group of being Nationally Accredited and Certified Practitioner, Trainer and Assessor of Hilot) and on 2012 Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care have implemented their own standards and regulation on the practice of Hilot that luckily we are sharing our expertise in developing it up to this present time.

But what do we really want to happen in the practice of Hilot?

I remember that our Parents would always tell their children so that when they finish and have their degree they would have a secured that that will give them secured income. And also if you graduated into a prominent schools such as in major Universities in the Philippines, you will not need to search for job but instead a companies will search for you. I don’t know if that system is still true up to this day. As far as I know that this work was now given to our local village official office or in our town city hall through City Employment Service Office, when an unemployed person will ask assistance to find employment.

And as a School of Hilot, aside from producing graduates, we also intend to find a secure job for our graduates. And the question is where they will work? Are we allowing our Manghihilot to work in Spa? For me, No! Specially if they are going to work here in the Philippines or in any places in the world. Why I do not want our graduates of Hilot to work in a Spa? Well, the Day Spa in the Philippines could hire anyone and train people who apply for a position on the skills they are going to perform. And usually, new hired employee is being trained by the experienced employee in performing the tasked required. And most likely these Spa’s have their signature treatment procedures that is different from the Quality that a School teaches their student. And most spa’s offer Combination Massage which amalgamate two types of massage which diminish the quality of each techniques. If there is a New Client who have no experience in any type of Treatment, they will not recognize the value of the two treatment techniques and will just recognize it just one.

Such as last week, I had a Spa and have seen a Combination of Hilot and Swedish Massage, as I experience it, I don’t feel the touch of Hilot but rather feel most of the session the touch of Swedish Massage. The practice of Combining Massage into one, as people thought it to be a Great Deal because they are paying just one Massage Session but having two techniques. But as for me, combining Massage shows the incompetence of the practitioner and dishonor the techniques. It is just a waste of money. Though we could not blame the therapist on that but it reflects also the competence of their trainer.

Now-a-days, Spa offers Home or Hotel Services that people think are very convenient and so as for the sake of earnings for the Spa, they offer it. Hilot Academy condemns that practice and will not allow to the Practitioners to do so. The reason why a Hilot Healing Center must be accredited because PITAHC assess the venue if the Center complies to the agency’s standards and Regulation in providing Hilot. Client’s home nor a Hotel are not part of the Hilot Healing Center Accreditation and besides the house of client is not a Therapeutic Environment for the practitioner. Client may think that it is convenient if they will only order Hilot Practitioner to come in their homes, but what they are missing out is the Hilot Atmosphere that a Hilot Healing Center provides.

When Hilot Care is done at home, there will be a possibility of distraction and at the same time there will be a limitation in providing the treatment procedures. All of the manghihilot needs is established on the healing center, unless a person only requires Massage then they should Hire a Massage Therapist than a Manghihilot.

So what does we envision how our Hilot Healing Center should look like? We make an Upgrade to our Hilot Binabaylan Training which hopefully will release by 2024 and in that curriculum we include setting up of Hilot Healing Center which should have an area or space in conducting Traditional Diagnostic Procedures; Area for Hilot Cleansing Rituals such as Pagbabanyos, Suob and Paligo; Treatment room area where Hilot Treatment procedure is applied; then of course there should be a supply room where materials, equipment’s and tools used in Hilot is stored; and ideally there should be a Herbal Garden where we get our fresh herbs that we use in Hilot.

PITAHC or Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care which is an Attached Agency of Philippine Department of Health is the appropriate Government Agency that should regulate (if ever) the Practice of Hilot. This is due to the virtue of the Republic Act 8423 that is mandated on December 1997. Though the law was made on 1997, the Implementing Rules and regulation of this act was made not until December 7, 1999 which was Chaired by former DoH Secretary Alberto G. Romualdez Jr. MD.

The objectives of this law are the following:

1. To encourage scientific research on and develop traditional and alternative health care systems that has a direct impact on public health care.
2. To promote and advocate the use of traditional, alternative health care modalities that have been proven safe, effective, cost-effective and consistent with government standards on health care practice.
3. To develop and coordinate skills training courses for various forms of traditional and alternative health care modalities.
4. To formulate standards, guidelines and codes of ethical practice appropriate for the practice of traditional and alternative health care as well as in the manufacture, quality control and marketing of different traditional and alternative health care materials, natural and organic products, for approval and adoption by the appropriate government agencies.
5. To formulate policies for the protection of indigenous and natural health resources and technology, natural products, by-products and derivatives from unwarranted exploitation, for approval and adoption by the appropriate government agencies.
6. To formulate policies to strengthen the role of traditional and alternative health care delivery system; and
7. To promote traditional and alternative health care in international and national conventions, seminars and meetings in coordination with the Department of Tourism, Duty Free Philippines Incorporated, Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation and other tourism related agencies as well as non-government organizations and local government units.

And by 2015, The Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care have issued PITAHC Circular 01 series of 2015 about the Guidelines on Implementing RA 8423 IRR on the National Certification of Hilot Practitioners and the Accreditation of Hilot Training Centers and Hilot Healing Center.

As a Practitioner of Hilot, I am commenting on the content of the Law that RA 8423 doesn’t mention about Hilot specially on its definition of terms except for the Definition of Traditional Medicine that states:

the sum total of knowledge, skills, and practice on health care, not necessarily explicable in the context of modern, scientific philosophical framework, but recognized by the people to help maintain and improve their health towards the wholeness of their being, the community and society, and their interrelations based on culture, history, heritage, and consciousness.

RA 8423 Article 2 Section 4.B

Whereas on its Implementing Rules and Regulation Issued in 1999, we can see that it Define Hilot as:

While on PITAHC Circular no. 01 series of 2015, the Definition of Hilot has been changed into this:

This changing definition of Hilot coming from our Government officials makes me think that they have lack knowledge in terms of our Practice in Hilot, but nevertheless as Citizen of this Country and part of the Industry, we are going to reach out to them and correct what was wrongly made specially in the statement of the definition of Hilot that states: “with the use of manipulations, bulong or oracion…” which endangers some spiritual practitioners or may be seen biased towards a certain Faith Tradition that uses Oracion as part of their Spiritual Practice. And besides it may infringed our constitutional rights stated on Article 3 Section 5 that states:

Though I see the Importance of Regulating Hilot as a Health Care Practice so as our very own Indigenous Ancestral Knowledge to avoid exploitation, but we must also consider the Spiritual Aspect of Hilot that the Government or any certain laws could take out from the practice of Hilot. Thus we are making a Review on the Competency Standards that have been formulated by PITAHC in the practice of Hilot. So let us check on What do PITAHC expects to be a Manghihilot.

So PITAHC have set 10 competency in order for an Individual to become a Qualified Manghihilot. Let us Dissect each one of the competency.

I. EMBODY AND ARTICULATE HILOT TRADITION IN THE COMMUNITY

With this we can see that they have a flowchart so that a person could embody and articulate the Hilot Tradition.

1. Demonstrate Commitment to Hilot Tradition
2. Explain the Principles behind the Hilot Tradition to Client/Patient
3. Identify and Describe the practices of Hilot as Filipino Traditional Medicine
4. Advocate the Hilot Tradition to the Community
5. Apply the principles of Hilot Tradition to the Client/Patient.
6. Work within the Hilot Center Regulations and Guidelines.

With these 6 areas in embodying Hilot, I believe that instead Demonstrating Commitment, it should be Developing Commitment first because haw can you demonstrate if you have no skills, knowledge and abilities in performing and demonstrating Hilot Tradition. So if we are going to Develop Commitment towards the Hilot Tradition, we should know first what is Hilot and what does it do and how it works. And in the Developing Commitment clause, the principles of Hilot must be clearly taught and explained so as the practices of Hilot in terms of Diagnostic, Treatment and Prevention of Physical, Emotional and Mental Ailments or disease. As practitioner of Hilot, automatically we advocate Hilot Tradition as it supports us in Daily living, but who is needed to advocate Hilot is PITHAC in general by implementing the provision of the Rules and Regulation of RA 8423 in Rule 11 Section 2 that says:

But unfortunately, PITAHC does not advocate Hilot but instead supported other Traditional Medicine practices such as Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda and so on. Hilot Practitioners need support from our Government in order to protect the people or General Public so as the practitioners it self. I remember in 2022, the Hilot Congress talks about Fly-by-Night practitioners who is using the Term Hilot to validate their practice but extort patients/client.

Now let us move to the second Competency that PITHAC implies to a Manghihilot which is:

II. TO PRACTICE GROUNDING TECHNIQUES OR TRADITIONAL SPIRITUAL FORMATION

Though these second area of competency has a broad interpretation specially if we talk about Traditional Spiritual Formation.

Since the History of the Philippines is not only covered during the Time that Magellan arrived in the Philippines so when we talk about Filipino Traditional Spirituality it may cover not only Catholicism but also Islam so as Hindu/Buddhist Spiritual practices.

So it is much better to have a clear definition of traditional spiritual formation or the term Grounding Techniques. In terms of Folkloric Hilot Tradition, which is the Medicine of the Common People, I never seen a Hilot Practitioner who will do an Asana or Meditation before providing Hilot.

Most likely, Folk healers would have a specific time to do the “pakain” or feeding of their abilities through Orasyon. And these Folk Healers would call that practice as “Pagpopondo” or in English as “Funding”. And on the time that they are going to touch a person in healing they will only utter the “susi” or Key Prayer to make their healing works.

Such as in Islamic Folk Healing Practices they do “Wudu” or Ritual Washing on 7 body parts to make them worthy of their Prayers and on the actual healing before they touch would Say the Words: ” Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Rahim! Allahu Akbar!” which means In the Name of Allah The most Gracious and the most Merciful! Allah is Most Great!”

While on the practice of the Folk Healing by the Indigenous People of the Philippines, it vary from different Tribe. So some healer may ground by making sound from either Gong or Drums and they sing and dance until they reach a Trance state then healing session will begin.

While on the practice of Luntiang Aghama in Healing our Grounding Method is based on the knowledge on the Practice of Hilot. A hilot practitioner will be well grounded if they know the Nature of the Illness that is why we have our Pagtatawas. And when we already know, we can formulate treatment plan that we could apply to the client/patient condition. In terms of Spiritual Formation, Tawas is our Tool to connect our Soul to the Soul of our client and to the Universal Soul which is the main source of Healing. And the Hilot Philosophy that we follow is that Every Individual has their own healing ability thus our work as Manghihilot is just a Channeler of that awareness to an Individual and to awaken their own healing abilities for them selves.

III. WORK WITHIN THE PHILIPPINE INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE DELIVERY SYSTEM

This one is too complex that it Requires PITAHC to make a Resolution. As Hilot Practitioner, we see our role as Primary Health Care practitioner providing Traditional Diagnostic, Preventive, Promotive, Treatment and Rehabilitative Function; and as Manghihilot, we envision that we could serve as an additional work force into the Public or Private Health Care Facilities and we are calling the attention of the Promotion, Advocacy and Training Division of Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care so as the Philippine Department of Health, Department of Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Commission on Higher Education, Philippine Council on Health Research and Development, so as the signatories of RA 8423 IRR such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and even Department of Science and Technology and even the National Commission on Culture and Arts so as the National Commission on Indigenous People to consider the work of Manghihilot as being essential to the Health Care Delivery System in the Philippines.

IV. ASSESS CLIENT/PATIENT ACCORDING TO HILOT TRADITION

Since these competency aims to professionalize the practice of Hilot that is why it ask to get client information for data keeping. But traditionally, the work of Hilot is based on Trust and Faith. But in terms of assessing the client, this means that we should find out our Client’s need for Hilot. In TESDA Hilot Standards and Regulation, Client’s need may be expressed into the Client’s expectation requirements which was listed as the following:

• Improved Relaxation
• Improve Sense of Well being
• Improve Skin Condition and
• Stress Reduction

But for us in Hilot Academy as it was taught to us by our Manghihilot, what we deal with patients Illness are Pilay which can fall eitheir into Spiritual Nature or Physical Illness. That is why It is important that we conduct preliminary investigative procedure or Hilot Assesment and Evaluation before we end up on the treatment process. Such pilay can be categorized into the Following:

• Pilay Ipit ( Earth)
• Pilay Hangin (Air)
• Pilay Bali (Fire)
• Pilay Lamig (Water)
• Pilay Usog (Spirit)

V. PERFORM TRADITIONAL HILOT TECHNIQUES AND OTHER HILOT MODALITIES

In this case for Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, we may call this as Hilot Treatment modality as Hilot is not just a Massage but the entirety of Hilot Treatment must follows the Principle of Healing that is:

1. Diagnostic
2. Cleansing
3. Treatment
4. Supplementation

These procedure must go together in any Hilot Treatment procedures so that we could assure the effectivity of the treatment to our Client.

VI. PREPARE, RECOMMEND AND INSTRUCT CLIENT/PATIENT ON THE USE OF PHILIPPINE MEDICINAL PLANTS.

Such as this, It is important that our Manghihilot has Basic knowledge on Philippine Medicinal Plants and the General Public must be educated on the proper use of herbal Medicine as there is also an adverse affect to it when not used properly such as over dosage. Like in the use of Synthetic Drugs, over use of Herbal Medicine may also have a bad effect towards our health. And most of the time that using herbal medicine would compare its safetiness on just eating foods or vegetable. Remember there is an Impatso or over eating. So it is better that our Manghihilot also has a coordination with Philippine Nutrition Council and Food and Drugs Authority so as on Department of Agriculture specially on the Bureau of Plant Industry in terms of Cultivating Herbal Plants. I just want to mention here that the City Government of Taguig has a Farm-to- Table Project which is the Urban Gardening.

It would be nice of PITAHC would coordinate with DILG to provide local employment of our Manghihilot as Urban Gardner which may integrate our practice into Barangay Health Services.

VII. DOCUMENTED HILOT PRACTICE AND PATIENT PROGRESS

Like what I always tell the people that We are Manghihilot and not a Business person. But in our desire to upgrade our profession, we must comply to this skills requirement. This will also help us in seeing the progress of our work so as in the effectivity of the treatment we have applied. Acquiring Basic Office Management skills and House Keeping skills might be helpful and not bad addition to our skill level. Such as on the next 2 competencies.

X. CONTINUE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

On this Competency specially in the provision letter E about participating in local and international Traditional Medicine Conferences, PITAHC should be the one providing us an opportunity for that. But as Local Manghihilot, we could create event which all of us can learn from one another to the advancement of the Practice of Hilot in the Philippines. And as an Individual practitioner, I am seeking opportunity that our Hilot Practitioner will also have an International Recognition separate from Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, Chiropractic and other Traditional Medicine modality. I know we could make this happen to make Hilot be known by #HEALTHEWORLDWITHHILOT!

In this short video, we have explained the governing principles in the practice of Hilot which is pakikipagkapwa and pagmamalasakit.

I uploaded a Slide so that You may read carefully its content. As many people seems to be interested on becoming a Manghihilot. May this material helps you understand clearly what hilot is all about. In this presentation I have used the Panitik 16 font which is a Baybayin Writing Script written by our Brother Kaka ApuLakan Siklab of Sulong Baybayin Abril 21 movement.

When I was at The Alternative Medicine School at St. Francis Divine College, it was the desire of my late Professor and Mentor Dr. Rueben M. Galang Jr. to have a Healer in Every Filipino Homes. And now we have Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, we envisioned that Wherever a Filipino is around the world, there is a Hilot Binabaylan to touch you. But what is the importance of having a Hilot Binabaylan in every Filipino Home? or even in the community of Filipino in Diaspora? Aside from patronizing our own culture and Tradition, we as Hilot Binabaylan teaches people to be responsible in their own Health and not relying it to other people outside their Family. By having a Hilot Binabaylan in every home, preventive and promotive Health Care will be implemented. The cost of buying synthetic medicine will be lessened, and every Filipino Homes will be empowered to live a Happy life, out of illness and even sudden death. This is the thoughts that came to me when I design the Hilot Family Care Training Program.

At first I only thought of Training unemployed single mother’s, but in my mind when the mother get sick who will care for her? So, I decided that I will provide a training program for the whole family to learn basic Hilot treatment techniques that in times of need everyone could give Hilot Treatment to one another. Like what I always teach in the Academy that every individual should be responsible with their own health such as an individual breathe, eat and drink for themselves so, much more they must be responsible in caring for their own health.

In the Word Hilot, the last letter on it’s word does not mean Tolerate but instead it means to Teach. As Manghihilot, we teach people by reminding them the Law of Nature in every treatment that we provide to them. We do not teach them to be Reliant but instead we teach them to be Responsible. The pain a person experience during a Hilot Treatment does not mean to hurt them, but it is a reminder for an individual to Remember the Laws. Hilot is not a gateway to escape your individual problem by having a relief but instead Hilot will push you to confront the problem and deal it right away that you may be birthed into a new life.

People might think that the Treatment that Hilot Provide is Barbaric and Ancient for as it does not consider the pain that a person would suffer, but in the first place- the person that comes to us is already in pain and what we do is fix the thing that have been broken in their lives. This is why people shout, cry and even lamenting during our treatment as if each individual who receives hilot experience labor pain like a mother who is delivering birth. Through the pain they experience they will be reminded of the mistakes and wrong doings they have done either in this recent past or even extend it to their past life. Relieving pain does make it to be cured, like in tooth ache which is very painful, if we just take pain reliever it will just relieve us temporarily, we need to see a Dentist on how deep the infection affected us and if it already destroyed our tooth. When it does, it needed to extract so that we will be fully healed. And when we are done, we will be very careful now so that illness will not come back and make us suffer.