For a limited time only!

Join us in this limited offer at 125 TOWN & COUNTRY DRIVE, DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA, USA

For a limited time, we will be offering 3 Hilot Training Program on August 2024 at Danville Yoga and Wellness Center at Danville, California, USA.

The trainings will be the following:

1. Hilot Daloy: This is a continuing Education Training Program for our Graduates who took the Non Contact Hilot Mind and Spirit Work during the Time of Pandemic on 2020-2022. This offering will provide opportunity to our Magaanito/Pangutanahan/Pangatauhan to earn their Full Hilot Binabaylan Status by enrolling in this 5 days Training Program at Danville Yoga and Wellness Center.

2. Hilot Tanglaw: Your growth as practicing Hilot Binabaylan is important that we create this continuing education program for all of our Practitioners who completed our Hilot Binabaylan Training Program. This program will certify you to be an accredited Mentor on selected Hilot Binabaylan Knowledge, Skills and Abilities or the Full Hilot Binabaylan Competencies. This will be a 10 days training.

3. Hilot Binabaylan: This is an entry level program that will ordain an Individual to administer Philippine Indigenous Traditional Health Care, either privately to your Family or Publicly to your community. This is an 8 days Training Program.

To register kindly scan the QR Code.

Planning to Visit the Mystical Island of Fire in Siquijor?

Siquijor is an Island Province in the Philippines that is located in the Central Visayas Region. It is found on the northern Part Siquijor can be found the Island of Cebu, West can be found the Island of Negros, in the North East is Bohol while in the south across the Bohol Sea is Mindanao. The Mystical Island of Siquijor was known as Isla del Fuego or Island of Fire that according to legend, there was a great storm engulfed the Visayan region, and a strong earthquake shook the earth and sea. Amidst the lightning and thunder arose an island from the depths of the ocean’s womb which came to be known as the island of Siquijor, hence the name Isla del Fuego, or “Island of Fire.” Oddly enough, in modern times, highland farmers have found giant shells underneath their farm plots, supporting the theory that Siquijor rose from the sea. Well, this Island was also known before as an Island of Witches but in 2010 through the hard work of Governor Orlando Fua Jr. the scary image of Siquijor as a Witch Island has been changed into a Healers Island due to the Healing Festival that they create every Holy Week.

We were able to participate at the Healing Festival in Siquijor as a Healer on 2017 and its a great experience for us to be able to touch local or foreigners that attended that event. And I just recently learn that only local healers which means healers from Siquijor are only allowed to participate the Healing Festival. So tourist either local from other provinces or foreigners outside the Philippines may only be an spectators or client. And that is Great News for implementing that policy as it will help the local Siquijor Healers to earn a living. But Kuya Tata our resident Siquijor Tourist Guide has an alternative venue in Siquijor who are interested to participate in the Healing Festival and that is at Siquijor Sunset Glamping Village in San Juan, Siquijor instead at Mt. Bandilaan.

For those who plan to visit Siquijor to attend the Healing Festival on March 2024, you need to make reservation now for your Hotel Accommodation as early as January so that you may still have a room as tourist will come in a large number by that time comes. So if you are interested to visit siquijor anytime, you may contact kuya tata through their FB Page which is the Siquijor Tourist Guide.

You may contact Kuya Tata through Whats App at this number +639694217190.

Advancing the Practice of Hilot through Quality Training

Lakay Magbaya, Apu Adman & Mam Nora Columna

Last October 26 & 27, 2023- our Hilot Training Team that compose of Me, Lakay and Mam Nora attended to the 3rd Regional Hilot Congress that been Hosted by Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care in collaboration with Hilot Philippines Development Center of International School of Sustainable Tourism at International Institute of Rural Reconstruction compound, Brgy. Biga 2, Silang, Cavite, Philippines. The said Congress was attended by Select Manghihilot of Region 4 A CaLaBaRZon or Cavite, Laguna, Batanggas, Rizal and Quezon Province and our Team represents the Cavite Province since we are representing the Municipality of Silang through Hilot Philippines Development Center. Though in reality, I am still at City of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; Lakay Magbaya represents City of Taguig, Metro Manila; and only Mam Nora Columna is originally from Cavite Province which is from General Trias City.

The 3rd Regional Hilot Congress has been welcomed by a message from Dr. Nonie John L. Dalisay on behalf of Governor Juanito “Junvic” C. Remulla, where he emphasizes Hilot as traditional health care practices in the past and its effectiveness in terms of health care. Then it was followed by a message from our Managing Director at Hilot Philippines Development Center and President of International School of Sustainable Tourism, the former Secretary of Department of Tourism, Dr. Mina T. Gabor.

In her welcoming message, Dr. Gabor have emphasized the goal of the 21st Century in taking care of one’s self as she pointed out to the commercial and advertisement shown in Televisions and even in Social Media as experts advised that all of us must look good and our Goal must be happy as it will help also our Economy. The HPDC president also reminisces here experience when she was the Tourism Secretary as she was asked to talk about Medical Tourism and Hilot was never been mentioned before but good thing Now, everyone is talking about Hilot and it is about time that all of us will go back to Hilot.

Right after the welcoming message of Former Tourism Secretary, the Director General of Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Health Care Dr. Anabelle Pabiona De Gusman was called to give her Welcoming Message to the Participants of 3rd Regional Hilot Congress. In her message she takes pride about the work of PITAHC as she explain why Hilot Congress takes place. In her message She honors the founder of Philippine Traditional Alternative Medicine Act who is Dr. Juan Flavier former DoH Secretary and Philippine Senator. It is through Senator Juan Flavier that emphasizes that Health Center should be a Center for Wellness and not a Center of Illness. Then the Regional Director of Department of Tourism of Calabarzon in the person of Director Maritess Castro that exhort the role of Manghihilot in caring for the Health of the community employing Traditional & Alternative Health Care modalities. And through it, Department of Tourism have a continuous Collaboration with Pitahc in the promotion of Philippine Traditional Hilot through Wellness Tourism.

The Current Department of Health Secretary Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa also give his message through a recorded Video. He said that: Hilot is deeply engraved in our History embodies Holistic approach in treating illnesses and promoting health and well being of our kababayan.

There are more speakers that speaks grately about Hilot and it is very overwhelming to know that these people recognizes our role in preserving our Indigenous practices of health care and it could be integrated into the Universal Health Care Delivery System. Aside from these prominent people, the practitioners were also able to voice out our sentiment and deliver it to Pitahc to be address it properly and in the End all the participants of the 3rd Regional Hilot Congress were able to create a Declaration where we all agree with as we have been lead by a Dumagat Chieftain and Community Health Worker in pronouncing the Declaration:

Declaration of Support to the Universal Health Care

Kami mga hilot at iba pang mga tradisyonal na pilipinong
manggagamot, kasama ang mga community health worker at
barangay health worker ay patuloy na nag-aalay ng aming
paglilingkod sa aming mga nasasakupang komunidad upang higit
na makamit ang mga hangarin ng universal health care.
Nais naming pagtibayin ang patuloy naming pagtulong sa
promosyon ng kalusugan at pag-iwas sa karamdaman, sa
pagbibigay paunang lunas sa mga karaniwan at simpleng sakit sa
pamamagitan ng mga ligtas, epektibo at abot-kayang
panggagamot, at sa pag-refer ng mga malulubhang karamdaman
sa kinauukulang health center at ospital.

We as Manghihilot and other Filipino Traditional Healer, Together with the Community Health Worker and Barangay Health Worker do continue to offer our services in our respective comminities in order to achievve our Goals towards Universal Health Care. We desire to strengthen our role in the continuing to help the promotion of Health and prevention from illness by giving primary cure to common and simple illness through safe, effective and affordable treatment, and by referring to appropriate professional and health center and hospital to cases of chronic illnesses.

Bilang mga certified o recognized na mga BHW, CHW, Hilot,
at iba pang mga tradisyonal na pilipinong manggagamot, dalangin
namin ang pormal na
Pagkilala at pagbilang sa amin bilang bahagi ng rural health
unit na sumasakop sa aming komunidad.
Nilagdaan namin sa silang, cavite ngayong ika-27 ng oktubre,
2023 sa okasyon ng 3rd regional hilot congress at pista ng
gamutang pilipino

As Certified and Recognized Barangay Health Worker, Community Health Worker, Manghihilot and other Traditional Medicine Practitioner, It is our Prayer that we will be formally recognize and include us as part of the Rural Health Unit in the community where we belong. Signed this 27th Day of October 2023 in Silang, Cavite on the 3rd Regional Hilot Congress and Pista ng Gamutang Pilipino.

Do you know your Body Parts?

All the time our body speaks to us but how do we recognize on which part of our Body speaks to us? In western medical studies, Human Anatomy and Physiology is being taught at School but in Hilot Academy, do we teach Human Anatomy and Physiology? The Answer is Yes. We may not be teaching the exact knowledge and information about the Human body but our ancestors have taught us on how to care and treat on the body parts that they think is Vital. It is the same thing how our organs and body parts have names in Filipino, because our ancestors remember the name of the organs or body parts that is relevant and at work all the time. It is just like in everyday of your life, you are dealing with a situation that always happen in a day, you will become a master on it, as you can deal the situation in every angle that it will come.

Now, in the body position, you will notice that the suffix -an is added at the end of the word such as Ulonan pertaining to the upper part or on the area of the head, Paanan pertaining to the lower part of the body belonging to the area of the feet, Tagiliran or side part, Harapan pertaining to the front and Likuran pertaining to the back. Other words that has a suffix -an that pertains to a region or place are Hilagaan (North), Silanganan (East), Katimugan (South), Kalunuran or Kanluran (West), Kaitaasan (Sky World), Kaibabawan (Surface or Middle World), Kailaliman (UNderworld), Kaluwalhatian (Place of Glory/Paradise/Heaven), Kalangitan (Sky world), Kasamaan ( Place of Evil and punishment for retribution).

Well the regions can also be found within our body and to understand better the healing methods of Hilot, we recommend everyone to study and enroll with us on our Hilot Binabaylan Training & Certification. Our ancestors may not have studied medical science at school, but they have their life experiences that have been passed unto us 50,001 years ago.

Hilot as a Bridge towards Decolonization

Early this morning we have fetch Christine Quynh Vy at Naia Terminal 3 for her 8 days study of Hilot Binabaylan Training. I ask her who recommend her to study Hilot Binabaylan and I was so glad to hear that one of our Graduates from Hawaii which is Dayang Gulaon, a vessel and Hilot Binabaylan of Diwatang Gugurang and Diwatang Laon. Dayang Gulaon aka Julz Bolinayen of Lakapati’s Legacy we among the last student of who took the in person 8 days training of Hilot Binabaylan before the lock down of Pandemic of Covid 19. From January 2019 when she took the Class, Dayang Gulaon have taken pride to the Ancestral Wisdom of Filipino Healing Arts and Science that she offers it through Lakapati’s Legacy in Hawaii. She is a Hilot Binabaylan that specialize in Tattoo Ritual, Divination, Serenade, Energy Healing and Death Doula- Ship. And she is the beloved Medium of Kilubansa the Filipino Diwata of Healing which Hilot Academy enshrined as our Patron Guide.

Quynh Vy is a receives Kilubansa Reading from Dayang Gulaon that later on they became friends. And Quynh Vy learned about the Academy through her. We were glad to meet Quynh Vy in person, and we have learned that she is a Vietnamese- American. Though she came to us to learn Hilot so that she could acquire some tools in her quest to uncover Vietnamese Culture and Tradition.

In the past, I have received some advice to limit accepting students to only Filipino or those with Filipino Blood. But I reject that Idea as it will violate the Ethics of Hilot that states:

“…as Manghihilot we do not discriminate an Individual, we do not look at them of their nationality, their political and religious affiliation, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, Social Classification whether they are rich or poor, We do not look at their color whether they are white, black or brown; we do not see them if they are young or old; but rather we see them as Soul that is within their body that needs healing from us.” 

Hilot Gamutan: A fundamental Guide on Hilot Treatment Methodology by Rev. Rolando Gomez Comon CP MH-SOLA

So as a Teacher of Hilot, we do not discriminate also on whom we are going to Teach Hilot as Hilot is not exclusive to a certain person only but it is always available for all who are in need of.

The Work of Hilot

As I see most Hilot Schools focuses their training on Massage Aspects of Hilot, thus when they finish their schooling the end result will be that they are going to be employed as Massage Therapist at Spa. But the problem that I see on Spa is that for the sake of Earning an Income, they have neglected to follow the Therapeutic Hours which a Manghihilot should follow. The Knowledge that an individual learned from the Academy or Training Center has been erased or set aside when the Graduate has been employed in the Spa. The reason would be that school setting is different from the Industry Setting which is an actual life event. That is why I saw some Spa operates almost from 1:00 PM to 3:00 AM which is a 14 hours or even almost operates for 24 hours of service which hazardous to the health of the practitioner.

In Hilot Academy, we do not encourage that kind of work, as Manghihilot we are a Health Care Provider and we know that in Health Care we have to set a Therapeutic Environment as well as following the Therapeutic Hours.

What is Therapeutic Hours?

Therapeutic Hours are time within the day where Healing Energies are available in Nature which a Manghihilot could access to affect healing to the patient. And These hours are from Sunrise to Sunset. For me those times are healing time as light are available. Let us say, we start our Healing work by 7:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, these hours are intended for Promotive Health Care or for attracting positive energies to come into the persons life, where as from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM which the Sun is setting is intended for banishing or removing negative energies.

As soon as the Sun goes down and darkness covered the sky, it is intended for rest. It has also its healing property which commands our brain to slow down. Many people get sick because people resist this natural order. They do the work that supposedly be done during the light of the day and still work at night.

So the work of Manghihilot should not exceed the prescribed hours of the Day, in doing so, the Manghihilot also doing harm to themselves and not teaching discipline to their client by allowing them to violate the Therapeutic Hours set by Mother Nature her self.

So aside from doing physical touch manipulations and other Hilot Healing Methods to affect healing, the Manhihilot is also responsible in Cultivating their own Healing Medicine from Nature.

like what we always say that Hilot does not only focus on the massage aspect of healing but it also utilize Halaman (Herbs) Init (Heat) Liwanag (light) Orasyon (time/prayer) Tubig (water) in healing.

And the one I have shared to you above is the teaching about Hilot Orasyon which is about time and therapeutic hours.

If you like the article you just read above, please consider donating so that we may finish the construction of Bahay SiAdTala in Brgy. South Signal Village, Taguig City. This will be our new training venue for Hilot Academy of Binabaylan and Fellowship Center of Luntiang Aghama Natural Divine Arts Shrine of Healing Inc..

Upgraded Hilot Curriculum

As feedback from our recent training last April and May 2023, though we made it successfully that we have able to transfer our knowledge and enhance their skills in practicing Hilot through our 8 days training but it is very compressed that we have not able to do more exercises and return demonstration, we have decided to make it longer that will focus on practice and return demonstration. We also added up some new topics to discuss specially on Setting Up Hilot Healing Center as compliance to PITAHC Standards and Regulation in the Practice of Hilot. The following will be the upgraded curriculum that we may implement for 2024.

Our New Training Program on Hilot Binabaylan aims to meet the following Goals for our Students.

  1. To enable our students to embody in this present generation the concept and principles of the Philippine Traditional Indigenous Medicine by becoming an Authentic Manghihilot which is Hilot Binabaylan. 
  2. To initiate our Students on our Filipino Ancestral Valuing system of Life and to the practice of Traditional Indigenous Health Care.
  3. To train our students in Developing Analytic Mind through our Tawas Diagnosis Method that we also call as Traditional Alternative Wellness Analytic System and integrate it to the modern method of health assessment and evaluation.
  4. To provide an opportunity to our students to learn and practice different Hilot Treatment Modalities that is integrated to the modern healthcare delivery
  5. To empower our students which are our potential Hilot Binabaylan in providing Home Care Supplementation of Herbal Remedies by introducing them to Plant Medicine. 
  6. To Integrate the Practice of Hilot Binabaylan in the National Health Care Delivery System.

Though our 8 days training will still be available, but there are some locals who are interested to learn from us but can not afford the fee that we provide. So, we plan to provide it on a weekly basis either Saturday or Sunday Afternoon from 1PM -6:00 PM. The reason why our program becomes expensive for 8 days is that it include the Hotel Accommodation, Food (breakfast, lunch, merienda and dinner), rental for our training venue, so as for the learning materials consumables. Hilot Academy of Binabaylan is an Educational Ministry of Luntiang Aghama Natural Divine Arts Shrine of Healing Inc. which is a Private Institution that is not Supported by any Government Agency that we could offer Scholarship program. Though we want to offer our program in a lower fee but as an organization, we also are paying fees aside from the students food and accommodation, we are also renting our venue so as the utilities and other bills.

Under the Shady Tree

All I thought it was impossible to do it. In my mind I doubt of making it Happen to compress the following lessons in just 8 Hours from 9:00 am to 5:00 PM. And the lessons we took up are the following:

Definition, Origins and Hilot Treatment Methodologies; Basic Hilot Diagnostic that focus on Pulse Reading, Kapa and Salat; Discussion of Hilot Cleansing Rituals that focus on Suob; Dagdagay/Kulis Traditional Stick Foot Massage; Performing Tandok/Bentusa Fire Cupping; Pagsasala and Basic Hilot Touch Manipulation Techniques.

Selected Lessons on Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan Copyrighted 2016

Due to limited time of our Friend from London, She was able to spend 8 hours with us learning the some of the concepts of Hilot Binabaylan, and I wrote it down in her handout the work expectation of what a Hilot Binabaylan do.

As Hilot Binabaylan, one must be proficient in the following areas:

  1. Diagnostic -performing Tawas Spiritual Diagnosis for the illness caused by the Spirits which affects the Mind and Emotion; Pulse Reading and Hilot Physical Assessment and Evaluation through Pagsasala/Panghihila, Pakapa and Pasalat.
  2. Psycho/Emotional Counseling or Hilot Orasyon through Tawas Divination, Kilubansa Elemental Name Energetic Balance Analysis, and Siadtala Baybayin Mystic Oracle.
  3. Physical Treatment through employment of different Hilot Treatment modalities such as Hilot Cleansing Rituals of Pagbababad, Pagpupunas, Paghihilod, Pagbabalot, Pagsusuob, Pagbabanlaw and Pagpapalina; Traditional Filipino Foot Stick Massage (Dagdagay/Kulis); Tandok/ Bentusa Fire Cupping; Pagpapahid (Wellness Massage).
  4. Supplementation of Herbal Medicine such as in herbal tea, tablets, syrups, baths and so on.

And in between classes, we have a lot of chat that it seems we are redeeming each moment that we have together that we also forgot to have a toilet break. But at least we didn’t forget to have lunch. I am confident enough that she could pass all the knowledge I share as she establish Hilot Hands Academy in London. But this one day course is just an Introductory lessons as she will come back again to sharpen up her skills and not just theory as we have talked for 8 hours. Here are some of the activities that we had yesterday.

By the way, you could also ask for this one day training which is an Introductory Course on becoming a Hilot Binabaylan which we provide a Comprehensive overview of what is expected from you if you take the intensive course on Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan for 8 days or the Masidhi Hilot Training for 3 days.

We will be holding 2 sessions of the 8 days training the first one will happen on April 6 to 13 then next batch will be on April 16-23, 2023. We are going to conduct this on our new Training Center at Taguig City.

New Affordable Stay Out/ Walk in Training Program to offer by May 2023

Most of the Training Program that we have created are designed for our Kababayan who lives in Diaspora that provides Room Accommodation and Food for 8 days aside from the Learning Activities we have set for them. Due to limited time of the students stay in the Philippines, the trainings were conducted on a consecutive straight days in order to fulfill the training requirements that been enrolled.

Now by May 2023, we are going to start offering Stay Out Classes that can be taken on a weekly basis. Depending upon availability of schedules of the student. These courses are ideal for people that are employed during monday’s through Friday’s and could only attend classes every Saturday or Sundays. Most of our newly designed Training Program are Short Classes either you can take it on 2 sessions and Maximum of 4 sessions. This means you can either take the course during Saturday and Sundays or once a week either on every saturdays or sundays, depending on the class you enroll.

Of course we highly recommend our Hilot Master Class such as the Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan which is an 8 consecutive days of intensive training but for those who have a tight Budget may take our Special Hilot Class. Just make plan of where you will stay if you are going to take the Training Program.

Our New Course offerings can be found by clicking the button below:

What I like with our New Offering is the Family Care Hilot on which we encourage that every Filipino Home may have One Manghihilot in the Family. As we have the conception that It is the mothers role to be in charge of Health Care for the Family. But if mother is sick, it is good if the Father knows also how to take care of the Families Health so as the Eldest Child in the Family.

Indeed having power over our Health is the responsibility of everyone of us. So it is good if everyone has the knowledge, Skills and Abilities to do Hilot.

THERE IS PAIN IN EVERY TOUCH

In the book of William Henry Scott titled: BARANGAY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY PHILIPPINE CUTURE AND SOCIETY

Massage was applied for injured or dislocated muscles, or pressure put on nerve centers

page 118

and the person who perform this was known as Hilot which is an expert on Physical Medicine. But as time goes by, this identity of Hilot has been diminished into just a Mamarokpok on which William Henry Scott have described as a Massuer who simply pummeled the back and spine and was usually a Datu’s husky slave.

And a Spanish Friar that was called Father Sanchez have described the work of Hilot in massaging women’s abdomen to cause miscarriage or abortion; as at that time, abortion were a common form of Family Planning.

Comparing the work of a Manghihilot and Mamarokpok, we can see that Hilot is medically inclined as it works deeper than what the Mamarokpok is doing. such as in comparing the Touch Manipulation of Massage and Hilot that both may manipulate either deep or superficial layer of the persons body. But the difference of Hilot to a Massage is that people may get pampering from a Massage, but those who have Injuries see a Manghihilot for a Serious Treatment. As the Goal of Hilot is to correct, restore the things that have been wronged with that person.

And naturally every touch of a Manghihilot towards the body of a patient, it will be painful. In massage therapy, the masseur has been taught to adjust their pressure by using body weight. This can be also applied in performing Hilot Massage, but Pressure weight does not matter if the Manghihilot can locate the point of origin of the pain, whether you only exerting light pressure the patient’s body, it will still be painful as the nature of pain is radiating.

For me as Manghihilot, my students may see me having pleasure to see them suffering pain when I demonstrate Hilot Massage to them, but what I am teaching you is that when you feel pain at the first time you received Hilot Massage, it means your body is responding to the treatment saying: “Yes! Do it because there is something wrong within me. Fix Me!”

In my experience in providing Hilot, Pain has been my friend and assistant. It helped me to know which area of the persons body I should work with fixing. It is also a good indicator to me that whenever I touched a person’s body and they responded to my touch as painful; this means that I have restored their senses that they feel pain and blood will flow again. As I continue to do the appropriate touch manipulation in helping the blood to circulate within the body, the more that I know that the patient that I am handling will get well.

So in my personal life, I am grateful to experience pain even it hurts because it reminds me that I am still human and alive that I could still feel pain rather than being numb and paralyzed to the worst which is i could not feel anymore because life force have left already in my Physical Body.