"Sa States kasi, it’s a religion. Organized na sila. Dito kasi part of the informal sector. The informal sector—it doesn’t get counted. Kahit marami, significant number, hindi siya ika-count," Ishilta says.
He adds that their initial perspective was that legalization would save them the trouble of hiding from their families and concealing their rituals and celebrations.
However, Ishilta now offers a different view. He explains that the legalization of Wicca could bring commercialization and the loss of creative freedom for Wiccans.
"I don’t want to make it an organized religion, kasi [our being unorganized] sets us apart from mainstream religion. Once you legalize it, may conformity na. Eh ang Wicca, walang conformity. Na-e-express mo ‘yung individuality mo," Ishilta says.
Manuel Victor Sapitula, a Sociology professor at UP, affirms Ishilta’s view. “Pag na-institutionalize siya, it’ll be limiting,” he says. “Institutions are boundary-maintaining realities. They define turfs. ‘Yung sense of adaptation, mawawala.”
He adds that it is up to Wiccans what religious group they would want to be.
“Would they want to remain a loose confederation of covens, or would they establish a Wiccan church, a Wiccan denomination?” Sapitula says. “They have to grapple with that. They have to know the consequences of that.”
What Rolando Comon Jr., founder of the Wiccan group Luntiang Aghama, suggests is regulation of Wiccan practices. He thinks that regulation is needed to curb Wicca malpractice and guide newbies.
Comon's group, which has nearly a thousand members, is advocating for formal training for Wiccans.
“Dumarami ang sumusunod sa yapak. Sa dami, kailangan ng regulation,” Comon says. “Our salvation is being free. But sa sobrang freedom na pinanghahawakan, you can do anything. Freedom without responsibility is chaos.”
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