The anting-anting, the Philippine amulet, is an essential part of the Filipino folk credo and mythological makeup.
Although it has undergone an evolution of context, commerce and use, the anting-anting still figures heavily in the daily lives of rural folk. Steeped in myth and religion, the anting-anting links to the Filipino's belief in the soul and his ideas on leadership, power, nationalism and revolution, and contributes a fascinating facet to the complex rural psyche.
Its mythological roots precede Spanish colonization and Catholicism. Long before the Spaniards came the natives worshipped their ancestral anitos and a host of gods, and among the Tagalogs, Bathala (Infinito Dios) reigned supreme. This ancestral spirituality laid the rudiments for the anting's body of beliefs and its variety of powers. Centuries of colonial Catholicism further provided many esoteric and pagan elements, incorporating religious icons and concepts — the Holy Spirit (Ispiritu Santo), Holy Trinity (Santisima Trinidad), Holy Family (Sagrada Familia), Virgin Mother (Virgen Madre), the Eye, and many more —into the credo of anting-anting.
In its revolutions and wars, in the recurrent struggles of the poor and marginalized against the invaders and colonizers, in the conflicts and skirmishes against the rich oppressors, the anting-anting has been the essential part of the Filipino battle gear, worn with the belief that its spiritual and magical powers will provide invincibility, protection or the edge that would shift the imbalances of power into parity.
To the millenarians of Mount Banahaw and the other societies, brotherhoods and religious cults, the Infinito Dios (Bathala), the ancient Tagalog God, is the most powerful. The Infinito Dios was used as amulet, drawn on vests worn to deflect the bullets from the invading American forces.