When I was younger, I walked from door to door looking for work as a traditional Manghihilot (Filipino traditional healer). Every door slammed shut. The modern world dismissed my calling as “unscientific” and “not evidence-based.”

In a society deeply colonized by Western medical and religious systems, our indigenous ways of healing were marginalized, misunderstood, and treated as relics of a superstitious past.

But rejection breeds innovation. A piece of profound advice stayed with me: “If you are rejected, create the need. Give value to yourself.”

Taking that wisdom to heart, I embarked on a lifelong mission to institutionalize and protect our indigenous spiritual heritage. On December 13, 2000, I established the Luntiang Aghama Natural Divine Arts Shrine of Healing Inc., which successfully attained official recognition through SEC registration on September 4, 2012.

To expand this mission, I founded the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan on April 6, 2016. What started as a personal struggle for survival transformed into a global sanctuary. Today, our academy serves as a vital bridge for Diaspora Filipinos—those born and raised across the globe—who hunger to cure their cultural amnesia, reclaim their heritage, and reconnect with their true Filipino roots.

The Role of the Modern Indigenous Filipino Priest and Priestess

Whether called a Babaylan, Katalonan, Mumbaki, Magaanito, or Bayuguin, an indigenous Filipino spiritual leader is not just a healer; they are a Cultural Bearer and a Lineage Protector.

To serve the old Filipino Gods (like Bathala, Kaptan, Kan-Laon, and Kabunyan) and to protect the community from the dilution of Western commercialism, a strict spiritual framework is required.

Below is the proposed Code of Conduct, Ethics, and Principles for the modern Asog, Babaylan, or Katalonan practicing in the contemporary world.

The Code of Conduct, Ethics, and Principles of Indigenous Filipino Spirituality

I. Core Principles (Mga Alituntunin)

• Katuuran (Truth and Alignment): The practitioner must speak and live in absolute truth. Divination (Sangguni) and rituals must never be fabricated to induce fear or manipulate a seeker.
• Ginhawa (Holistic Well-being): The ultimate goal of every ritual, touch, and prayer is to restore ginhawa—the breath of life, ease, and comfort—to the body, mind, and spirit of the individual and the community.
• Katapatan (Ancestral Loyalty): Service is dedicated first to the Creator (Bathala/Maykapal), the old Deities (Diwata/Anito), and the noble Ancestors (Umalagad/Nono). Western or foreign modalities may be studied, but they must never overshadow or replace native practices.

II. Code of Ethics (Kabutihang Asal)

• The Anti-Commercialism of the Sacred: Traditional healing is a spiritual mandate, not a capitalist venture. While modern exchange ensures sustainability, spiritual services must never be denied to those in genuine need due to financial scarcity.
• Humility Against Hubris: A true priest or priestess is a hollow bamboo tube through which the spirits pour energy. Boasting of spiritual “powers” or ranking oneself above other healers invites Gaba (cosmic retribution) and the withdrawal of spiritual favor.
• Inclusivity in Service: The Hilot and Alay must be given without discrimination regarding gender, social status, race, or creed. Even an adversary seeking genuine life-saving healing must be given refuge.
• Environmental Custodianship: The Earth is the body of the Diwata. A practitioner must never harvest plants, disturb stones, or utilize natural resources without explicit spiritual permission (Paalam) and offerings of gratitude.

III. Professional Conduct for Modern Healers

• Cultural Integrity Over Trends: Foreign tools like Tarot, Reiki, or Swedish Massage may be used as contemporary bridges, but they must always serve the core indigenous framework. The practitioner must explicitly educate the public on the distinctions of traditional Hilot and native animism.
• Protection of the Lineage: Sacred prayers, ancestral recipes, and ritual structures taught within the Binabaylan lineage must be preserved with utmost confidentiality, shared only with dedicated apprentices who have proven their purity of heart.

Healing the Diaspora, Restoring the Nation

Through the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan, we are proving that our ancestral spirituality is not a dead historical artifact. It is a living, breathing, and highly sophisticated system of universal balance.

By grounding ourselves in these ethical principles, we ensure that as we move forward into the future, we do so with our eyes open, our hands healing, and our feet firmly planted in the sacred earth of our ancestors.