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The feminine frontier of Puerto Princesa
The mere mention of Puerto Princesa conjured for me images of a perfect healing holiday. Tired of city life, I followed the advice of my naturopath to take time off and recharge my dwindling physical batteries there.
More than the refreshing ecology of this lush “city in the forest,” I was offered serendipitous meetings with five women whose life work center on facilitating healing processes for world-weary travellers.
Janet Dolera
Janet, 43, calls herself an “urban babaylan.”
Janet Dolera, balyan
But she still felt incomplete even after her cross-cultural journey, so she came back to the Philippines in 1993.
It was in 2008 that she finally realized that she had to respond to the spiritual call of her cultural roots, and embraced her balyan (the Palawan term for babaylan) heritage.
Janet says being a balyan—a healer-priestess—is “a right” that one has to claim, for not everyone who is called to its vocation actually does so. In deciding to become a baylan, and leaving behind her old, comfortable way of life, she said she had to muster two qualities: compassion and courage.
Visiting her hut, I found Janet's presence to be one of love and warmth, qualities that add depth to her as a spiritual healer.
Sylvia Pendon
Sylvia is a dynamo even at the age of 87. Known as the mother of Palawan's organic food movement, Sylvia says that her life mission is to promote a healthy diet for disease prevention and a longer life.
Born to an herbalist mother and a craftsman father, Sylvia studied Home Economics in college and then taught handicrafts at the Manila High School in the 1950s. She also set up a craft shop to help her self-supporting students earn extra income—at a time when such craft modules were almost non-existent.
In 1971, Sylvia was sought by the United Nations Development Program to lead a team of international experts to train Bangladeshi women in basketry, weaving, embroidery and other livelihood skills.
Her innovative efforts in the field won her the Outstanding Home Economist Award in 1998.
After discovering she had an illness of the blood called thalassemia in 1978, Sylvia decided to change her diet to organic, mostly fresh vegetarian food.
Now in active retirement in Palawan, Sylvia has set up Salad Bowl, an herbolarium and NGO that supports organic gardening and culinary arts. She still runs workshops and talks about the values of organic farming and eating, sharing food recipes for various ailments.
In 2011, Sylvia was honored at The Outstanding Filipino (TOFil) Awards by President Aquino and at the DSWD Ulirang Nakatatanda Awards.
Despite these numerous accolades, Sylvia remains down-to-earth and still happily gives talks to senior citizens and young folk in Palawan, educating them about the benefits of organic food.
Sylvia's life as a vibrant and lucid octogenarian is a testament to the veracity behind the ecological and culinary advocacy that she has carried almost all her life.
The author (right) with Agnes Prieto and Sylvia Pendon.
Agnes Prieto
Agnes is a 62-year-old writer and businesswoman who divides her time between Manila and Puerto Princesa.
Following the untimely death of her son, she decided to study grief therapy to be able to help others who have experienced traumatic losses in life. Hers is the joy of working with people who have created communities of support amidst their traumas, and helping them emerge with a better understanding of life beyond losses. Her grief group is called Healing Circles Philippines.
Agnes is also a writer of five books, including fiction and several essay anthologies. As part of her “sacred contract” with herself, she is also studying for an MFA in Creative Writing at La Salle.
Agnes is also an anthroposophist and Raja Yogi, and for a year taught meditation classes.
Aiming to help people spiritually and creatively, Agnes is a generous soul who has opened herself to life's lessons with gratitude and gentleness.
Grace Zozobrado-Hahn
Grace is a 52-year-old pediatrician/family medicine specialist who practices eurythmy therapy at her medical clinic, Clinica Sophia, in Puerto Princesa.
Eurythmy is an art form in which the body is the instrument to make speech and music visible, by which you re-establish your relationship with the cosmic forces. Grace says she has seen eurythmy help children and adults in numerous situations: at school, when suffering acute and chronic illnesses, during convalescence, and even in setting harmony in the workplace.
At Clinica Sophia, Grace holds one-on-one eurythmy therapy sessions as an important component to her medical practice. She envisions making a mark in people's lives by “empowering them about their own health, help them start to think about healthy education amidst the challenges of our times.”
Marie Magdalena Cavosora
Marie, 43, is a balikbayan who moved back to the Philippines after working in advertising in North America, Europe and Asia for years.
In 2012 she visited Bahay Kalipay, a raw food retreat center in Puerto Princesa. There she met its founder Pi Villaraza, also a former marketing executive and the brain behind a spiritual dance therapy called Inner Dance.
“In doing the Inner Dance session, something in me awakened,” Marie says.
From that time, Marie has devoted herself as a resident volunteer at Bahay Kalipay, helping in their website revamp and other managerial tasks. But more importantly, she leads healing workshop-retreats.
“Coming here is like coming back to God, my own culture and nature. I have trained in Tibetan Buddhism, shamanism and tantra. Though born and raised Catholic, I see the universality of all the teachings and share what I've learned here in Bahay Kalipay,” she says.
In encountering these women, I felt the common thread binding their journeys, regardless of their variegated paths towards healing and wholeness. Their pure intention to live by their true calling has led them to paths where they can also help others find their own. — BM, GMA News
Agnes is a 62-year-old writer and businesswoman who divides her time between Manila and Puerto Princesa.
Following the untimely death of her son, she decided to study grief therapy to be able to help others who have experienced traumatic losses in life. Hers is the joy of working with people who have created communities of support amidst their traumas, and helping them emerge with a better understanding of life beyond losses. Her grief group is called Healing Circles Philippines.
Agnes is also a writer of five books, including fiction and several essay anthologies. As part of her “sacred contract” with herself, she is also studying for an MFA in Creative Writing at La Salle.
Agnes is also an anthroposophist and Raja Yogi, and for a year taught meditation classes.
Aiming to help people spiritually and creatively, Agnes is a generous soul who has opened herself to life's lessons with gratitude and gentleness.
Grace Zozobrado-Hahn
Grace is a 52-year-old pediatrician/family medicine specialist who practices eurythmy therapy at her medical clinic, Clinica Sophia, in Puerto Princesa.
Eurythmy is an art form in which the body is the instrument to make speech and music visible, by which you re-establish your relationship with the cosmic forces. Grace says she has seen eurythmy help children and adults in numerous situations: at school, when suffering acute and chronic illnesses, during convalescence, and even in setting harmony in the workplace.
At Clinica Sophia, Grace holds one-on-one eurythmy therapy sessions as an important component to her medical practice. She envisions making a mark in people's lives by “empowering them about their own health, help them start to think about healthy education amidst the challenges of our times.”
Marie Magdalena Cavosora
Marie, 43, is a balikbayan who moved back to the Philippines after working in advertising in North America, Europe and Asia for years.
In 2012 she visited Bahay Kalipay, a raw food retreat center in Puerto Princesa. There she met its founder Pi Villaraza, also a former marketing executive and the brain behind a spiritual dance therapy called Inner Dance.
“In doing the Inner Dance session, something in me awakened,” Marie says.
From that time, Marie has devoted herself as a resident volunteer at Bahay Kalipay, helping in their website revamp and other managerial tasks. But more importantly, she leads healing workshop-retreats.
“Coming here is like coming back to God, my own culture and nature. I have trained in Tibetan Buddhism, shamanism and tantra. Though born and raised Catholic, I see the universality of all the teachings and share what I've learned here in Bahay Kalipay,” she says.
In encountering these women, I felt the common thread binding their journeys, regardless of their variegated paths towards healing and wholeness. Their pure intention to live by their true calling has led them to paths where they can also help others find their own. — BM, GMA News
