Ramos, Kimberly G.

1B Medicine

Reflection/Reaction Paper on Santigwar

I am a Filipinoinheritor of a glorious past, hostage to the uncertain futur

e. Carlos P. Romulo

Santigwar, the Bicolano version of Central Luzons pagtatawas is a fruit of

tradition that is existing in very generation. Predominating the film is the main i

dea of Medical Anthropology in health social sciences which examines the mean

s by which the cultural norm of societies and people relate with the causes of il

l health and learn to cope with them by identifying treatment strategies; as the

story unfolded the child eventually succumbed to death after experiencing a sim

ple toothache which developed to a full blown infection on what was then be

lieved by her superstitious mother to be the work of a bad spirit, this particular

part also depicts the presence of two categories of disease causation, the Mystic

al and Personalistic Theories, which they tried to treat with the use of Santigwar

, the Crucifix, Consulting an Elderly Herbularyo, and in extreme cases even maki

ng the child drink her own urine.

Ramos, Kimberly G.

1B Medicine

Reflection/Reaction Paper on Santigwar

It broke my heart to see the child die on the very doorstep of the hospital wh

ere she was brought. The film was in many ways, a metaphor of the painful re

ality that we have today: where many Filipinos die without access or even havin

g the knowledge about their rights and privileges to proper medical care, a situ

ation that is further aggravated by poverty that still permeates our society. I rea

lized that time passes by so quickly and as technological advancements make o

ur lives easier but in ever complex forms, practices such as those primitive form

s of healing can gradually become remnants of the past here in the city; but o

n the otherhand, may still be practiced in far-flung areas where health care serv

ices and resources are scarce. As future medical doctors it is our responsibility t

o know and understand our fellows primitive beliefs and by doing so, we can c

reate a neutral place where easy communication and thus quality care can be a

chieved, because we cannot dismiss these traditional practices which are part of

our rich and glorious cultural heritage as nonsense for it will shake the ground

unto which we anchor our present actions.

If there is one thing which gave me a little joy and inspiration amidst a terrain

of heartaches, it is that this film served as an eye-opener to some harsh realitie

s which we may fail or choose not to see and/or realize in our daily activities a

nd has motivated me to know more about our culture and practices eventually
Ramos, Kimberly G.

1B Medicine

Reflection/Reaction Paper on Santigwar

applying it into practice in the coming years to contribute for the welfare of th

e society and make an impact in nation building.

For no man and no nation is an island, but a part of the main, there is no longer any East an

d Westonly individuals and nations making those momentous choices which are the hinges upo

n which history resolves.- Carlos P. Romulo