Templong Anituhan

In an era defined by ecological crisis, economic strain, and geopolitical tension, humanity is forced to confront a sobering reality: our current way of living is breaking the planet. In the Philippines, the symptoms of this fracture are everywhere—from the scarring of the Sierra Madre and the exploitation of Sibuyan Island to the rising tides of inflation and climate disasters.

To heal these wounds, we must look beyond purely political or economic fixes. We must look upward and inward, back to the ancient spiritual wisdom of our ancestors. In the traditional cosmology of the Kinaray-a people of Panay, the universe is governed by Diwatang Maka-ako, the Supreme Creator and Owner of all existence.

True healing begins when we understand Maka-ako not as a distant, passive deity, but as the architect of a Living Covenant—a sacred blueprint of balance that humanity has deeply violated, and one that we must urgently renew.

Understanding Maka-ako and the Seven Cosmic Layers (Lukap)

To understand the covenant, one must first understand the structure of the Kinaray-a universe. As documented by anthropologists like Dr. Alicia Magos, the cosmos is a highly structured, seven-layered system (Lukap), where every entity has its designated place:

• 7th Layer (The Zenith): The absolute highest realm, exclusively reserved for Maka-ako, the Supreme Creator and Universal Order.
• 6th Layer (Ibabawnon / Langitnon): The high heavens inhabited by the ancestral spirits (kapapu-an).
• 5th Layer (Kahanginan): The atmosphere and sky, home to flying spirit-beings.
• 4th Layer (Lupan-on): The physical earth, where humans coexist with land-dwelling engkantu and nature spirits.
• 3rd Layer (Idalmunon): The underground world of soil, minerals, and subsurface spirits.
• 2nd Layer (Tubignon): The realm of waters and marine life.
• 1st Layer (The Base): The uninhabited foundation supporting the weight of the entire universe.

Unlike the personal, highly conversational deities of Abrahamic faiths, the traditional Maka-ako is transcendent and impersonal. He is the ultimate Tag-iya (Owner). He represents the supreme cosmic law. Rather than micromanaging the universe, Maka-ako operates through a divine hierarchy, delegating the stewardship of the lower realms to localized nature spirits and ancestors.

The Living Covenant: The Four Laws of the Universe

The relationship between Maka-ako, nature, and humanity is bound by a Living Covenant. It is a dynamic, unwritten treaty embedded within the fabric of creation. This covenant relies on four fundamental laws:

1. The Law of Pangayaw (The Guest) and Tag-iya (The Owner)

Human beings do not own the earth. Under the covenant, Maka-ako is the sole Tag-iya, and humans are merely pangayaw (guests or tenants) on the 4th layer (Lupan-on). We are permitted to cultivate the land and fish the waters, but only under the condition of total respect for the true caretakers—the nature spirits. Aggressive mining and deforestation completely violate this law by treating the earth as a commodity to be pillaged rather than a sacred home on loan.

2. The Law of Mariit (Sacred Boundaries)

Maka-ako designated specific parts of the universe as mariit—sacred, volatile, or forbidden zones. These include the untouched peaks of mountains like Mt. Madya-as and Mt. Guiting-Guiting, virgin watersheds, and deep caves. These boundaries act as the unyielding pillars of ecological balance. When greed drives corporate interests to cross into mariit zones for timber or nickel, the boundary breaks, triggering cataclysmic mudslides, droughts, and ecosystem collapse.

3. The Law of Reciprocity (Kolektibong Halad)

In the cosmic order, life is a continuous loop of giving and receiving. Energy is never free. When we harvest crops or catch fish, we incur a spiritual debt to the universe. The ancestors balanced this through rituals like Pasi-on—the practice of dedicating the very first grain of the harvest to the spirits and ancestors before a single mortal tastes it. When humanity takes without offering back gratitude, conservation, and reverence, the cosmic ledger falls out of balance, resulting in scarcity and economic inflation.

4. The Law of Dungan (Spiritual Power) and Gaba (Cosmic Karma)

Maka-ako endows every human with Dungan—a spiritual life force, intellect, and willpower. This gift is a mandate to act as a Co-creator and Re-creator, maintaining the beauty of the earth. However, if a person abuses their dungan through greed, destruction, or apathy, they trigger Gaba. Gaba is not the punishment of an angry, vengeful god; it is the automated, self-correcting reaction of Maka-ako’s cosmic order to restore balance.

Awakening the Co-Creators: The Mandate for Templong Anituhan Inc.

In the face of modern destruction, spiritual groups like Templong Anituhan Inc. carry a profound historical and mystical weight. They are called to be the Guardians of the Covenant. True Indigenous Filipino Spirituality is never passive. It is action-oriented.

To heal our communities and modern crises, the call to action involves three distinct steps:

1. Hilot as Ecological Medicine: Hilot is more than physical manipulation; it is the restoration of the four universal elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire) within the human body. By strengthening the dungan of the weary and traumatized, and by establishing sacred botanical sanctuaries to preserve traditional medicinal plants threatened by mining, we build resilience from the soil up.
2. Ritual as Spiritual Resistance: While communities mount physical blockades in Nueva Vizcaya or Sibuyan, spiritual practitioners must launch a parallel defense in the unseen world. Through the collective offering of Atáng and Pasi-on, and the smoke of kamangyan (sacred resin), practitioners can work to disorient the destructive dungan of exploiters while anchoring protection over land defenders.
3. Rejecting Apathy: True followers of the old ways cannot hide behind the excuse of “we are only human.” To honor Maka-ako is to actively protect His creation. Spiritual devotion must translate into environmental advocacy, community defense, and sustainable living.

A Prayer to Diwatang Makaako

For those who wish to renew their bond with the Supreme Creator, this prayer is written in English, structured with the deep respect and traditional protocol of the Kinaray-a lineage.

O Diwatang Makaako,
Supreme Creator, Ultimate Architecture of the Cosmos,
Who dwells in the eternal peace of the Seventh Layer, at the Zenith of the Heavens.
You are the True Tag-iya, the Owner of the mountains, the winds, and the deepest seas.
We stand before You on this Fourth Layer of the Earth, 
Acknowledging that we are merely Pangayaw—guests upon Your sacred ground.
We look up to the Ibabawnon, asking our Kapapu-an, our holy ancestors,
To carry this voice across the cosmic layers and lay it before Your divine presence.
Makaako, we confess that the Living Covenant has been broken by human hands.
The forests of the Sierra Madre are weeping, the sacred shores of Sibuyan are wounded,
The West Philippine Sea is troubled by conflict, and Your children are burdened by scarcity.
We have forgotten the boundaries of Mariit; we have taken without offering back.
Today, through our devotion, we seek to renew the Living Treaty.
We offer our thoughts, our labor, and our breath as a living Halad to You.
Strengthen our Dungan, O Supreme Divine, that we may become fierce Co-creators of justice.
Pour Your wisdom into our hands as we perform the sacred art of Hilot,
Healing the bodies of Your people and the spirit of the land.
Awaken the spirits of the lower realms to stand as shields over our watersheds.
Let Your Cosmic Order silence the greed of those who destroy the womb of the earth.
May our lives be a perpetual Pasi-on—always honoring You first in every blessing we receive.
From the ancient past, through the trials of today, and into the unfolding future,
You remain the Supreme Source of all life.
Receive our reverence, guide our steps, and restore the sacred balance of our nation and our world.
Mayari Na! PagAsatin!