Indigenous Belief Systems and Spiritual Roles of Tambalan in Dolores Eastern Samar

Authors

Tapon, Edruwin B.

BS Entertainment and Multimedia Computing, Major in Digital Animation, Eastern Samar State University, College of Computer Studies, Borongan City (Philippines)

Romualdo, Samantha Irish D.

BS Entertainment and Multimedia Computing, Major in Digital Animation, Eastern Samar State University, College of Computer Studies, Borongan City (Philippines)

Mr. Lourence Villaluz

BS Entertainment and Multimedia Computing, Major in Digital Animation, Eastern Samar State University, College of Computer Studies, Borongan City (Philippines)

Article Information

DOI: 10.51244/IJRSI.2026.1307000333

Subject Category: Media

Volume/Issue: 13/7 | Page No: 4541-4555

Publication Timeline

Submitted: 2026-08-04

Accepted: 2026-08-10

Published: 2026-08-18

Abstract

Everything tries to adapt to a changing environment, and so society, health, and wellness are shaped by it. This paper explores the notion of belief systems and the spiritual roles of Tambalan in Dolores, Eastern Samar. The traditional healing methods are part of Filipino culture, which traditionally healed itself using prayers, herbs, and local knowledge to cure its illnesses before the crossover of other civilizations in the Philippines. But the rapid pace of modernization of healthcare and society has led to a gradual disappearance of most of these native practices in the mainstream consciousness. The aim is to document and study the stories connected with myths, beliefs, and the spiritual activities of Tambalan to translate the cultural knowledge into contemporary media. With the help of a qualitative research methodology, supported by the modified version of ADDIE, Analysis, Design, Development, and Evaluation, the researchers gathered data using interviews, observations, and narrative beliefs to learn community views on Tambalan and its functions in the healing process, as well as spiritual mediation and cultural preservation. The information was then converted into a multimedia product and rated using the modified DepEd Region III Nueva Ecija Evaluation Rating Sheet for Storybooks and Big Books. Factor 1 was rated 4.6 and Factor 2 4.7, which were interpreted as highly acceptable; both met all required standards. With this, there is a strong basis for the idea that using multimedia to share indigenous cultural knowledge and stories increases cultural awareness and makes it more accessible to younger audiences.

Keywords

Indigenous, healing, Tambalan, multimedia, qualitative

Downloads

References

1. Cheung, M. (2015). The contribution of traditional Filipino faith healing to Filipino culture and modern day health practices. Scribd. https://www.scribd.com/document/435762757/The-Contribution-of-Traditional-Filipino-Faith-Healing-to-Modern-Day-Health-Practices [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Dolores, Eastern Samar profile. (2020). PhilAtlas. https://www.philatlas.com/visayas/r08/eastern-samar/dolores.html [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Eastern Samar grew fastest in 2024–PSA. (n.d.). Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://www.pids.gov.ph/details/news/in-the-news/eastern-samar-grew-fastest-in-2024-psa [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Elundu, C. (2024). The evolution of ancient healing practices: From shamanism to Hippocratic medicine. Cureus. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11245246/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Gamba, A. A., Cruz, J. P., & Reyes, M. L. (2025). Traditional healing practices and tambalans in Eastern Samar. Journal of Native and Rural Indigenous Development, 3(1), 15–24. https://tijer.org/jnrid/papers/JNRID2501019.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Osaka University of Arts. (n.d.). CELSYS. https://www.celsys.com/en/clipsolution/osakageidai/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Pathak, V., Jena, B., & Kalra, S. (2013). Qualitative research. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3757586/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Pesek, J., Helton, R., & Nair, M. (2006). Healing across cultures: Learning from traditions. https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/122535/records/65dfd62663b8185d9caf657b [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Ponsaran, N. (2025). Mainstreaming indigenous knowledge in/through media and information literacy: A basis for a decolonised task design. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1480365.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Rebuya, N. R., Lasarte, E. S., & Amador, M. M. A. (2020). Medical pluralism, traditional healing practices, and the Partido Albularyo: Challenge in inclusion. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 8, 72–79. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.86007 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Robredillo, L. C. (n.d.). From the underside of history. https://msgrlope.blogspot.com/search?q=Dolores [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Rosales, L., & Gepty, V. (2022). Cultural healing rituals and practices used by Ati traditional healers. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Studies, 4(4), 209–213. https://doi.org/10.32996/jhsss.2022.4.4.26 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Walden University. (n.d.). MIDT 6231 – Digital imaging with Adobe Photoshop. https://academics.waldenu.edu/catalog/courses/midt/6231 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Williams, J., Johns, G., Phipps, K., Khalil, S., Ogonovsky, M., & Ahuja, A. (2023). Online survey and interview evaluation to explore the use of video consulting among allied health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37197825/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

Metrics

Views & Downloads

Similar Articles