There was until last year in the Kawasaki area in Villanueva, Misamis Orienta, a Balete tree that stood alone in the midst of that industrial complex. This tree had resisted all efforts to fell it since the very beginning. A number of lives had been lost as the Hanil, a Korean Road Building Corporation, tried to get it out the way. The folks around claimed that the environmental spirits or engkantos have their hospital there; hence, they would never think of leaving the place. Since the spirits were adamant, the engineers had to yield and the tree was left standing in all its splendor until a mananambal was called in to intercede. After the performance of appropriate sacrifices, the mananambal was finally able to fell the tree and a fee of PhP1000 was paid for his services. A mute testimony to the power of the “spirits” over man and his technical projects. Perhaps, too, it was a mute witness to something else. This, we shall try to isolate in the course of this paper.