The sorcerer of Siquijor

In an age when modern technology, advanced communications, and social networking sites have allowed people across the globe to get in touch with one another easily, are supernatural powers and magic spells still in vogue? In the island province of Siquijor, a popular destination during Holy Week for its spiritual healers, technology and globalization have failed to eradicate the centuries-old practice of sorcery or kulam. Alberto Baroro, or Mang Edol to his neighbors in Cang-atuyom village, is a well-known sorcerer in the province. He lives on the slopes of Mount Bandilaan, the highest peak in Siquijor Island, in the town of San Antonio. It is an hour’s drive on a habal-habal (commuter bike) from Siquijor, the capital of the province. His house stands in the middle of a forest, surrounded by tall trees. In his garden are different herbal plants like tudlo kamay, managhoy, talirugok, and tambal. He uses their leaves and the roots in making concoctions, love potions, lucky charms, and pangontra or protection from a sorcerer’s spell. Mang Edol has been practising sorcery for over 40 years. Far from the usual portrayal of witch houses in horror films, however, Mang Edol’s residence is a humble dwelling in a remote village. The small concrete structure has two rooms, a small table, and two chairs in the sala, where four large photo frames of his children hang on the wall.

Exacting justice Cheerful and friendly, Mang Edol gladly answered questions, with the habal-habal driver acting as interpreter, during a visit to his mountain abode two weeks ago. Mang Edol's fame is not confined to Siquijor. “Some of my clients come all the way from Dubai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, America, and Cambodia,” Mang Edol said. Most of the cases he handles are land conflicts, marital infidelity, and rape victims who want to exact revenge. However, he does not accept all the cases brought to him: the would-be client has to prove that he or she is a victim of injustice. Occasionally, there’s politics as well. “I can no longer recall what year exactly it was, but he is a politician in Mindanao. However, I don’t usually handle cases involving politics, unless you can give me a very convincing and justifiable reason,” Mang Edol recounted. Some of his clients want the most extreme penalty for their enemies, meaning death. Others only wish to scare their opponents or inflict pain to teach them a lesson, he says, showing pictures of the persons he has cursed. Those who seek his help pay anywhere between P20,000 and P30,000, depending on their financial or social status. Despite the steep price tag, Mang Edol has not run out of customers seeking his extraordinary skills. The 66-year-old man, who inherited his “power” from his parents, is so in demand that he can no longer remember how many people he has cursed. The ritual The usual ritual he performs is called “Paktol,” which involves a human skull and takes seven Fridays to complete. Mang Edol explained that his client needs to provide pictures of the person to be cursed. He does the ritual every Friday at 12 noon, each procedure usually taking 30 minutes. Sometimes, he performs the ritual in his house, or in a cemetery where he buries the picture of the person being cursed. Ironically, Mang Edol is a devout Catholic who also does the ritual in the Church, where he seeks help from the saints. To give us a full grasp of how it works, Mang Edol willingly demonstrates the ritual. On the table, he prepared the materials needed such as the human skull, black candles, ashes, and the photo of the person to be cursed.  He then uttered a prayer in an unfamiliar language, which sounded like Latin. The prayer lasted more than two minutes. Afterwards, he lit the black candle and placed it inside a tin can.  On a small sheet of paper, he wrote the name of the person and placed it inside the skull, and then he burned the photo until it turned into ashes. He repeats the procedure for seven Fridays. On the last day, he goes to the cemetery and buries the name and picture of the person cursed. Death curse and pangontra Asked what will happen to the person, Mang Edol said, “the victim will suffer from different serious diseases which cannot be treated by doctors. The person’s condition may get worse until he dies.” He will know if the curse has taken effect when his client sends a text message or calls to inform him about the fate of the victim. The most extreme curse, the death spell, can be reversed if his client so wishes, especially if the person seeks forgiveness. “I reverse the spell by digging the picture of the victim I buried in the cemetery. But I have to be informed of it immediately, because if the victim’s condition gets worse, it may be too late and I can no longer do anything to save him,” Mang Edol added. Whenever he finishes a case, Mang Edol said he has trouble sleeping due to a heaviness in his head. Does he feel scared? “No,” says Mang Edol. At this juncture, he showed us a small plastic bottle, a pangontra that he carries everywhere to protect him from negative consequences. He has no plans of retiring yet, because sorcery is his only means of income.  Asked whether he is planning to pass on his power to one of his children when he retires, he answered, "Right now, no one among my kids is showing interest in sorcery." If ever, will it mean an end to sorcery in their family? Mang Edol doesn’t know. But despite the uncertainty, he believes that sorcery will remain alive in Siquijor for many years to come. – YA, GMA News