Bolitas: Pinoy’s secret ‘weapon’

Mature readers only. Reader discretion is advised.

Who said the “secret weapon” called bolitas (penile implant) among Filipino men is a thing of the past?

Three weeks before Valentine’s Day, Marvin (family name not revealed) from Tagbilaran City decided to see Marlon (family name not revealed) to undergo an “operation.”

Penile implant like bolitas is still popular with Filipino 

men who want to increase sexual confidence 

and reinforce masculinity.  Leo Udtohan

At home, Marlon, 34, had already prepared syringe, alcohol, Lidocaine (a local anesthesia), cotton, povidone-iodine (Betadine), bandage and a sharpened used toothbrush he would use for the “operation.” He doused the round object called “bolitas” in alcohol.

Bolitas are round objects inserted under the skin of the penis to add texture to the penis.

Marvin, 23, an office clerk, brought rum and some pulutan (appetizers).  He said the rum would help him relax before the “operation.” He said decided to undergo an “operation” to “surprise” his girlfriend of two years this Valentine's Day. 

After the drinking spree, Marvin was ready for the “operation.” Marlon took the syringe and draw out the local anesthesia, and injected it into Marvin’s ding-a-ling!

After Marvin experienced numbness in his tool, Marlon made an incision under the skin of the penis through the sharpened toothbrush, and inserted the bolitas.

Marlon, also known to friends as “Dr. Bolitas,” is a habal-habal (motorcycle) driver. He has been performing penile insert for 20 years. He said his clients range from students, army, seamen, policemen and some professionals.

“Tanan kung kinsa lang ganahan magpataud og bolitas (Anyone can have bolitas),” said Marlon. He also said that bolitas is a “secret weapon” to increase sexual confidence and reinforce masculinity.

Marvin heard about bolitas from his friends. He said he was “satisfied” with his size. However, he consented to the procedure “out of curiosity” as he wanted more as a man.

“Gusto lang ko malipay pag-ayo akong uyab (I want to make my girlfriend happy),” he said.

For Marlon, he said that his procedure was safe since he had soaked all the materials in antiseptic.  He advised “customers” to take antibiotic after insertion to prevent infection.

So, how’s the tool doing?

“Very well, thank you,” said the proud owner.

But how many bolitas?

"Maayo kung usa, duha or tulo fight nana kaayo (One is good, two or three is better)," he said. Other can have six bolitas.

But how long bolitas can stay in the penis is not known yet. 

Marvin is among the Filipino men who believe that penile implant enhance the sexual pleasure and make them unforgettable to women.

The penile insert or “enhancement” for pleasure has been in Visayan culture for centuries, said Bohol-based psychologist Jerome Magallen, Ph.D.

Bolitas is either made of plastic formed out of melted spoons, ballpens, toothbrushes, chopsticks, deodorant rollers, rosary and necklace beads; metal pellets or steel ball bearing; or mineral-type stones such as titanium, ivory, jade, porcelain or fiberglass and silicone implant. 

Other forms of genital modification are piercing, Prince Albert, humps, split and sub-incision. Some men injected silicone liquid or collagen to their members to increase girth.

Marvin said he got his own bolitas from the small glass stopper of Emperador and The Bar.

“Basta kadtong gusto malipay ilang partner, muguwa ilang pagka-resourceful, maggama ilang kaugalingon bolitas o mangayo libre sa ilang higala (Those who have the desire to make their partners happy, they become resourceful, they make their own bolitas or got them for free from their friends),” said Marlon.

On why men want penile insert, according to Magallen, penis size has been a source of anxiety for men in different cultures throughout history.

“Men want to improve self-esteem and impress their partners,” said Magallen.

He also said that men try penile insert or genital modification because of sexual insecurities, peer pressure and curiosity. 

“Maybe it’s their coping mechanism or maybe they have a bad sexual experience and they feel they were not able to satisfy their partners,” he said. “They feel inadequate and often feel a need to enlarge their penises.”

Magallen also cited some cases that men have bolitas before marriage, but remove them when they settle down with one woman.

“Why remove the bolitas if the purpose is to please a woman? Since they were thinking that their partners become sex addicts because of their bolitas, they worry that they will seek other men for pleasure,” he explained.

The group “Samahang May Bolitas at Humps” (SMBH), a page on Facebook, said that the origin of penile insert or genital beading is unclear.

“Men in some areas of South East Asia, including Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia have a long history of inserting or implanting various objects in their penises. The origin of these practices is unclear, but some researchers say that they were copied from Chinese or Arab traders who visited Southeast Asia, while others argue that it is an indigenous innovation,” it said.

SMBH also cited that ancient Filipinos were known to wear embedded ornaments on their penis. He said that Ferdinand Magellan’s chronicler Antonio Pigafetta noted that “both young and old males pierce their penises with a gold or tin rod the size of a goose quill, its ends shaped like the head of a nail.”

Before bolitas became popular among Filipino sailors in 1980s, men in late 50’s and early 60’s used “goat’s eye” (pilok sa kanding or pilik mata) from the part of the eyelash of a goat as tool to enhance sexual pleasure of a woman which makes her crave for the sexual act.

“The bolitas is a much improved invention of Filipino’s resourcefulness and ingenuity,” it said.

Now, humps (with the use of silicone rod or string) is becoming popular, the group added. 

Dr. April “Doc April” Lumuthang-Froilan, who runs the Touch of April General and Cosmetic SurgiCenter (4^th Floor, Lim Hong Medical Arts and Wellness Center beside Ramiro Hospital, Contact No: 09283687041/09424911018),  in Tagbilaran City, said that in many cultures men think “The bigger the better” and being “too small” is still regarded very humiliating in many cultures.

“Is bigger really better?” asked Doc April.  She said the answer varies from person to person.

“Is penile insert (bolitas) safe?” she asked. “It is safe as long as it is sterile and done with a medical practitioner.”

Doc April, who finished her cosmetic surgery at Pan Pacific Aesthetic Institute, said there are  bolitas operations being performed by a friend or neighbor using a sharpened toothbrush or ballpen cap to make an incision for the bolitas which could not be safe. 

Doc April said that penile inserts have medical complications including throbbing pain, inflammation and infections.

She also said that not all sexual partners enjoy the feeling of genital beads.  She said that there are reports of women who have complained of pain during intercourse and implants have been known to cause bleeding and damage to their vagina.

Some reports said that there are some women feel no difference between a normal penis and a penis studded with bolitas, she added.

She also said that those men who are not “gifted” can have penile enlargement by a cosmetic surgeon.  

“One procedure adds thickness, the other adds length,” she said.

“It is still the performance that counts,” said Doc April, "There are many ways on how to enjoy sex in safest ways."

With many sex products in the market today to enhance sexual pleasure, the small thing called bolitas is still popular among Filipino men.  

Days of slight pain and inconvenience, and then, enjoy.

(Note:  Jerome Magallen, Ph.D. offers counselling or life coaching services. Visit him at University of Bohol- Guidance Center. Dr. April Lumuthang-Froilan’s Touch of April offers noselift (rhinoplasty), nosetrim (alarplasty), eyebag removal (lower blepharoplasty),  slit eye ( upper blepharoplasty), cleft chin creation, dimple creation, buttocks augmentation, vaginal repair (vaginoplasty), virginity restoration (hymenoplasty), penile enlargement/lengthening, ear reconstruction (otoplasty), breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tuck,  lip reduction, chin augmentation, warts/mole, keloid removal, botox injection and glutathione injection.)

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