Tagbanua Shamans, west coast of Palawan.

Babalyan is the name of the spiritual leaders of the Tagbanua people, who have inhabited Palawan Island for thousands of years. The Tagbanua worldview is focused on the spirits of their ancestors and of nature, who they see playing active roles in their everyday lives. A babalyan is a shaman who acts as an essential mediator between the physical and spiritual world. Many also have healing powers and an in-depth knowledge of natural medicines. The role of babalyan traditionally passes from generation to generation. However, as Christianity, western medicines and modern lifestyles become increasingly important to many Tagbanua people, babalyans are gradually becoming fewer and the current generation may well be the last.

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Domingo Bacaltos became a babalyan when he was a young man working for a mining company in the mountains of central Palawan.