Pacquiao's Anting-anting

It has  almost been 3 weeks since the Philippines’  “Pambansang Kamao”,  Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao got hit by a thunderous punch from his Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel “El Dinamita” Marquez.  The Latino fighter truly deserved his moniker that night as he unleashed a straight counter right which exploded in the face of Pacquiao rendering him unconscious and crashing to the canvas.  The perfectly timed punch was felt by Filipinos around the globe who witnessed the fight as if they were inside the squared circle themselves.  The only difference is that while Pac Man’s eyes were closed in a comatose state for over a minute, Pinoys had their eyes and jaws widely open in disbelief.



 

 

As expected, there are a lot of theories and reasons in trying to explain the shocking debacle.  There are talks that he lost his focus due to involvement in many activities outside the ring such as show business and politics. Many also believe that fame and his gazzillions have made him complacent in training and that the “hunger” is just no longer there.  A lot more others, especially among devoted Catholics which include his beloved mother “Mommy D”, truly believe that his downfall began when he changed his religion.  Like majority of Filipinos, the great fighter was born and raised as a Catholic.  Most will recall that until recently, his pre-fight routine include kneeling and praying in a corner of the ring. He previously wore a rosary and kissing it before the fight began.  Adding credence to this is that his stunning loss happened on December 8, the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. This is being interpreted by many Marian devotees as a result of his “abandonment” of the mother of Christ.  To them,  Pacquiao lost because he was no longer wearing the Holy Rosary which they believe served as his “anting-anting” or in English an amulet, charm or talisman.

 

 

 

This brings us to the culture of the anting-anting. Every culture has produced its own set of talismans and amulets, and the Philippines is no exception. While some cultures may regard amulets merely as magical accessories to protect one against harm and bad luck, the culture of the Filipino anting-anting may be different, being so ingrained as to be regarded as a religion in itself. Notably, the anting-anting invariably contained mixed symbols of the ancient Filipino religion, Roman Catholicism, the Christian Orthodox church, and Judaism.

 

For those who believe in its divine properties, the anting-anting is one of the few man-made objects that can make man closer to God or even achieve the qualities of God. It is a long-held belief among the mystics, both in the East and the West,  that amulets serve as temporary or even constant habitation of God and other divine spirits. The animist belief that inanimate objects can become receptacles of dwelling of the divine is shown through the ancient worship of statues, relics, beads, portraits, tombs, and of course, amulets.

Before the coming of the Spaniards, the early Filipinos were already known to keep amulets, talismans, charms, and various other objects to protect them from harm, the elements, and  evil spirits. Crocodile tooth, gems, odd-shaped stones, and even fossilized remains of animals were the earliest known examples of anting-anting used by the early Filipinos.

The anting anting has many other names in the Tagalog lexicon: bertud, agimat, gamit, talisman, mutya, or galing. It also comes in many forms. It can be a medallion, a small book, a piece of paper, a tattoo, a crocodile tooth, a meteorite, a vest or scarf inscribed with oraciones, and many others. No one is quite sure how the word anting-anting came to be. According to Lorna Montilla, anting-anting may have evolved from the Latin word “anti,” and thus means “anti-anti” or “against-against.” Indeed if the present belief in the popular use of anting-anting is to be considered, Montilla may be correct, since the anting-anting is mostly used to protect its wearer against harm and illness. But there are also some who put forward the theory that the term is actually derived from the Javanese word “anting-anting” which means ear pendants. Anting-anting may also have been derived from the Bahasa Melayu word “anting” that means “dangling” or “swinging.”


Part of the attraction of the anting-anting lies in its esoteric nature. Basically, man is attracted to the unknown, to the mysterious. Most anting-anting pieces are puzzling because of their cabalistic figures, mysterious oraciones, and hidden initials. Many people who possess these are very secretive and would not want to reveal what they keep, except maybe those pieces they wear around. They believe that the mystical nature of the anting-anting–their own covenant with the gods–is what makes it powerful. Once revealed to others, its power diminishes or disappears altogether.


The most commonly seen symbol is the Eye contained in a triangle, which represents the Bathala or the Infinito Dios, the ancient Filipino God. This symbol appears in many emblems, banners, and seals of many millenarian groups in Southern Tagalog.

The connection of God to the anting-anting, therefore, is key to understanding its nature. To unlock the secrets of the anting-anting’s hidden meanings, myths, and symbolisms, one must be able to understand the Filipino’s concept of God. The anting-anting is the Filipino’s way to approach God, and to contain God within a medallion or vest, and thereby achieve a divine connection which will give him the qualities of God.

Another attraction of the anting-anting is the promise it gives to its possessor. Many who keep them believe that the anting-anting gives them spiritual power that can protect them from material harm. Many of the people who put their faith in the anting-anting, such as the kapatid of the Lapiang Malaya, held the notion that they gain supernatural powers through the anting-anting. They can become invisible to enemies, impervious to bullets and knives, escape mortal dangers, be in two places at the same time, perform miracles, and so on. Therefore, the anting-anting endows them with the attributes of the gods.

With all these attributes of power and promise, many people who believe in the anting-anting spend most of their lives searching for the most powerful ones. They go to the most remote places in search of the anting-anting. They undergo great sacrifice and peril to hunt them. For example, in the past, it was a common belief that an unchristened fetus, recently aborted or miscarried, must be exhumed from the cemetery, put into a bottle or jar, soaked in liquor, and eaten one tablespoon everyday for a whole year. The pickled fetus is still believed powerful by some of the most radical faithful in the Tagalog region. This author knows of a person who fell gravely ill after eating pickled fetus for a week.

There are also people who swallow the anting-anting, in the belief that once ingested, its powers are absorbed by the body. This is called the subo (swallow), still being practiced by many believers. Another extreme is the baon, in which the anting-anting is embedded into the believer’s skin, like what Marcos was said to have had inside the skin of his back.


The ancient Filipinos believed in the existence of God. In Tagalog mythology, God is the Bathalang Maykapal or Bathala, the creator of the universe. Although the name Bathala may be Tagalog, it has counterparts in other parts of the Philippines. Bathala rules the world. He provides man with his needs and protects the world against evil. There are other deities in the ancient religion of the Tagalogs, but Bathala is the highest and most powerful.

To make the conquest easy and readily convert Filipinos into the new religion, the friar missionaries interpreted Bathala to be the same Spanish God of the Roman Catholic religion. Rather than erase the old belief in the Bathala, the friars simply adapted the Bathala into the new faith. The friars may have even encouraged local beliefs and superstitions among the Filipinos, including the belief in anting-anting, to create a market for similar objects like scapulars, scarves, relics, medallions, and rosaries.

The veneration of material objects, long a tradition among the Filipinos, has thus been encouraged and fused with Roman Catholicism. The Filipinos then created their own interpretations of these objects to suit their beliefs. Thus, many of the symbols that can be seen on the anting-anting are fusions of the Roman Catholic faith and the pre-colonial religion of the Filipinos.

 

The important change instituted by the friar missionaries had something to do with the concept of God among the Filipinos. Although Bathala is interpreted by the friars to be the same Spanish God of the Roman Catholics, Bathala’s monotheistic being was changed, as he was now viewed as consisting of three persons. This is the Doctrine of the Santissima Trinidad (Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).

This doctrine is the most important dogma of Catholicism. In the book Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church published by the Vatican, the doctrine is stated:

The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but One God in three persons. The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire.

The early Filipinos may have difficulty understanding this concept of the Santissima Trinidad. How can the Bathala be One and Three at the same time? To solve this theological crisis, and to retain the easier concept that the God is only One, the Tagalogs created the mythology of the Infinito Dios. In this new theogony, Bathala is again One, but his name has become the Infinito Dios, and immediately below him—but also Gods in their own right —are the Santissima Trinidad: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The concept of the Bathala/Infinito Dios existing before the Santissima Trinidad may seem easier to understand for the early Filipinos. Here, the line is clear: the Infinito Dios is the One and Only God. He retains his role as the creator of the universe, the provider of mankind, and the protector against evil.

The later arrival of the Santissima Trinidad into the Filipino theogony created the myth that the Santissima Trinidad, a newcomer in Filipino theogony, wanted to baptize, i.e., convert, the Infinito Dios, not knowing that the Infinito Dios was already existing even before the Santissima Trinidad existed. The Infinito Dios is higher than, although one with, the Santissima Trinidad.

 
In retrospect, the history of the Filipino mass movements whose combined quest for freedom and faith in the anting-anting led them to fight the oppression of those in power. The revolt of the Cofradia de San jose in 1840, the Katipunan in 1896, the Colorum rebellions of Southern Tagalog in 1897, Philippine Revolution of 1899, the Macario Sakay and Felipe Salvador rebellions during the early years of the American occupation, and the Sakdal and the Hukbalahap movements – these are all examples of uprisings driven not only by nationalistic fervor but by religious and superstitious beliefs as well.

The leaders and members of these movements invariably kept an anting-anting to protect them in their battles against the enemies. General Emilio Aguinaldo was known to possess the medallion of the Santissima Trinidad, Andres Bonifacio used the Santiago de Galicia amulet, Felipe Salvador wore the medallion of Christ’s resurrection, and General Macario Sakay went around in an anting-anting vest with the inscribed Caravaca cross design. General Antonio Luna, Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, and General Miguel Malvar were also known to possess an anting-anting.

The anting-anting likewise figured prominently in the lives of folk heroes and bandits, such as Tiagong Akyat, Nardong Putik, and Kapitan Eddie Set, whose life stories were made into movies by actor Ramon Revilla. But for all the presumed power of the anting-anting they wore, most of these folk heroes and villains ended up being killed by gunfire in encounters with the authorities. Even former President Ferdinand Marcos was known to believe in the anting-anting. Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, reportedly a firm believer in anting-anting, was said to have embedded an anting-anting into the former president’s skin.

The arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines in the 16th century proselytized the Filipino’s concept of God. To easily conquer the archipelago and introduce the Roman Catholic religion without antagonizing the superstitious and religious beliefs of the Filipinos, the Spanish friar missionaries presented the God of Roman Catholicism to be the same ancient Filipino God  Bathala. The synthesis of the Roman Catholic religion and the pre-colonial religious and superstitious beliefs of the early Filipinos created a new kind of religion called Folk Catholicism, the religion of many millenarian groups in Southern Luzon, as well as the religion of anting-anting believers.

The Trespicio medallion of the Infinito Dios and the Tres Personas

The trinitarian dogma which is the most important of all Catholic doctrines gave way to the mythology that God, a spirit being, is an eye contained in a triangle. The triangle (or in anting-anting parlance, trespico), is the perfect representation of God, as it contained three equal sides or three equal corners, consistent with God’s three equal personalities. The triangular medallion, therefore, becomes one of the most popular of all the anting-anting. It symbolizes the oneness of the Infinito Dios and the Santissima Trinidad. Those who keep and faithfully believe in the trespico anting-anting can achieve oneness with the Infinito Dios and the Santissima Trinidad.

The Trespico medallion, believed by anting-anting faithful as an effective protector against evil because it contains the image and names of God. The symbols in this medallion include the Eye, representing the Infinito Dios, and the initials A.A.A which are the initials of the names of the Santissima Trinidad: Avetillo, Avetemit, Avelator (other names of the Santissima Trinidad are Aram, Ardam, Adradam). The ROMA is the initial of the title and name of God which means Rex Omnipotentem Macmamitam Adonay.

 

 

God’s plan for the world is to save it from the clutches of the Devil. For this reason, one of the Santissima Trinidad has been assigned to go down to earth to save humankind. Only through his sacrifice and death can humankind be saved. But since God is immortal and cannot die, he must assume a human form, and before he must be born a human, he should be conceived by a woman.

God being born as a human by a human mother is again one of those concepts that cannot easily be understood, especially among the early Filipinos who have a simple pre-colonial belief in the existence of God who is the first being in the universe. But for God to become human, and for God to be born by a woman, is something complex, especially if Catholicism teaches that the woman is the Mother of God, instead of just a blessed human person assigned by God to bear his human form.

The woman–the Virgin Mary–conceived God in her womb. The official Catholic doctrine on her personality is stated clearly in the official Catholic book Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church published by the Vatican:

Mary is truly “Mother of God” since she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man, who is God himself.

The image of a Mother God therefore plays an important role in the theogony of the anting- anting. In Filipino society, the mother of the family is viewed as the “ilaw ng tahanan” who provides her children with proper care, upbringing and education. Moreover, the early Filipino society, although strongly patriarchal, viewed women as mediators to God. As proof, the early priests were women called babaylan.

 

 

The veneration of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God is therefore consistent with the Filipino view of the important role played by the mother in Filipino family and society. The babaylan priesthood still exists at present in many folk Catholic religions in Southern Tagalog, most especially in the Ciudad Mistica de Dios and the Tres Personas Solo Dios in Mount Banahaw, where the religious leaders and priests are women.

In the theogony of the anting-anting, the Virgin Mary must therefore be elevated from her role as a simple bearer of God in her womb to become the Infinita Dios, the female equality and counterpart of the Infinito Dios. The emergence of the Infinita Dios in anting-anting symbols also gave way to the belief that God does not have a sexual gender preference.

In closing, there is no question that folk Catholicism or other adaptation of it is still very much alive in the Philippines.  Anyone can visit Quiapo Church or other older churches in Manila and the provinces to see the wide array of merchandise being sold for this purpose.  It remains to be seen if Pacquiao will heed his mother’s fervent wish to return to his Catholic roots and start wearing again the Holy Rosary that to many served as his “anting-anting”.  The fact that Marquez trained longer than Pacquiao for 4 ½ months compared to the latter’s 2 months without the distractions seems to have been  lost to many.  Marquez was focused on only one thing while Pacquiao continues to dabble in politics, showbiz and bible preaching among other things outside the ring.  As the saying goes, “ Focus and hard work beats talent alone”.  Lastly and perhaps for good measure, Marquez never abandoned his own “anting-anting.”

 

Sources: The Philippine Online Chronicles by Dennis Villegas
                 Wikipedia