By Perla Lena
ILOILO CITY – Nearly 100 “babaylans” or traditional healers from Iloilo and other parts of Western Visayas will convene in Barangay Batga, Tubungan, Iloilo, on Good Friday to conduct a “Pana-et”, an ancient ritual encompassing lamentations, offerings of peace, and expressions of gratitude.
Gilbert Marin, head of the Iloilo Provincial Culture, Arts, History, and Tourism Office (PCAHTO), explained that the ceremony involves meticulous preparations, solemnity, and the sacrifice of animals as offerings to honor the spirits, seek their favor, or express gratitude.
Maybe because of the current situation of the environment, they will be asking for rain,” he said on Thursday.
It is also an opportunity to energize their power and skills to perform healing and it is held every seven years on Good Friday but they also gather annually when requested.
The tourism officer said the Pana-et is just one of the many Lenten practices observed in Iloilo
While open to the public, there are only designated areas where they can watch; the rest of the place is sacred for the “babaylans” to perform the ritual.
Dressed in a red shirt, red sash, and red, white, and blue belt with a star, they would gather at “the holy well” or El Pozo Santo. There is a separate well for male and female “babaylans” to wash their hands and face for cleansing.
“The head babaylan will chant a ritual, and the rest of the babaylans will go around this house like a bahay-kubo, serving as their altar. There is a table in front filled with their ritual food, kakanin, and the black pig that will be slaughtered serving as an offering,” he added.
Barangay Batga is around seven kilometers from the town proper, a very scenic and historical site.
A cross in the barangay serving as a marker reminds the public of the death of a Spanish friar who wanted to baptize them into Christianity in the area who were pagans or babaylans.
“The priest wanted to Christianize them because they were pagans but he was killed by the babaylans. His visit was misinterpreted,” Marin said.
In the municipality of Cabatuan, their observance of the Passion is like Christmas because it is a competition.]
He said they have Stations of the Cross decorated with indigenous materials with life-size images of the 14 stations.
“What is interesting is that you can see the tradition being passed to generation,” he said, adding that the activity is participated by both the young and the old.
The municipality of Barotac Viejo has its “Pagtaltal” or the re-enactment of the passion of Christ on Good Friday, which is now in its 57th year.
The municipality of Sta. Barbara has its century-old tradition known as “Pasyon,” where the life story of Jesus Christ is told through singing. (PNA)
