of the philippines' population, but people living on remote islands still hold on to local super stigss. nhk world visited one island said to have people with magical powers. >> reporter: the philippines is made up of more than 7,000 islands. some are large and well known. others, smaller and mysterious. one island in particular is shrouded in suspicion. since ancient times, mere mention of its name has evoked fears. people on the streets of manila have heard the rumors. >> i don't think it's safe or not. >> why? >> because of that. that magic. >> translator: people say shamans live there. >> reporter: they're talking about this island about 600 kilometers south of manila and home to some 90,000 people. we went there to look for the shamans. people at the port told us to head for the mountains. we rented a car and drove about 40 minutes to a remote village. a man inside a house was performing what looked like a ritual. excuse me, are you shaman? >> yeah. >> reporter: about 100 people on the island are believed to practice shamanism. locals visit them for healing. shamans use secret folk