MY SARISARI STORE

Parting Ways.

Today should have been the start of my Bohol series. Due to unexpected events in my life I will need to focus all my attention on other matters than blogging.
(Maybe I was indeed cursed in those woods of Siquijor ;-)

I want to thank all the people I have met and who allowed me to take their pictures. All the people who let me, a total stranger, have a peek inside their lives with a smile. This blog is dedicated to them. Maraming salamat po!

Of course I also want to thank my fellow bloggers and visitors who made all this blogging enjoyable. All your support and friendship mean a lot to me. I made a lot of virtual friends in the process and some became my friends in the “real” world. Thank you guys... take care!

My Sarisari Store went online on March 25, 2005 and will officially close today. I will leave my pictures online for the time being. I might or might not come back. I just don’t know. The Philippines has so much to offer, is so rich in traditions that I feel I only scratched the surface. I still have many exciting series in my hard drive, so many thrilling photo projects to finish that I will try to come back one day to share them with you.

Soon the morning sun will rise,
And dawn will bathe the sky.
There's time for just this parting song,
Before we say goodbye.

So sing together one and all,
And raise a glass of wine,
Here's hoping we will meet again,
Along the road of time.

We've shared our stories, yours and mine,
We've shared our hopes and fears.
With memories of distant youth,
We've both rolled back the years.

The ever-turning, fateful wheel,
Must cause our ways to part.
And bringing untold mysteries,
Another day will start.

For from endings come beginnings,
From the old shall come the new,
With hopes for tomorrow,
We'll see our parting through.

(by Dave Webber)

Beach in Bohol.

Smoking out the bad spirits.

To be honest I don't know if this young lady was sick, cursed or possessed by bad spirits. Apparently she came specially from Manila to consult a mambabarang (sorcerer). Obviously she was not an ordinary tourist wanting a cheap thrill. She first consulted Juan Ponce (he is probably the most famous sorcerer in Siquijor) who decided to smoke out the bad spirits.
She was wrapped within a blanket while burning charcoal mixed with some sumpa (magic potion) was placed under her chair. After smoking her out for ten minutes she seem to have been delivered from her curse, sickness or bad spirits. After the treatment she immediately left the place and I had no time to ask about her illness.

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The gathering of sorcerers and healers in the village of San Antonio.

Preparation of healing material during Holy Friday and Black Saturday.

Sumpa

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Everything is mixed in a kawot (cauldron). First the coconut oil is boiled together with the charcoal/graveyard powder. Then candle wax (gathered from altars in different churches around the island) and herbs are mixed into the brew. Finally several pieces of kawot (beehive) are added. When everything is melted and well cooked together you have a very strong a powerful sumpa. This sumpa will be used by the mananambal (faith healer) or the albularyo (herbal doctor) to cure people from illness. People cursed by magic spells (kulam) or possessed by evil spirits are reported to have been cured with this powerful brew.

The sumpa is distributed to the different faith healers, sorcerers and herbal doctors present.

The gathering of sorcerers and healers in the village of San Antonio.

Preparation of healing material during Holy Friday and Black Saturday.

Sumpa.

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The charcoal is crushed and sifted to a fine powder. The same is done with cement from graves and small "magic" rocks and stones. Everything is mixed together to form a grayish powder.

The gathering of sorcerers and healers in the village of San Antonio.

Preparation of healing material during Holy Friday and Black Saturday.

Sumpa

Sumpa means curse in English but here it is the "product" that will be used to ward off evil spirits. It will also be used inside anting-antings (amulets). For example some soldiers posted in Mindanao buy anting-antings to protect them from bullets.

 

Hundreds of different roots, pieces of wood, leaves and vines will be burned to charcoal. The sorcerers start already on Holy Friday because they wouldn't have enough time to finish it all on Black Saturday.    

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The gathering of sorcerers and healers in the village of San Antonio.

Preparation of healing material during Holy Friday and Black Saturday.

Pampahid (magic oil)

The healers begin collecting the herbs, roots, plants and sea plants that go into their potions each Friday after Ash Wednesday, 40 days before Good Friday. On Good Friday they will have gathered everything they need to make their potions and nothing will be collected again until Ash Wednesday the following year. All those plants will then be cut into small pieces by different sorcerers. The chopped herbal will be put in bottles and mixed together with coconut oil or with Tanduay (brand of rhum).

The cutting and brewing of those herbal and magic potions will only be done on Black Saturday. Believing that with the Christ dead, other unknown forces can put healing powers in the herbal medicine.

Sorcerers and healers from all over the Philippines travel to Siquijor to buy those special herbs. I met different people from Manila, Cebu and Mindanao who traveled to Siquijor just to refill their stock of herbal potions.

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More than 74 different kind of plants are used to make those herbal potions. It is said that some of the plants used in those powerful magic potions only grow in the fertile soil of Siquijor. Faith healers tried to cultivate them in other placed but at no avail. To have the strong and potent ingredients you need to buy them in Siquijor.

[Some of the plants/herbs used are:  the Pauli-Tambauli; Pauli-Lembahan; Pauli-Pelipogan; Pauli-Senow; Pauli-Putilikod, Pauli-Balagon; Pauli-Uli-An; Pauli-Etum; Pauli-kahoy; Pauli-Ondan; Pauli-Pag-Uman; Pauli-Lawihan; Sulbaran; Babbaran; Sulbaran-Pilipogon; Lambayong; Magamay; Tagehimok; Manombalik; Serigodio; Nadio; Kalagaskagas; Kelpot; Banawog; Tagnipas; Lingatong, Sampinit, Taypo-Pula; Magbat; Kabonkabon; Mantawe; Kawelan; Ongali; Tagima; Tu-Ang; Potat; Salingan; Bulibuli; Bulungan Balagon; Paspas; Tabon-hangin; kulinos; Malawmaw; Molobondio; Dogo-An]

Mambabarang (sorcerer) & magician Vicente Tamala.

Vincente Tamala started with magic when he was in his early 20’s. He learned a lot from an Indian sorcerer which he befriended while in Zamboanga. Beside performing magic tricks he claims he has supernatural powers. He sells anting-antings (amulets) which protects the bearer from any harm. He also sells all kind of herbal and love (lumay) potions.

Mr. Tamala claims he only performs white magic and he doesn’t know anybody who do black magic in Siquijor.

According to the website Dumaguette info (click here) there are two different kind of people with supernatural powers that can be found in the island of Siquijor: one is the "Shaman" and the other the "Sorcerer". The folk healer or shaman is called mananambal while the sorcerer is called a mambabarang in the local dialect. Their so called healing powers are derived from an external supernatural source, a saint, an enchanted being or a spirit (of a dead person).

The sorcerer is commissioned to cause death or inflict serious illness to an enemy of the client. For these they charge 6,000 to 30,000 pesos. Frequently, these sorcerers are called on to retaliate to adultery, to land grabbing or unsettled land disputes, and theft.
Some of the most well known sorcery rituals are the barang and paktol. Barang happens when the sorcerer, through his magic, uses insects like cockroaches and beetles, to invade the stomach of the victim causing them to swell out of proportion and eventually, to explode. On the other hand, paktol is when the sorcerer implores the help of the spirits in causing death to an enemy. Typically this is done in enchanted places like the balete tree or deserted caves where evil spirits are believed to dwell.

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Mananambal (healer) Cosing Akay a practitioner of bolo-bolo (bulo-bulo).

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Mananambal (healer) Cosing Akay a practitioner of bolo-bolo (bulo-bulo).

A practitioner of bolo-bolo generally uses clean and clear water, a drinking glass, a small black magic stone and a bamboo tube about six inches long.

In this case the patient was plagued with chronic headaches. Manang Akay first poured water inside the glass (with the magic stone). Then she started to blow air into the bamboo tube while moving around the head of the patient. After a few moments the water magically became murky. She threw out the water and repeated the procedure. The second time the water was still unclear and dirty. Manang Akay had to repeat the procedure four times before the water remained clear. This was a sure sign that the patient was cured and that all the bad elements and spirits were removed from his body.

I first thought that there was dirt in the bamboo stick but there couldn’t be enough filth inside the bamboo to repeat the procedure with four other patients.

Having some back pain from riding my motorbike I asked Manang Akay if she could cure me. She told me she would try and she put first some “magic oil” on my painful lower back while mumbling things I didn't understood. Then she started the bolo-bolo procedure as described above. To my horror the first glass of water turned into extremely dirty water. Luckily after the third time the water remained clear. To be honest I felt much better and my back pain disappeared for several days. Maybe it was just a placebo effect. I really don’t know but honestly I felt better.

Manang Akay’s patients come from all over the Philippines. Some are diagnosed as having natural disorders and are send to medical doctors. Other have problems caused by spirits or sorcery. Bolo-bolo is very effective against skin disorders, headaches and body pains.

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Mananambal (healer) Cosing Akay a practitioner of bolo-bolo (bulo-bulo).

Cosing Akay is a charming 83 year old lady and a famous practitioner of bolo-bolo. (more about that tomorrow). She didn't learn “healing” from anybody and believes that her supernatural power comes directly from God. When she was young God appeared in one of her dreams and He instructed her to heal sick people and cure those possessed by bad spirits.

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A patient of Manang Akay.

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Pampahid (lotion) is composed of bottled oil or Tanduay mixed with different tiny pieces of wood from different trees, vines and grasses. It is very helpful against  cough, stomach ache, headaches, fever, skin problems  and many others.

Here you can see how Manang Akay puts some ointment on the forehead of a man  complaining about recurring headaches.

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Manang Akay blows the bad spirits out of her patients head.

The century old balete tree.

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Due to its strange outline and its roots that are aboveground the bayan (locally known as the balete tree) is said to be home to a variety of spirits and demon-like creatures. Mystical creatures associated with this tree are the white lady, the  aswang, the diwata, the  duwende, the ekek, the kapre, the  manananggal and the tikbalang.
There is a small pond in front of this century old balete tree. It is said that its water cures all kind of sicknesses.

Aswang:  is a Filipino version of the vampire. They are human like by day but transform into different monstrous forms to harass and eat awake humans at night, especially pregnant women who are about to give birth.

Diwata: engkantada are fairies, nymphs, goddesses or enchanted persons who are believed to guard natural creations such as forests, seas, mountains, land and air. Diwatas are said to reside in large trees, such as acacia and balete.

Duwende: goblins, hobgoblins, elves or dwarfs. They are little creatures who can provide good fortune or bad fate to humans. In the Philippines, duwendes frequently live in houses or in trees in rural areas. They are known to be either good or mischievous, depending on how homeowners treat them. Filipinos usually leave food on the floor, so that the duwende residing (or guarding) the house would not be angry with them.

Ekek: creatures who are bird-like humans. They are winged-humans who at night search for victims. They hunger for flesh and blood.

Kapre: a filthy, dark giant who likes to smoke huge rolls of cigars, and hide within and atop large trees, particularly the balete and old acacia or mango trees. A Filipino bigfoot, it scares away little children who play at night. If you're stuck in a place and you keep going around in circles, you're said to be played around by a Kapre. To escape its control, you must remove your t-shirt, and wear it inside-out.

Manananggal: an aswang that can fly after separating itself from the lower half of its body. It eats babies and fetuses from a mothers womb. It eats babies by means of passing their long tongue through a small hole from the roof of a house. The sharp end of the tongue touches the mother's navel to suck the blood of the fetus or unborn child.

Tikbalang: (demon horse) is a half-man and half-horse creature. It has a horse's head, the body of a human but with the feet of the horse. It travels at night to rape female mortals. The raped women will then give birth to more tikbalang. They are also believed to cause travelers to lose their way particularly in mountainous or forest areas.

(Click here for the complete list of mystical figures in the Philippines).

Santa Rita statue in the village of Maria.

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Hidden inside the church of the village of Maria is the frightening statue of Sta. Rita holding a skull and an inverted crucifix.  Leave before dark, some people claim she is a ghost...

The statue is out of view and you will not be able to see it without the authorization of the Parish Priest. Nobody, even the Parish Priest, could give me any clues as to the origin of the statue. The documents related to the statue disappeared mysteriously a few years ago.

According to local legend, the skull belongs to the woman’s husband whom she killed for reasons nobody in the island seems to know.

The decision to hide the statue from the public was taken by the bishop to protect the statue from theft and vandalism. The statue was already stolen in the past and was luckily recovered in the province of Bohol. It also seem that faith healers were scraping pieces of the skull to mix it in their magic potions. 

According to the Patron-Saints Index (click here) Rita was the daughter of Antonio and Amata Lotti. From her early youth, Rita visited the Augustinian nuns at Cascia, Italy, and showed interest in a religious life. However, when she was twelve, her parents betrothed her to Paolo Mancini, an ill-tempered, abusive individual who worked as town watchman. Disappointed but obedient, Rita married him when she was 18, and was the mother of twin sons.
She put up with Paolo's abuses for eighteen years before he was ambushed and stabbed to death. Her sons swore vengeance on their father's killers, but through Rita's prayers and interventions, they forgave the offenders.
Upon the deaths of her sons, Rita again felt the call to religious life. However, some of the sisters at the Augustinian monastery were relatives of her husband's assassins, and she was denied entry for fear of causing dissension. Asking for the intervention of Saint John the Baptist she managed to be admitted to the monastery at the age of 36.
Rita lived 40 years in the convent, spending her time in prayer and charity.
Rita is well-known as a patron of desperate, seemingly impossible causes and situations. This is because she has been involved in so many stages of life - wife, mother, widow, and nun, she buried her family, helped bring peace to her city, saw her dreams denied and fulfilled - and never lost her faith in God, or her desire to be with Him.

San Isidro Labrador Church and Convent in Lazi.

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The town of Lazi is located fifteen kilometers from San Juan. It is the home of the popular St. Isidro Labrador Church and Convent. Known as the largest convent in the Asian region, the structure is situated at the southern edge of Siquijor surrounded by acacia trees. The planning and construction of this religious edifice was started by the Augustinian Recollects in the year 1857 and was finalized by Filipino artisans twenty seven years later.

The church has two pulpits, the original retablos and wood floors. The church walls are approximately a meter thick. The walls are reinforced with log posts which are embedded in the wall. The facade is covered with coral stone, while the rest is made of fill. It measures almost 85 meters in length.

The convent, which was used for rest and recreation of the Friars is a U-shape structure, with stonewalls at the first level, and wood studs and panels at the second floor. The convent has width of about 50 meters and a depth of about 50 meters. It now houses a museum.

The proposal to construct the church and convent is credited to Father Toribio Sanchez. I must say that I admire (but also fear) people like Father Sanchez. Imagine building such a huge church and convent in such a remote island in the 19th century. Even nowadays such a project would be a logistic nightmare.

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