If you see a balete tree, avoid disturbing it to prevent sickness from spirits

Marco: Hey, slow down. Don’t walk too close to that balete tree.

Liza: Why? It’s just a tree, Marco. A very big, very old tree, but still… a tree.

Marco: “Just a tree,” she says. That’s a balete. You don’t disturb those. My lola always warned us—if you mess with it, the spirits there can make you sick.

Liza: Spirits with a grudge against pedestrians now? What did they do to earn that reputation?

Marco: Laugh all you want, but my cousin Jun got a fever after he carved his initials on one. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Liza: Or maybe your cousin carved a tree, didn’t wash his hands, and then ate street food. That combo alone is dangerous.

Marco: You scientists always have an explanation. But why is it always the balete tree stories? You never hear, “I got sick after hugging a mango tree.”

Liza: Actually, you might—if the mango tree is full of ants or mosquitoes. Balete trees are huge, shady, and damp. Perfect hangout for insects, fungi, and bacteria. Getting sick around them doesn’t require spirits.

Marco: But explain this: My neighbor said he heard whispers near a balete at night. Then his child got sick the next day.

Liza: Nighttime + quiet area + wind moving through roots and leaves = spooky sounds. And kids get sick all the time. We just connect the dots backward because the story is scarier that way.

Marco: You’re saying my lola made this up?

Liza: Not made up—passed down. Before people knew about germs, mosquitoes, or allergies, blaming spirits was a way to explain illness and teach kids to stay away from potentially unsafe places.

Marco: So you’re saying balete trees are dangerous… just not spiritually?

Liza: Exactly. Old trees can have falling branches, slippery roots, bats, and insects. Avoiding them isn’t bad advice—just the explanation changed.

Marco: Hmm. But what about people who pray before passing a balete and feel safe afterward?

Liza: That’s psychology. When you feel protected, stress drops. Lower stress helps your immune system. The prayer helps you, not the spirits.

Marco: You really know how to ruin a good horror story.

Liza: Or upgrade it. Instead of “angry spirits will make you sick,” it’s “nature has hazards—respect them.”

Marco: So if I get sick tomorrow, can I still blame the spirits?

Liza: Only if you didn’t eat questionable fish balls tonight.

Marco: …Okay, fair point. But I’m still not touching that tree.

Liza: That’s fine. Respect nature, just don’t fear it for the wrong reasons.

Marco: Deal. You bring the science, I’ll bring the folklore. Together, we survive the Philippines.