Today in our Hilot Online Training we have talked about signs and symbols in reading tawas. And as I look back to our memories posted at Facebook, here what i found.
Day is light; night for darkness; moon calls the tide; and clouds for the rain; smoke rise to signal a fire; and a flower bloom to signal a tree bearing fruit. Strong winds, thunder and lightning if there is a storm.
Mother nature provide us clear sign to know the time.
Years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds we have but still short for us to live.
Live life worthily in accordance to our purpose in order to enjoy wellness and doing not so will make us suffer to illness.
After featuring Suob/ Tuob at Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho at GMA TV Network in the Philippines it gain popularity to our local Filipino people that give them hope in protecting themselves from the harmful effect of Coronavirus in their lives. Though in our statement we have said that Suob/ Tuob or Palina is not a cure for this pandemic virus but we have emphasize that it can provide relief to the symptoms of this disease.
We acknowledge the fact that modern medicine in no chance will favor to the ways of Traditional Medicine Treatment Procedure, and by all means we see that they will find ways to debunk all the efforts of our Traditional Medicine Practitioners in doing our part to find relief and cure to the pandemic crisis situation.
The Philippine Department of Health have released a Warning Announcement on their Facebook page on June 25, 2020 discouraging the public to practice Suob/ Tuob as Traditional Healthcare. In their post we can see this:
PUBLIC WARNING ABOUT STEAM INHALATION OR TRUTH Steam inhalation or steam inhalation with salt, lemon, etc. does not kill the COVID-19 virus and is not part of the procedure to prevent COVID-19. Even the CDC and WHO strongly deny that steam inhalation outperforms COVID-19. No scientific study to date has proven this. There is a possibility (aerosolization), which may be the cause of the spread of the disease. vapor inhalation Steam inhalation multiplies the (liquid) potential of infection by sneezing It can also cause accidents such as burns and skin rashes. secretions in nasal cough.
With this public warning done by the Philippine Department of Health, i feel that they neglect their part in doing Scientific Study on the use of Suob/Tuob and they choose not to focus on the Cheap and Free Method of Healing as they will continue to promote modern medicine that will cost people a lot of money to secure their health.
Republic Act 8423 was made to establish the Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Healthcare which is an attached agency for the Philippine Department of Health as it was mandated to:
Encourage Scientific Research on and develop Traditional and Alternative Healthcare System that have a direct impact on Public Healthcare.
To promote and advocate the use of Traditional, Alternative, Preventive and Curative Healthcare modalities that have been proven safe, effective, cost effective, and consistent with government standards on medical practice.
Through these two statements derived from the mandated law, we can see that the Philippine Department of Health is directly debunking the efforts of PITAHC in promoting Philippine Traditional Healthcare. As we can see their efforts in providing cure and relief to the Common Filipino People.
So now from these two statements coming from one Government Agencies we see contradiction to one another.
The practice of Traditional Medicine may not be scientific in accordance to the Standard of Modern Medicine and Healthcare provider. It only shows that our practice of Traditional Medicine goes beyond the foundation of modern school that discover and institutionalize Modern Science and Medicine to school, colleges and Universities.
Traditional Filipino Medicine never claims that our Treatment can provide cure to any ailments and disease as it will goes against to our Teaching that our Body has the ability to heal ourselves. With that being taught to us, what we do is help the body find relief and empower the self to bring forth healing towards individual.
Apu Adman Aghama, Hilot Binabaylan of habi
We do not provide poisons to harm an individual but we seek to strengthen the person that they may be healed to themselves.
Suob/Tuob will never be a Cure. But with the Diligence and consideration of Modern Medical Practitioner in conducting scientific studies to this treatment may provide great impact to the common people in caring for their own Health.
Hilot Academy of Binabaylan salutes the effort of Philippine Institute of Traditional Alternative Healthcare in advocating to promote Suob/Tuob as Philippine Traditional Medicine.
It’s been one year already that we have our Hilot Binabaylan come to learn with us. And i want to share it here for the world to know her experience.
4 years ago, nati and mamerto did a spirit clearing on me and said that I am the reincarnation of my great great lolo; that something not finished is coming through me. my family does not have access to that generation, but this past Christmas, I found out that great lolo fermin was a manghihilot. reiki has been so helpful in my healing, but I felt it was necessary to honor and learn my own people’s energy and healing modalities, especially knowing healers were in my family.
for months I have been setting the intention to learn hilot, and today, I was initiated as hilot binabaylan. i laugh because universe has a way of synchronicity. I found out only recently that the training would be an 8-day live in study, and decided to change my plans so that I can squeeze in training before the busyness of HK and expo. today was my last day of study and of course it ends up being on the strawberry moon, a portal of expansion and initiation/full moon in sagittarius, my moon at that. lol, universe.
apu adman let me know that a diwata visited my room last night and told him my spirit name; that I will find out later during closing ritual. during my ceremony, apu and lakay called on the diwata that guides me to serve as witness. they wrote 14 names of the diwata and rolled them up for me to choose one. who else but the white bright moon, Diwata Bulan La Mogoaw, the moon goddess. apu and lakay just laughed and smiled because I kept taking pictures of the rising full moon the night prior and kept singing the small lyrics I know of “buwan.” I truly am a daughter of the moon. she calls me and I am listening. this diwata will continue to guide me on my path as a healer and she has blessed me with the name, “Dayang Alab ng Liwanag” – blaze of light, keeper of sacred fire of life. they already printed out the certificate before I chose my diwata guideā¦.
most of my family think that hilot is only massage, but hilot is such deep connection to spirit š, and specifically how to heal with body with H (halaman, herbs), I (init, heat), L (linawag, light), O (horas, orasyon, time; prayer), T (tubig, water). my tawas (form of divination through paper, egg, or candle wax) sent a clear message that my ancestors were communicating with me and asking me to answer my call of healer, babaylan, manghihilot. there was no other way but to get so sick, face near death with tsw and pneumonia, for me to understand this path of shadow, light, and spirit. through this path, I have come to build a relationship to plants and prayer in forms of meditation, movement, intention. i am honored to be a hilot binabaylan, reviving the duties and responsibilities of the babaylan in my lineage.
I have no other words than my people are magic. I am only at the beginning of my journey. I have a lot to learn and unlearn, and am readying myself to walk the path of both spirit and earth. I asked ancestors where to even begin and I am reminded to just trust; I will continue to be present on this path to see where it leads me. today, I am happy to be hilot binabaylan. I feel blessed to have had this sacred opportunity to learn from and live with apu and lakay for the past 8 days. I am missing the busy sounds of San Jose del monte, bulacan. I am missing the constant exchange of learning between us. I am missing our shared meals together and laughter. thank you deeply, apu Rolando Gomez Comon and Lakay ALsent Magbaya Aghama, and for those who sent affirmations during my study.
I woke up this morning and as i picked up my phone i see this disturbing message i received from one of our fellow that live and practice Hilot in Italy.
I do not understand what the article have said as it was written in a foreign language but on the translation it says clearly that:
Abuelo Domingo Choc who is tortured for ten hours and burned alive in Guatemala in San Luis Peten on charges of witchcraft…
This is quite alarming as this kind of persecution exist. But i continue to learn more about who is this Abuelo Domingo Choc. As i run my fingers to the search engine on Facebook i saw Video posted on how this poor man being burned alive as witnessed by many people in an open field. As i continue my search, i found an article in thesun.co.uk which is a Tabloid Newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland that is published on June 9, 2020 detailing the event of Mob Burning to Abuelo Domingo.
According to the Article, Abuelo Domingo Choc is a 56 years old Medicine Specialist and a Traditional Healer working as collaborator at University College London on a Pharmaceutical project that focus on traditional plant based medicine. According to the article, Domingo Choc Che was accused of Witchcraft by the angry mob when one of their member died after the medicine provided by choc failed to work.
Abuelo Domingo is a Treasure to the world as he keep to preserve and recover the Natural Ancestral Mayan Medicine.
As a fellow revivalist and Ancestral Medicine Worker and Traditional Healer, our only Goal is to preserve this Sacred Knowledge and Wisdom of our Ancestors in preserving the life of Humanity through the potency of our Plant Medicine. As a Healer we have sworn an oath to Harm None and we never intend to put any poor soul to death. We are only a channel or a bridge, we only find ways how to extend the life of a dying soul through the medicine that nature has provide. We do not claim success all the time on the treatment method that we do. It is the same thing that modern physicians do.
Like Tata Choc, we wish to integrate with the Modern Medical Practitioner in helping our people to find cure in this Global Spread of Pandemic that is happening to us right now. And the killing to one of our Kind such as Tata Domingo Choc is a great loss to all Humanity.
As a Fellow Traditional Medicine Practitioner, I Cry for Justice to be served to Domingo Choc Che. I Pray that those people who do this brutal murder of our fellow be enlightened as tata domingo work on the other world to cleanse their soul from malice and unbelief. May the God of our Ancestors who is the First Medicine Man of our World give grace to everyone of us.
Hilot Academy of Binabaylan 
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