Tawas

Throughout the squatters areas of Metro Manila, it is not uncommon to find a designated healer of the community. This person is believed to have been born with healing powers inherited from their parents or other ancestors. The community believes that when bad spirits and evil dwellers of the earth attack humans out of malice or simply in defense of their property, plaguing humans with all sorts of inexplainable illnesses from skin diseases, abnormal weight loss, to losing their consciousness and being possessed by spirits, the healer can perform what is called as tawas. Tawas is when the healer combats or gives protection from the otherworldly spirits using a combination of his or her own concoctions and prescriptions with Christianity.

In times of sickness and desperation, patients would rather consult and seek out the mangtatawas, because the payment for the tawas is only a donation, an affordable amount, in comparison to seeking professional medical help from clinics or hospitals.