We are Moving!

Since the Time we started Hilot Academy on April 5, 2016- we are Moving! I register first at DTI Makati office and they refuse to Accept the name of Hilot Academy so from Makati I move to DTI Malolos Office and Register our name there and Gratefully we have been Recognized. Though we register our name in Malolos, Bulacan we made our operations in Brgy. Pio del Pilar, Makati City and from there we start teaching Hilot.

On regular days when there is no student, we entertain some Japanese Business men and their wives to experience Hilot (Since by that time I am with my Japanese Wife who have big connections with the Japanese Community residing in Makati at that time). From the experience they had, curiosity arouse in them that they wanted to learn and become a student. With that, it gives me hope that Hilot will become popular and accepted in Japan which it happened by establishing the Yamahata School of Traditional Hilot in Hakodate, Hokaido, Japan which now extends in Ebisu 2-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan and been administered by Kayoko Yamahata (which becomes my ex wife now).

After we establish Hilot School in Japan, My relationship with my wife have shaken and become not in good terms that we parted ways. And as I go back to the Philippines I focus more on Sharing Hilot to the rest of the world especially to those who have Filipino Blood in themselves but lives in Diaspora.

Jose Miguel Trillo Zurita Mamarokpok of Barcelona, Spain

Jose Miguel, Verma Zapanta and John Nagas were one of the non Japanese pioneers who studied with Hilot with me in Brgy. Pio Del Pilar, Makati City, Philippines. Jose Miguel being a Pure Spanish Blood of Barcelona, Spain who fell in love with our Country that pushed him to learn Cebuano as well as our Traditional Healing Arts which he incorporate to his diving school in Carcar, Cebu; Verma Zapanta which is a Filipino American that is based in San Francisco, California, USA who seeks to reconnect with her Filipino Lineage through Hilot; and John Nagas who is a Pure Filipino Descent and native of Quezon City which learn Hilot to reconnect and strengthen his Spiritual Calling and Vocation.

But prior to them, we have teach Hilot through TESDA Train for Work Scholarship program that we conduct in almost all places in Quezon City. The above images that you see are my graduates from Brgy. Pasong Putik in Quezon City. And we conduct our training at an old Chapel Office which the people set tent in front of the Chapel so that we could perform Hilot. And this happened on 2011 even before we have our Hilot Academy.

Then on 2013 we went for a Teaching Mission at Coayan, Ilocos sur followed by another teaching mission in Cervantes and San Esteban with Lakay Magbaya Aghama which is all in Ilocus Sur.

As we teach them we make sure that they can use the techniques in their community as I also talk to their community government leaders to provide them space where they could perform Hilot and earn a living as well. The Knowledge, Skills and Abilities that we impart to them will be useless if these wont help them financially as well.

We were also able to teach Hilot to Koreans Students of Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the University of Makati on 2013. Then we move again to Kingspoint Subdivision at Brgy. Bagbag, Quezon City and have opened up Free Hilot Training for 30 students for 8 days which took all the Saturdays and Sundays of the Month. And those who lives far away stays and live with us for free which includes their food from breakfat, merienda, lunch, merienda and dinner with overflowing supply of coffee and hot water and these had happened on 2018.

After warming up with our Free Kaduwa Hilot, Ryah Paz which is a Pinay Austrian came to learn Hilot from us. Which followed by Verma again to take her Mastery Course on Hilot from us.

Then we have Jan Denise of Canada/ France. Ita Montero which is non English and only Spanish speaking from Santiago, Chile and Bonn Monzon, a pure Blood Filipino of Metro Manila which is our last students who took classes from us at Kingspoint Subdivision in Brgy. Bagbag, Quezon City.

After that we move back to Bulacan because my mother is very sick. And while I am caring for my mother we were able to accommodate Dr. Catherine Sy Luib who is an Acupuncturist and Chiropractor and came to learn Hilot from us.

I am grateful that Doc Catherine became my last student who were able to pay respect to my mother when she is still alive. I know that my mother also remembers her even now (my mother) is already on the after life. After Doc cathy, we were able to conduct event within our Shrine that been attended with many people. Though we have very small place, we were able to accommodate for a day training of more than 5 people.

Then we also have accommodate to train Hilot to our good friend from Antipolo which is Lera Padua, after her comes Kai Maskarenas of Washington, DC, USA; then Agar-Agar a Pure Italian who explores our Philippine Traditional Medicine and lastly with Jeremy Pascal, a Pure French National and his Filipina French Wife Gerone Pascal.

After these we start to move again as our Friend in Fairview, Quezon City have lend her house to be our venue on Hilot Binabaylan Training and in there we had Jaimee of Baltimore, Maryland, USA and Julz which is a Tattoo Artist following the Mambabatok Tradition from Hawaii, USA; then followed by our Soul sister Maria Haswell of San Ramon, California and Dina Snaith of United Kingdom; then with 2 pure Spanish couple of Catalan, Spain and they are Noel Zamora and Laura Castillo.

Then the last venue that we have before pandemic is the training that we held for Kai Bautista, together with the House Owner Kara Barientos and Ice Infante in Tagaytay which happened right after the eruption of Taal Volcano then the lockdown of Pandemic.

During the Pandemic we stopped doing training instead we shift in doing Online Classes which focuses on Non Contact Hilot which only limited in doing Hilot Diagnosis of tawas, and from 2020 to 2022 which we were able to train 46 individuals to become a Certified Magaanito and Magtatawas that comes from different places around the world. And we thank Google Workspace on becoming our partner to make this online training possible through the Google ClassRoom and Google Meet app which provides us affordable subscription package that we maintain on monthly basis.

And when the world opened up again this 2023, we were graced to have this January by Lani Brown, our Magaanito from Corona, California to continue her studies from us and became officially Hilot Binabaylan and we held her initiation and ordination at International Institute of Rural Reconstruction in Silang, Cavite and followed by 2 learning buddies who took the Masidhing Kamagaral Training Program which are Argo and Nawa who are both from Australia.

And this constant moving from one place to another proves that our movement is alive. But the consequence of it is that we do not have an exact location where people could see us except on our Virtual or online presence. We are like nomads that jumps from one place to another, and in times that people will need us, we are on the road to some places and this makes our body weak (me and Lakay). This made Lakay to offer his place in Taguig which is just 15- 30 minutes away from Manila International Airport. But his house in Taguig is still in the process of Reconstruction.

And the construction for this building is still on going. and the ground floor on which our Hilot Activity will be held is almost complete. I made a floor plan for a 2 story building on which I include student dormitory so that we wont rent rooms from Hotel anymore.

We plan that as you enter our venue you will see herbal garden on both sides of the Path Way before you enter the main Building. The path way can be an activity area where we could conduct traditional Filipino Games such as Piko, Luksong Tinik or Luksong Baka and other games that will warm up our body as part of our Hilot sa Apoy Training Program. Then as you enter you will find our Hilot Activity Area that will conduct training as well as treatment when there are no Students on Training. Besides the training area will be the Admin Office and fronting it will be our Common Toilet and Lavatory. Then besides the Toilet will be the stairs going to the second floor where the Students and Teachers dormitory will be found. On each room for student and teachers dormitory will have their own toilet and bath on each room. And there will still be wide multi purpose hall to held our Hilot Indak and Munimuni session as part of Hilot sa Apoy and Hangin Program.

With these being said, we will be needing your assistance in completing the remaining funds that we need to finish the construction. We already have spent Php 500,900.00 pesos in constructing the First Floor and we still need Php 774,400.00 to complete the construction of the 2nd floor.

Constructing our permanent training Venue of Hilot Academy of Binabaylan

We pray that this will move you by sending us Financial Help in completing the construction of our permanent training venue in Taguig City. You may send your donations through our Paypal account by clicking on the Button below.

Help us build our Permanent Training Venue in Taguig

WordPress Daily Prompt Question about Fate or Destiny

Do you believe in fate/destiny?

I believe that each of all creation when they exist has their own purpose and the end point of doing our purpose is what I believe to be our Fate or Destiny. This Fate or Destiny maybe good or bad depending on how we did our purpose. This purpose of ours may be run by our own Free Will or Choice in doing our purpose. Such as what we teach in Hilot if we do our purpose we will be rewarded by Wellness so as not doing it we may receive illness. These rewards and punishment is changeable depending on the actions we take. So as our Fate and Destiny can be changed according to what actions we take into our life.

Understanding Filipino Souls and our Individual Selves

This Webinar is ideal for those who practice traditional medicine, tarot card readers, Reiki and Energy Field workers, so as the Spiritual Elders who are ministering to the People.

Dambana ng Luntiang Aghama

Kamusta mga Kalahi!

Our Shrine as well as Hilot Academy of Binabaylan would like to invite you to attend our upcoming webinar that will happen on different time zone this February 20, 2023.

In the Philippines it will happen by 9:00 AM, 12:noon and 5:00 PM

For our brothers and sisters in the US it will be February 19, 2023 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time so as 8:00 PM in the Pacific Standard Time. While people in Europe may attend on the same date February 20, 2023 by 9:00 AM UK Time.

The Energy Exchange for this Webinar is only USD 100.00

As Healer, we need to have a better understanding of the soul of an individual so that we could provide to them the appropriate help that they need. As Healer, we provide our patient/client Help through Harmonizing, Enhancing and Activating Life Force within them. And it is not…

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Hilot Healing Principles

Doing the talk is the most challenging part of being a Hilot Binabaylan, especially now that we are in the world of Commercialism where the demand of the public is what we provide. During our Training we emphasize that Hilot is not a massage where we can provide relaxation as most Hilot School will align the modality so that the learning upon completion of the required studies of the competencies will be hired on Spa then become a Massage Therapist.

It is nice to know that Hilot has Touch Manipulation that is almost similar to massage and its method can be modified into relaxation techniques but when you do it, that technique lose its sense already and transformed its potency, instead, it become a Simple Massage.

All Hilot Treatments follows the Hilot Healing Principles that state:

Every Human Being has the ability to heal themselves; and as Manghihilot, we are just the facilitator of that healing as we assist the individual to brought out that healing ability for themselves.We are not the healer but the DIVINE CREATOR is, who gave life to everyone!
Apu Adman, Punong Binabaylan of Luntiang Aghama

And those who seek Hilot just for relaxation, it is better that you go to Spa and hire a massage therapist to provide you what you need. Hilot is for treatment of illnesses and our ancestors does not come to a manghihilot when they want pampering but instead, they come to manghihilot when they are sick.

First Day of Hilot Training with Lani Brown

I am very delighted to see people in person and face-to-face specially those whom I met online during the Time of Pandemic. Yesterday, I have welcomed and Hug in person Lani Brown of California. She arrived here in the Philippines last Saturday- January 14, 2023 and she will be here for about a month and we are so blessed that she will spend 8 days with us, starting on January 16 to January 23, 2023. She is supposed to take the 16 days Hilot Training Program with Hilot Philippines Development Center at Silang, Cavite but there are problems that happen on HPDC part thats why Hilot Academy came in to accommodate and compensate for HPDC.

Sharing the knowledge of our Ancestral Healing Arts and Science is very important to me. And students who signed up for any of our training program are valuable specially to the Filipino in Diaspora who desires to reconnect themselves with our Ancestral Land and wanted to learn our Philippine Traditional Medicine.

When I started Hilot Academy, I intended to share this knowledge that I obtained from our Ancestors to our local kababayan who is residing in the Philippines. Though before I started this, I used to work as Tesda Trainer and Assessor on Hilot. TESDA is a Government attached Agency of Philippine Department of Labor and Employment that provide Scholarship skills training on Hilot. But as I notice, the knowledge that we share through TESDA are just superficial and was limited on the practice of Massage and the healing process and methodology that Hilot has was not been covered in the training. The goal of Tesda is just to provide skills to the learning where they could be employed in a Spa or send them abroad just for the sake of being Employed.

Skills on Hilot can be easily learned but the principles behind it is very complex that it requires time to be explored such as the doctrine about souls, why people get sick so as the teaching about pilay.

Hilot is our Medicine and the treatment methodology it employs does not limit on just providing Massage

There is also one issue that I make clarification with and that is who should I take as student of Hilot. I first encounter this issue when I was still working at TESDA but the issue back then was who will be a Certified and Accredited Hilot Trainer and Assessor? The policy way back then is only limited to Filipino Citizens and foreigners are limited to obtain certification and accreditation on becoming a Hilot Trainer and Assessor. I understand that the agency wants to protect our Healing modality to be benefited by the Filipino people, but if we are going to contemplate on the Healing Principles of Hilot, it will not be exclusive but it is Inclusive.

When a person ask you Hilot, will you ask that person of their nationality first or their religion or if they have money? No! We provide Hilot to anyone who ask us whether they have money or not, male or female or any Gender they identify themselves, nationality or religion they practice, Young or old deserves to receive hilot from us.

And Hilot Teaching is not only about promoting the Philippines and all the resources that can be found in our Country, but it is about our attitude and connection with the land, with the country where we are now, with the planet. Being a Manghihilot is not about wearing Traditional Filipino Clothes, Accessories, plants that is endemic in the Philippines and so on, but it is about your knowledge and attitude on how you connect yourself to the place where you live right now. Our Filipino Pride is not about the rich resources of our land, but our attitude on how to adopt in different situation.

Teaching Hilot to the Filipino in Diaspora is about bridging the Gap of Colonialism and Nationalism but instead making everyone realize that all of us are all Human. As Manghihilot, we do not focus alone in dealing with Physical Illness but we become a Bridge to the People in finding the right solution and relief to their problem.

Feverish 7 years Old Child

Again, a mother and child have visited us in the Shrine. She asked me to do Tawas for her 7 years old daughter who was vomiting and had a Fever. As she suspects that the child has been played by unseen entity as she was playing with her elder sister. It is believed that these unseen entities were fond of playing, story time as well as merry making. It is the same with the souls of our dead loved ones who will manifest their presence every time that a member of the family will tell stories about them. These unseen entities or spirits easily victimize young Children as the souls of these kids were not yet complete. This is the reason why Children can be easily affected by Usog as the souls serve as our shield from these forces. The mother also has told us that the young girl was playing Hide and Seek with her Ate (Elder Sister) and when the Ate found her she was surprised and get nervous. And aside from this situation, the Child already have a Medical History of Broncho Pneumonia. She is about to bring her child to the Hospital, but a neighbor have told her to consult first with a Hilot.

I have no intention of intervening to the work of a medical professional, since they come first to us, I have no reason to drive them off and not provide the help that I could do. As I saw the child, i did not sense any presence of a playing Spirit or Maligno (which is a kind of Engkanto that always plays trick on mankind) but I sense that the child spirit is naturally weak due to the cold season as well as the mother confirms that she already had a medical condition. I still do Tawas, but this time it’s not Tawas sa Papel but rather I use Pagsasala Method using Avocado leaf. As I start passing the leaf to the flame of the candle, I see the body parts which I need to focus in Pagpapahid. The Tawas have shown me the back of the Body up to the Buttocks. I asked the mother if the child has excretion problem, and she confirms that the child is having a loose bowel movement and has no appetite. That is also one of her worries that she wants to resolve that she plans to see a doctor but was convinced to see me first.

As I do the pagsasala, I notice that the skin of the child is very dry and scaly that the kidney, bladder and spleen is weak. So as i notice that the child is lack of nutrition that I advised her to go to barangay health center and ask if they have free vitamins supplement for her daughter. I am glad that our Barangay Health Center are providing these for the indigent residents of our Barangay and I wish that Hilot can be Integrated within the Barangay Health Center and I believe that in order for this to happen PITAHC which is an attached agency of the Philippine Department of Health will issue a Memorandum Circular or an Administrative Order that Hilot can be integrated into our Health Care Delivery System. As a Practitioner of Hilot, we do not have the power to do this as Barangay Health Worker has different qualification to Hilot. So hopingly, our government will see our value as primary healthcare provider as well.

Dayban For Sale

Last 2021, the Comon Clan (which my Father belong) have suffered great challenges from Super Typhoon Odette that it has destroyed our Ancestral Home that is located at Brgy. Esperanza, Municipality of Del Carmen in the Island of Siargao, Surigao del Norte. The whole clan have helped one another to rebuild our Ancestral home that includes your Financial Support.

at the end of 2022, another calamity have come to the Clan as the Elder Brother of my Father have crossed the Veil. For so many years that my Father haven’t stepped on our Ancestral Home. He came to pay respect to my uncle and see our people.

He was so Happy to see and talked again to his siblings not only though telephone or video call but now in Person and Face-to-face. Aside from his siblings, my father was also able to reconnect with his Childhood Friends, Nephew’s and Nieces, and Grand Children from my Cousins.

Through Tatay’s Homecoming in Siargao, the Comon Siblings were able to discuss about their properties which they inherited from our Grand Father Don Diomedes Comon Sr. And my Father have decided to sell his share as his own Family already resides in Bulacan and have invested his own properties.

This pool of water becomes a natural source of Drinking Water during the time of Super Typhoon Odette that even the Manila Water fetch from this Natural Spring to supply drinking water to the Whole Island of Siargao.

This Dayban (as the natives have called the area) is natural spring which is part of the 2.652 Hectares, or 26520 Square Meters property inherited by my Father to Don Diomedes Comon Sr. which now he is selling for Php 15,000.00/ Square Meters or USD 272.25/ Square Meters. My Father’s decision on selling his inherited property is due to lack of Fund in Developing this land.

If only I have the Power in Decision making, I want to save this property to be still under our care. As I am writing this Article, I sense that there is a Spirit that prevents me on posting this, as the property belongs to the Comon Clan. Rather than selling, we could share this property to Investors who would like to build us the Physical Building for Hilot Academy of Binabaylan so as for Luntiang Aghama Natural Divine Arts Shrine of Healing Inc. and within this place, we could add up Experiential Learning Activities such as Rice Farming, Fishing and Surfiing as Siargao Island is known for Surfing.

I hope that this article will go Far and Wide as it reaches the right person who will invest with us to build the Shrine and Hilot Academy of Binabaylan or to be the next rightful owner of this property in Developing it. If you are interested to Invest or Buy this property, you may reach me out through Email at apuadman@hilotacademy.com or call/text me at +6399524687040,

Rebirthing Hilot at Silang, Cavite

Yesterday December 16, 2022-We had launch successfully the Hilot Philippines Development Center in Partnership with International School of Sustainable Tourism in the vicinity of International Institute of Rural Reconstruction in Barangay Biga 2, Municipality of Silang in the Province of Cavite. After 2 years of conception, we have finally given birth to the Brain Child of Dr. Mina Gabor (former Department of Tourism Secretary-now the Chairman of International School of Sustainable Tourism). Actually this is her second Child among the many concepts she already have manifested in the past, but at ISST Hilot will be the partner of Farm Tourism which Dr. Gabor have championed.

As Cultural Worker myself, it seems that Launching Hilot at Silang, Cavite is like giving birth again to a nearly forgotten Culture of the Filipino People. I just relate it to the work of Hilot on assisting delivery of a pregnant mother and Birthing a New Child, here we did not give birth to a Physical Child but we have given a new life to Hilot as a Holistic Healing Modality that we can be proud of.

It was during at the height of pandemic when we started collaborating our minds in order for this legacy project will come into manifestation. There were many people who are willing to share their talents such as Ice Infante, Kara Barientos and Marjoria Soria but due to Pro Bono status of our preliminary work they need leave for the meantime and sustain their lives. So it was Me, Nora and Lakay have patiently endure and workout so that this project may manifest. And of course Dr. Gabor is with us so as her staff such as ms. Merlita, ms. Ferlyn, sir Lito so as ate Bebang who always care for us in preparing snacks when we are in a brain storming activity.

It was on November 17, 2020 when we first convene at Dr. Mina Gabor’s office at Pasay City and from there we have brought out all the contents of our Heart and our Mind so that we could give life again to the deviated modality of Hilot and realigned it to its original custom as our ancestors employ it to healing arts.

But before launching our new center at Cavite, me and Lakay had a conversation. I am thinking in establishing this center if the general public will benefit from it. I specifically think of Hilot Practitioners such as when a student enroll for example in Bachelors degree in Secondary Education at the end of their program and successfully passed the licensure examination for teachers, those students who will pass the exam have potentials to be employed in an Educational Institution. And for our students who will take take course in our Hilot Training Program, they will not just have the knowledge skills and attitude of a Hilot Provider but We are making sure that they could use it to earn a living.

I do not want to see our graduates to work in a Spa that has tendency to adulterate their Sacred Knowledge of Traditional Filipino Healing Arts and Science with Foreign healing Tradition but want to consecrate themselves in the Practice of Hilot. Such as to what happened in Thai Massage Centers here in the Philippines, it is just Thai Massage is popular but when you walk in and avail Thai Massage, the therapist within that Center would deceive their client by giving Swedish Massage and not Thai Massage.

I don’t want Hilot to suffer the same situation and this is what Hilot Philippines Development Center will provide to make sure that the treatment procedure we offer are based on the Philippine Ancestral Healing Tradition.

If our graduates will not work at Spa, where should they be employed?

Spa is categorized under the Hospitality Industry of the Department of Tourism. But I insist that Hilot should be under the Health Care Industry as we provide primary healthcare to the Public. Our History have identified the terminology of our Traditional Healing Center and it is known by our Ancestors as Pamulngagan and recently it has been confirmed by our Bicolano participant in the Webinar on Redefining Hilot as Burlungan. And aside from establishing Pamulngagan or Burlungan, our Graduates should have an opportunity to be employed in the Government Health Offices.

Since Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care is an attached agency from the Philippine Department of Health and receiving funds from the Government allocations through Senate Hearings on Budget allocations, the said institute must coordinate with DoH in establishing Hilot Centers attached to the Provincial, Municipal, City, and Barangay Health Centers and work there.

The issue of mandating to have a License or National Certificate of Manghihilot deserves a clear opportunity of employment to our graduates. This issue already had happened to the Massage Industry where they are mandated to obtain Certificate of Registration as Massage Therapist and upon renewing they are require to upgrade their knowledge but in terms of employment that will just work at the Spa or either as Freelancer without secured income opportunity by being employed as Health Worker. I see this practice as extortion by the certifying committee to the practitioner and not giving them chance to enjoy the earnings from their hard work.

In Hilot, we are going to raise our standards and make sure that our Modality will not be adulterated and become a milking cow of any committee. As I remember the Slogan of Department of Health that the Power of Health in the Hands of the Filipino People and this will become true now through Hilot Philippines Development Center.

Why Hilot is not recognized?

Even how much effort we exert on what Hilot is, if the people insist that the kind of Hilot they know is Massage, the Provider will give what the people know wants in exchange for the money they will earn. By giving in to what people demand, the more our Hilot Healing Tradition will be dressed up by the IGNORANCE of the People and in the future Generation, the real knowledge of Hilot will be lost and think of Hilot is just the Filipino Terminology of Massage.

I remember on 2017 to 2018 that i become an administrator of a Massage Therapist group at Facebook which is composed of Massage Therapist working at the Spa so as Freelancer who do Home Service Massage. One Massage Therapist have rant which is a licensed Massage Therapist at DoH have said that the Freelancers and Manghihilot are stealing their jobs from them.

Well, how come that Manghihilot were included in stealing the Jobs of Massage Therapist, whereas it is the Massage Therapist who steal the Job of Manghihilot. Not only the Massage Therapist but the entire Health Care System that have stripped off the Duties and Responsibilities of Manghihilot and leaving out the Identity of Being Filipino Masseur.

And out of the custom for the Licensed Massage Therapist to upgrade their knowledge in Massage that they are required to know other forms of massage that they have amalgamated the massage of Hilot into Massage Therapy and they call it themselves as Hilot. And this is wrong. It is an act of colonizing, such as to what had happened in our Ancient Filipino Spiritual beliefs.

Such as to what had happened to the precolonial culture in Obando, Bulacan which observed the Kasilinoan Fertility Dance which has been popularly known as Tatarin or the Summer Solstice Ritual that is once sacred to Dayang Masalanta, Lakapati and Bathala, whereas the Spanish colonized our Country, they have forcibly converted the Natives into Roman Catholicism and Changed our custom of dancing Kasilinoan into Fandanguan. Kasilinoan or now popularly known as Tatarin was a Pagan Fertility Dance on which married woman who is unable to conceive a Child would dance for 3 nights to a Phalus God named Lingga when the Summer Solstice arrived. When Christianity arrived it was changed into Fandanguan in honor of the patron saints of Obando, Bulacan named Sta. Clara of Assisi, San Pascual Baylon and the Imaculate Conception de Salambao which is named after the fish net that caught the image on the sea while fishing.

Many of those who work as Massage Provider are guilty of this crime in dressing up massage to be the modality of Hilot, such as one time I went to the mall to avail Thai Massage, when I went to book an appointment, the receptionist discourage me taking that services but instead pushed me to get Swedish massage instead, being out of time and need to have a massage- I take the offer. In my mind I see the problem that probably the massage provider are not proficient in giving the modality I seek. And another problem I notice is that when a Filipino Massage Therapist are working abroad, they are advertising Hilot even the modality the do is Swedish Massage. This is very wrong.

Hilot as we always say is not just a Massage. Though it have a massage treatment that could be performed quickly. Hilot is not a Spa Treatment that can be performed in One Hour or more. Rather Hilot is a Quick relief treatment when a person had Pilay. Though I am not certain when do the Spa Industry started but I am supposing that it Started on during the implementation of the Sanitation Code of the Philippines when it was mandated on December 23, 1975. There in Article 13 discuss about the Policy on Massage Therapy and Sauna Bath’s.

With the rising of Spa Industry, they make their services like a Restaurant, where a client will choose what kind of services they will avail. So as a result, many spa services provider must learn different forms of massage until they have developed Combination Massages as their promotional Offering.

As an Individual practitioner, there is a Pride that they should know all as they walk up to the pedestal of fame and glory. Knowing all means getting Money from the services they provide. And no one think that Hilot can provide all the Health Care needs of the Community. But since Hilot is not well accepted, certain individual still need other professional license in order to introduce Hilot to the public. And the end result of it is that Hilot has been covered up by other Traditional Medicine modality that it became end to the list such as to what happened in PITHAC.

There are still many people who does not know What Really Hilot is an just rely on the information provided online and the practice of authentic Manghihilot in rural and slum areas of the Philippines are being ignored as it is unscientific and covered much in mysticism.

But to tell you, Traditional Chinese Medicine too was once covered in mysticism such as the principles of Tao and the doctrines of Chi which is being observed not only in Traditional Medicine but as well as in Fung Sui.

If Colonial Mentality will stop and the Roman Catholic Church will not interfere in the Development of Hilot in the Philippines, the modalities of Hilot will have the Science it needed in order to explain its principles to the modern world and If Hilot will have its own center not associated in Spa or Wellness Center; the Hilot Treatment we provide will receive the recognition we deserve.

Would you be the Manghihilot the world need now?

Is Bamboo Massage part of Hilot Healing Tradition?

A question has been posted to us asking:

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. 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.