For centuries, mainstream Philippine history textbooks have relegated early native uprisings to mere footnotes of Spanish colonial chronicles. But beneath the colonial ink lies a rich, spiritual tapestry of resistance led not just by tribal chieftains (datus), but by spiritual mediums who refused to let the Diwata be erased.

Among these legendary figures is Babaylan Pagali, a revolutionary asog (male shaman embodying feminine roles) who co-led the historic Bankaw Revolt in Leyte from 1621 to 1622. Today, his ancient crusade for spiritual sovereignty finds a striking, modern resonance in the work of Templong Anituhan Inc.

Who was Babaylan Pagali?

Pagali was the son of Datu Bankaw, the ruling elite of Limasawa and parts of Leyte. Because of his noble lineage, Pagali was chosen by Jesuit missionaries to be a favorite student at their boarding school in Dulag. He was fully Christianized, taught Western religious rhetoric, and groomed to be an instrument of colonial control.

However, Pagali possessed a deeper calling. He was an asog—a biologically male individual who adopted the dress, mannerisms, and societal roles of a woman. In the pre-colonial Visayan worldview, feminine energy was considered the ultimate conduit for divine power. Shedding his Spanish garments, Pagali underwent underground training with surviving female shamans, reclaiming his role as a babaylan (spirit medium) to channel the Diwata.

In 1621, disillusioned by colonial abuses and inspired by the nearby Tamblot Uprising in Bohol, Pagali and his aging father launched a rebellion. He weaponized his Jesuit education, using their own concepts of centralized authority and ritualistic theater against them. He united six towns and oversaw the construction of a physical temple dedicated to a local Diwata—a direct, physical act of apostasy against the Catholic Church.

Though the revolt was ultimately crushed by Spanish firearms, and Pagali was burned at the stake along with 81 other babaylans, his vision of a dedicated, institutional sanctuary for native spirits left an indelible mark on history.

The Modern Connection: From 1621 to Templong Anituhan Inc.

In 2024, Templong Anituhan Inc. was formally established as a ministry under Luntiang Aghama. While separated by four centuries, Pagali’s historical concepts and the modern temple’s foundation are bound by an identical core spiritual mission: the revival, reclamation, and formalization of Anitismo (indigenous Filipino spirituality) against foreign religious hegemony.

Where Pagali built a physical temple to rival parish churches, Templong Anituhan Inc. has legally incorporated a permanent, state-recognized sanctuary. By doing so, modern Anitistas have secured the institutional protection and lasting physical safety for native worship that Pagali was violently denied.

Ancestral Wisdom: Pagali’s Advice to Modern Practitioners

Within the practice of Anitismo, ancestral babaylans are not dead historical figures; they are living guides who can be invoked during rituals. Based on his historical strategy and the modern needs of our community, an invocation of Babaylan Pagali yields five timeless pieces of advice for the members of Templong Anituhan Inc.:

1. Guard the “Remembering” Process Constantly: True decolonization is not an intellectual fad, but a lifelong spiritual unlearning. Guard your ancestral recovery classes fiercely; ensure practitioners fully shed colonial mindsets before taking on spiritual titles.
2. Protect the Templo as a Modern Shield: View the temple’s legal and physical infrastructure as a sacred armor. A permanent, state-recognized sanctuary keeps the faith safe from the eraser of time.
3. Invert the Tools of the Dominant Culture: Do not fear modern technology, social structures, corporate laws, or digital media. Use the dominant systems of the 21st century to normalize, fund, and protect indigenous spirituality.
4. Be a Tagapangalaga (Guardian) for All: True Anitismo is inclusive and tied to the Earth. Keep the temple a safe haven for LGBTQ+ and marginalized individuals, honoring the fluid traditions of the asog. Actively heal and protect the local land, forests, and waters.
5. Foster Inter-Community Unity: Build bridges, avoid gatekeeping, and unite across distances. Solidarity is the only way a minority spiritual movement can thrive against modern assimilation.

Panawag kay Babaylan Pagali (Invocation Prayer)

For modern practitioners wishing to honor his legacy and invite his guidance into their contemporary practice, this ritual prayer can be chanted at the altar:

O Dakilang Babaylan Pagali,
Spiritual guide of the ancient Visayas,
Son of Datu Bankaw, and sacred Asog of the Diwata,
We call upon your enduring spirit to witness our gathering today.

We remember your sacred works:
You who looked past the comforts of a colonial education,
You who cast off the garments of a foreign faith,
And bravely raised a temple to the Diwata when the ancient ways were threatened with erasure.
You who united six towns with the power of your words,
Reminding your people that the soil beneath their feet holds more power than foreign iron.

We invoke your presence to guide Templong Anituhan Inc. in this present time:
In a world that still forgets, whisper to us the wisdom of the Remembering.
Help us untangle our minds from colonial shadows,
And grant us the clarity to reclaim our true ancestral identity.

Instill in us your fierce and strategic spirit:
Teach us to build structures that endure,
To turn the very tools of this modern world into shields for the old gods,
Ensuring that our sacred spaces can never again be burned to the ground.

Bless our community with your sacred fluidity:
Remind us to be Tagapangalaga—guardians of all life, of our land, and of each other.
Keep our temple a haven for the marginalized, the fluid, and the seekers of truth.
Unite our hearts across distances so that we may stand as one against modern erasure.

Receive our breath, our intentions, and our respect, Babaylan Pagali.
As you once stood for the Diwata in Leyte,
Stand with us now as we keep the sacred fires burning in the 21st century.

Mayari Na! Pagasatin!