ILOILO CITY, March 28 -- Close to 100 "babaylans" or shamans from Iloilo and other parts of Western Visayas will gather in Barangay Batga in the town of Tubungan, Iloilo, on Good Friday to perform a "Pana-et", an age-old ritual of lamentations, peace offering, and thanksgiving.

The ritual involves preparations and revelry, sacrificing animals and offering them to appease the spirits, seek approval, or give thanks or appreciation, said Gilbert Marin, Iloilo Provincial Culture, Arts, History and Tourism Office (PCAHTO) head, in an interview.

"Maybe because of the current situation of the environment, they will be asking for rain," he said on Thursday.

It is also an opportunity to energize their power and skills to perform healing and it ...