Anting- anting are forms of traditional Filipino spiritual power that were used as invocations against evil, harm, or misfortune. Examples might include charms, amulets, tattoos, or medicine bag that were worn on the body of an individual. Specifically, it may have been an amulet made from stone, often worn around the neck. It is said to be a means of protection and also a device that can distract or influence an opponent in combat, creating an opportunity to attack and overcome successfully. Strong anting-anting was reputed even to protect the owner from being cut or shot in battle.
Oracion is a prayer, often in Latin that can be spoken or recited mentally and serve to protect or strengthen, for example, to protect from any ill fate that could befall someone when traveling . They can are also said to add power to an anting-anting object.
During the time that the Spanish held dominion over the Philippines, oracions were preserved by tattooing them on the body, in an ancient Philippine script known as alibata that is thought to have been derived from Sanskrit. It is believed that for these prayers to work they must be inherited.
source: Mark Wiley
(Re-produced under fair-use and with credit)