Siquijor's Mananambal: A Respectful Guide to Healing Traditions

Understanding the Mananambal

The word mananambal (also spelled mananambál) comes from the Cebuano word “tambal” meaning medicine or cure. A mananambal is someone who heals—a traditional healer who has practiced their craft for generations in Siquijor.

These are not the “witch doctors” of sensationalized media. They are respected community members, keepers of ancestral knowledge, and practitioners of traditional medicine that has helped their communities for centuries.

Who Are the Healers?

Profile of a Mananambal

Most mananambal share common characteristics:

Background:

• Usually from families with healing lineages
• Often elderly (knowledge takes decades to accumulate)
• Respected community elders
• Deeply religious (typically Catholic)
• Connected to the land and local plants

Training:

• Apprenticeship with family members or established healers
• Years of learning plant identification and preparation
• Development of spiritual/intuitive abilities
• Continuous practice and refinement

Specializations:

• Some focus on physical ailments
• Others specialize in spiritual healing
• Many practitioners work with both
• Each healer has unique methods and recipes

The Practice of Healing

Types of Healing Offered

1. Herbal Medicine (Tambal) The foundation of mananambal practice is detailed knowledge of medicinal plants.

Practitioners use:

• Roots, barks, and leaves
• Flowers and fruits
• Specific preparation methods
• Dosing based on experience

Common preparations:

• Teas and decoctions
• Poultices and compresses
• Oils and liniments
• Baths and washes

2. Spiritual Healing Beyond physical remedies, mananambal address spiritual concerns:

• Orasyon (prayer healing)
• Hilot (therapeutic massage with spiritual elements)
• Removal of “bad air” or negative energy
• Protection rituals
• Blessing and spiritual cleansing

3. The Healing Oil (Lana) The most famous product of Siquijor healers is lana—a medicinal oil brewed from secret combinations of herbs.

Uses include:

• Muscle pain and arthritis
• Skin conditions
• General wellness
• Spiritual protection
• “Counteracting” hexes or bad luck

The Healing Festival: Aninag

Every Holy Week, Siquijor holds the Aninag Festival when healers gather in San Antonio village to:

• Collect medicinal herbs (believed most potent during Holy Week)
• Brew the year’s supply of healing oils
• Perform rituals and prayers
• Share knowledge among practitioners
• Welcome visitors seeking healing

This is the most accessible time to witness traditional healing practices. However, it’s crucial to approach with respect rather than treating it as entertainment.

What Healers Treat

Physical Conditions

Mananambal commonly address:

• Musculoskeletal pain
• Skin conditions
• Digestive issues
• Respiratory complaints
• General fatigue
• “Undiagnosed” ailments

Spiritual Concerns

Equally important in local belief:

• Bad luck or misfortune
• Relationship problems
• Spiritual “attacks”
• Unexplained illness
• Depression or anxiety (framed spiritually)
• Protection needs

Important Disclaimer

Traditional healing should complement, not replace, modern medicine. Mananambal themselves often advise seeking hospital care for serious conditions.

The Healing Session

What Happens During a Visit

If you visit a mananambal, here’s what to expect:

1. Initial Consultation

• Discussion of your concerns
• Questions about your life and circumstances
• Physical examination (for physical complaints)
• “Reading” of your condition (various methods)

2. Diagnosis

• The healer explains what they perceive
• This may include physical and spiritual components
• They’ll suggest a treatment approach

3. Treatment

• May include prayer (orasyon)
• Massage (hilot)
• Application of oils or remedies
• Burning of herbs or incense
• Provision of items to take home

4. Follow-Up Instructions

• How to use any remedies provided
• Prayers or rituals to perform
• Behavioral recommendations
• Return visit scheduling

Duration

Sessions vary from 30 minutes to several hours depending on the condition and healer.

Finding a Mananambal

The Challenge

Unlike tourist attractions, healers aren’t listed in guidebooks. They live in communities and serve primarily local people.

How to Connect

1. Ask Locally

• Hotel staff may have contacts
• Tricycle drivers often know
• Local residents can direct you

2. Visit During Aninag

• Holy Week (March/April)
• Healers gather publicly in San Antonio
• Most accessible time

3. Guided Experiences Some tour operators arrange respectful visits:

• Pre-arranged with healer’s consent
• Cultural context provided
• Translation assistance

Where to Look

Traditional healing is concentrated in:

• San Antonio (central, most accessible)
• Mountain barangays of Maria
• Rural areas island-wide

Visiting Respectfully

Approach Guidelines

Before You Go:

• Reflect on your intentions
• Research to understand context
• Prepare questions thoughtfully
• Have cash for offerings/payment

During Your Visit:

• Dress modestly
• Speak softly and respectfully
• Listen more than you speak
• Follow the healer’s lead
• Accept that some things aren’t explained
• Be patient with language barriers

Regarding Photography:

• Always ask permission first
• Many healers prefer no photos
• Never photograph rituals without consent
• Don’t share healer locations publicly

Payment & Etiquette

How Healing Is “Paid For”

Traditional mananambal don’t have price lists. The practice often operates on:

Donation System:

• You give what you can/feel appropriate
• ₱200-500 is a common range for tourists
• Higher for extensive treatments
• Some healers refuse payment entirely

Offerings:

• Candles or incense
• Food items
• Household goods
• Cash donation

What’s Appropriate

• Ask your guide or connection for advice
• Start modest, offer more if moved to
• Express gratitude verbally
• Return visit is the highest compliment

The Healing Oil (Lana)

What It Is

Lana is medicinal oil brewed from a secret combination of:

• Local herbs and plants
• Tree barks and roots
• Other natural ingredients
• Prayer and ritual

Each healer’s recipe is unique, passed down through family lines.

Uses

Traditional Applications:

• Muscle pain and arthritis
• Sprains and bruises
• Skin conditions
• Headaches (applied to temples)
• General wellness massage

Spiritual Uses:

• Protection from negative energy
• Counteracting “hexes”
• Blessing and purification

Buying Lana

Where:

• Directly from healers (most authentic)
• Siquijor Town market
• Some souvenir shops
• During Aninag Festival

Price: ₱100-500 depending on size and source

What to Know:

• Market vendors sell “mass-produced” versions
• Authentic healer-made oil costs more
• Ask about ingredients and intended use
• It’s a complement to—not replacement for—medical treatment

Common Misunderstandings

What People Get Wrong

“They’re witch doctors” → They’re healers, not practitioners of dark arts

“They can cure anything” → They’re not miracle workers and don’t claim to be

“It’s all fake for tourists” → Healing traditions predate tourism by centuries

“The whole island does this” → It’s a specialized practice, not universal

“It’s primitive medicine” → It’s traditional knowledge deserving respect

The Reality

Mananambal practice a form of traditional medicine found throughout the world—combining herbal knowledge, spiritual belief, and community healing. Whether you believe in its efficacy or not, it deserves the same respect as any cultural practice.

Integration with Modern Life

How Traditions Persist

Today’s mananambal exist alongside:

• Modern hospitals and clinics
• Pharmaceutical medicines
• Educated younger generations
• Tourism and outside influence

Many islanders use both traditional and modern medicine, seeing them as complementary rather than contradictory.

Challenges

Declining Practitioners:

• Younger generations pursue different careers
• Traditional knowledge at risk of being lost
• Fewer apprentices learning the craft

Commercialization:

• Tourism creates demand for “authentic” experiences
• Some exploitation of traditions
• Pressure to perform for outsiders

Skepticism:

• Modern education challenges traditional beliefs
• Young people may not value ancestral knowledge
• Practices risk becoming “folklore” rather than living tradition

Your Role as a Visitor

How Visitors Can Help

Positive Actions:

• Approach with genuine respect
• Compensate fairly for time and knowledge
• Don’t pressure for performances or explanations
• Share accurate information about practices
• Support preservation efforts

What to Avoid:

• Treating healing traditions as entertainment
• Exploiting practitioners for content
• Spreading sensationalized stories
• Dismissing practices you don’t understand

Final Thoughts

The mananambal of Siquijor represent a living link to ancestral knowledge that has sustained communities for generations. They’re not tourist attractions or exotic curiosities—they’re practicing practitioners of a healing tradition that continues to evolve.

Whether you visit seeking healing, cultural understanding, or simple curiosity, approach with the recognition that you’re witnessing something precious: a tradition that has survived colonization, modernization, and the relentless pressure of change.

The healers will be here long after the tourists go home, continuing their quiet work of mending bodies and spirits, brewing oils under the Holy Week moon, and passing knowledge to the next generation—if anyone is willing to learn.

For more on Siquijor’s mystical reputation, read our guide to Legends and Folklore. To time your visit with the healing festival, see our Aninag Festival Guide.