Isla del Fuego

Siquijor is known in the Philippines as Isla del Fuego — the Island of Fire. At night, the island’s forests once appeared to glow with thousands of fireflies, giving rise to a name that became intertwined with stories, superstition and mystery.

For generations, Siquijor has also been associated with traditional healing and folk beliefs. Alongside Catholicism and modern medicine, ancient practices continue to exist in the lives of people who live on the island.

I became interested in the mananambal — traditional healers who use plants, prayers, rituals and knowledge passed through generations. Some are respected within their communities; others are described through the more sinister idea of the mangkukulam, associated with witchcraft and curses.

But behind these labels are ordinary people.

I wanted to photograph their lives rather than simply illustrate their rituals: their homes, families, landscapes, work and the people who come to them looking for help. Their practices are part of a much larger story about how knowledge survives, changes and is passed from one generation to another.

On Siquijor, belief is not necessarily something separated from everyday life. It can exist alongside religion, modern medicine and contemporary life, sometimes openly and sometimes quietly.

The island is changing. Tourism is growing, younger generations are leaving, and traditional knowledge is becoming increasingly difficult to pass on. Yet these practices remain embedded in the community.

A dirt trail leads to Mount Bandilaan where the healers gather medicinal plants in the forest and use them in remedies.

A man undergoes tuob, a traditional healing practice in which heated charcoal and medicinal plants are used to produce smoke and steam, believed to help treat illness in Siquijor.

Pieces of coconut are left to dry in the sun in Siquijor.

An elderly man with white hair and tan skin sitting in a woven hammock chair inside a rustic wooden structure, smoking a cigarette with smoke rising from his mouth. The room has natural light coming from open windows, with trees visible outside.

A person holding a large green leaf among dense green foliage.

An elderly woman with short dark hair, wearing a red shirt, holding a lit candle, seated outdoors with greenery and blue sky in the background.

A woman walking along the beach holding an umbrella, wearing yellow shoes and a striped shirt, with the ocean and a boat in the background.

A young boy with short dark hair, wearing a green shirt, a pearl necklace with a cross pendant, sitting on the ground in a wooded outdoor area, appears to be involved in butchering or processing an animal lying on a wooden surface.

A man standing on a beach holding a steaming bowl with smoke rising from it. The man is wearing a brown long sleeve shirt and red shorts with the number 84 on them. The background shows the ocean and overcast sky.

An egg-shaped stone used by a traditional healer during healing ritual in Siquijor.

A close-up of a person's neck with tattoos, wearing a gold chain with a cross pendant.

Child playing with a toy at the beach, standing in shallow water with waves, clouds in the sky.

Silhouette of leafless tree branches against a colorful sunset sky over a beach with small groups of people walking near the shoreline.

A young man with short black hair and earrings holds onto a wooden post and looks into the distance while standing behind a corrugated metal fence, with a background of leafless trees and a blue sky.