Ano ba ang Evil Eye? Understanding ‘Usog’ and How Filipinos Protect Themselves
From Manila to Singapore, the ‘usog’ or ‘bati’ belief travels with us. Here’s what it actually is, what the traditional protections are, and — just as important — when the symptoms need a doctor, not a prayer.
Usog is the Filipino name for the evil eye: the belief that a strong look or sudden admiration can pass illness to someone, most of all a baby. Families guard against it with "pwera usog" and a red string, but most symptoms blamed on it have medical causes.
Every Filipino has heard "Baka nausog ka" from lola or "Puwera usog" from a tita over a newborn.
Ano nga ba ang evil eye?
In Filipino folk belief, the evil eye goes by usog, bati, or in some regions mata. It can hit a baby, a pregnant woman, or sometimes an adult.
It doesn't have to be malicious. Most accounts blame a stare or a burst of affection toward a cute baby.
Other cultures share the belief: mal de ojo in Mexico, nazar in Turkey and India, mati in Greece.
Kailan siya tumatama
The classic setup:
A stranger or relative looks at a baby, says "Ang cute naman ng bata," and leaves.
Hours later, the baby is fussy, colicky, running a low fever, or won't feed.
A tita or lola takes one look and says: "May bati."
In older children and adults: sudden stomach pain or cramps, chills, fatigue, an unexplained low fever, vomiting after a new encounter, or malaise "out of nowhere."
The giveaway is timing: symptoms start soon after contact with the nagka-bati and clear once the "eye" is lifted.
Paano nga ba mag-protect
"Pwera usog" said out loud or under the breath when a stranger praises a baby. It's a verbal shield, not a curse on the stranger.
A cross of saliva. The person who (maybe) gave usog wets a finger and draws a small cross on the baby's forehead.
A red string or beaded bracelet on the baby, sometimes with a small religious medal or anting-anting.
The sign of the cross before leaving the house or entering a crowd with a baby or pregnant woman.
Herbs and smoke rituals: tawas (alum), dried herbs or blessed oil. Some families call a manghihilot if symptoms don't pass.
Avoiding crowded wet markets and busy malls with babies in their first weeks.
These rituals give a family a moment of care around a vulnerable child.
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What doctors say
Most symptoms blamed on bati have medical explanations: overstimulation, teething, gas, an early viral infection, a missed nap, a warm room.
Babies have a small tolerance for noise, crowds and irregular feeds.
The belief is wrong about the cause but often right that something is going on.
When to stop ritualising and see a doctor
If your baby, or any loved one, shows any of these, go to a GP or polyclinic now. Don't wait for bati rituals to "work first."
Fever of 38°C or higher in an infant under 3 months: always, no exceptions.
Fever that doesn't break within 24–48 hours at any age.
Poor feeding, or refusal of breast or bottle for more than a feeding cycle.
Lethargy: unusually sleepy, hard to wake, floppy.
Fast or laboured breathing, or chest pulling in with each breath.
Persistent vomiting or signs of dehydration (sunken fontanelle, few wet diapers, dry mouth).
A rash that doesn't fade when pressed, or any rash with fever.
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In Singapore, go to a neighbourhood polyclinic for low-cost primary care, the 24-hour children's emergency at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, or any private GP.
Multicultural crowds mean more strangers cooing at your baby. Most Filipino parents here say a quiet "pwera usog," keep a red bracelet on the baby, and skip explaining it.
Trust your instincts, but not over medicine. If an elder insists on ritual before clinic, do both. The ritual comforts your family; the doctor treats the cause.
