Daily TribuneFor many Filipinos, especially the underprivileged, faith healing offers a readily available alternative to expensive medical care.
ALTERNATIVE healer Nards Leonardo washes off ‘unclean spirits’ from a woman using the ‘healing’ water of Mount Banahaw.
Photograph by NARDS LEONARDO for the daily tribune
No matter advancements in medicine, faith healing remains a significant part of Filipino culture, particularly in rural areas.
This tradition, rooted in pre-colonial practices of shamans or babaylans, has evolved with practitioners now called albularyos, manghihilots and faith healers.
The Philippines’ strong religious beliefs and fascination with the supernatural contribute to the continued appeal of faith healing.
For many Filipinos, especially the underprivileged, faith healing offers a readily available alternative to expensive medical care.
Nards Leonardo, a faith healer in his 40s, emphasized in an interview with DAILY TRIBUNE the importance of faith.
“Most Filipinos are fixated on the concept that ‘to see is to believe,” Leonardo said. “That’s why you must have a strong faith that you will be healed. What is faith healing if you don’t have faith?”
Leonardo, who left a well-paying job to pursue faith healing full-time, says it’s a calling, not a money-making scheme. He said he receives voluntary donations.
He claims to battle supernatural entities and cure illnesses attributed to witchcraft.
Despite controversies, faith healers like Leonardo see their role as alleviating suffering and restoring health, offering a different approach alongside modern medicine.
