Bohol’s artisanal sea salt making nominated for inclusion in UNESCO urgent safeguarding list

Bohol’s artisanal sea salt making nominated for inclusion in UNESCO urgent safeguarding list | Daily Tribune

After the inscription of the practice of weaving the piña, the pineapple leaf textile of the Akeanon people of Aklan, into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 6 December 2023, the Philippines has nominated the making of asin tibuok, Bohol’s artisanal sea salt, to be included in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list, but this time in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Established in 2010, the Urgent Safeguarding list is one of the three UNESCO intangible cultural heritage (ICH) lists. It comprises ICH elements that are in danger of vanishing and that “require urgent measures to keep them alive.” The other two are the Representative List, comprising “practices and expressions [that] help demonstrate the diversity of this heritage and raise awareness about its importance,” and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.

These lists are maintained in accordance to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and aim to foster better safeguarding and wider awareness and recognition of ICH elements.

The Philippines has one practice inscribed in the Urgent Safeguarding list — the complex thanksgiving ritual buklog of the Subanen people of western Mindanao, which was included in 2019.

The nomination of asin tibuok was prepared by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) and the provincial government of Bohol in collaboration with the mangasinays, or local salt makers, other culture bearers and practitioners, the municipal government of Alburquerque and the cultural organization Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage Council. Requirements were submitted by end of March this year.

“It was an idea that was brought to us by the National Museum of the Philippines who closely work with the mangasinays of Alburquerque. They saw a need to protect traditional salt making from threats to its viability. We talked with the mangasinays and they are worried about the future of salt-making, due to only few young people want to take up the craft,” said Gavin Michael G. Cubillo, project development officer of the Center for Culture and Arts Development (CCAD) of the provincial government of Bohol. “I believe submitting to UNESCO can help them protect their heritage and make sure that the long history of salt-making is not forgotten among Boholano youth. We want to make sure that they are empowered and we want to ensure the continuity of their way of life.”

Sea-soaked and chopped coconut husks are dried under the sun.
Photographs by Roel Hoang Manipon for the daily tribune

The kamalig or salt-making workshop in a mangrove area in Santa Fe, Alburquerque.

Old salt-making practice

Asin tibuok making is one of several traditional salt-making processes that is still being practiced in the Philippines today. The name means “whole salt” in Cebuano, the language predominantly used in Bohol, because the salt is not in granule form but is sold in big chunks the shape of an egg nestled in the shell of cracked pot. The ways of making this sea salt have largely remained intact since olden times, before the arrival of the Spaniards in 16th century.

“Ang asin tibuok usa ni siya ka artisanal sea salt nga widely in the Visayas Region in the Central Philippines. Sa unang panahon, in the 17th century, gihulagway kini in detail gyud ni Fr. Ignacio Alsina, isa ka Jesuit chronicler, bahin sa asin tibuok, na kini gitawag na ‘sal de Bisayas’ or salt of the Visayas (Asin tibuok is an artisanal sea salt that was widely produced in the Visayas Region in Central Philippines. In the 17th century, Father Ignacio Alcina, a Jesuit chronicler, described the asin tibuok, calling it ‘sal de Bisayas’ or ‘salt of the Visayas’),” Rachelle “Tata” C. Lacea said, administrative officer of the National Museum of the Philippines’ Bohol Area Museum (NMP-Bohol) in the island province’s capital, Tagbilaran City.

She further said, “Sauna pud, until in the 20th century, daghan pang mga lugar or mga lungsod nga nag-produce ug asin tibuok, dili lamang ag atoang nailhan karon nga Alburquerque, daghan pa ni. Sunod sa lungsod sa Alburquerque mao ang lungsod sa Loay, Valencia, ug ang Anda. So, until the 20th century, daghan kaayo ni sila nga mga gitawag nato na producers of asin tibuok. Not until today, not until this year 2024, mao na lang ang atoang lungsod sa Alburquerque which is 17 kilometers away from the city (In the 20th century, there were many towns which produced the asin tibuok, not just the Alburquerque, which were Loay, Valencia and Anda. Not until today, not until this year 2024, Alburquerque is the only town which produces the asin tibuok. The town is 17 kilometers away from the city).”

Coconut husks are burned and intermittently doused with seawater.

Workers ‘cook’ the brine at the oven to make salt.

Laborious process

The process of making asin tibuok is long and laborious, taking several days. It begins with gathering dry coconut husks, or bunot, from inland and upland areas and transporting them to the kamalig or salt-making workshop, which is in the mangrove area. In yesteryears, these husks are carried on the shoulders, transported by gakit or bamboo raft on the river, or carts pulled by carabaos.

The husks are collected in soaking enclosures called paril and are allowed to soak in seawater for three to six months to absorb the salt and other minerals. Mangasinays prefer making salt during the hot dry months of April and May when the tides are higher, filling the paril with more seawater.

The sea-soaked husks are then chopped into smaller pieces and are dried under the sun, getting these ready for burning. For several days, the salt makers continuously keep the fire burning, piling more coconut husks and sprinkling it with sea water using the traditional bamboo sprinkler called sag-ob or a modern-day watering can. The burning process produces a mound of hard ash and salt mixture called gasang.

Salt makers then break up the hard gasang into smaller pieces and gather them for the filtering process with the use of the sagsag, a funnel-shaped filter made of buri leaves. After placing the gasang into the sagsag, seawater is then poured into it to get a concentrated salt solution or brine called tasik, collected in a pasong placed at the bottom.

After enough brine is collected, the cooking process begins using the salt clay pots. Called kulun or k’un, the clay pots are used specifically for salt making, made by a few potters near the salt-making area.

The clay pots are arranged on a lagaan, a long stove made of hardened ash, inserting rocks into the set for stability. The makers fire the stove and then constantly pour tasik into the pots using a lagang or shell scoop, a bagol or coconut shell or a modern-day can. The cooking process continues until salt forms inside the pots. The bottom of the pots usually cracks, signaling that the asin tibuok is now fully formed. The pots of salt are left to cool down overnight and then scraped clean.

Until the early 1990s, salt-makers took the salt to upland areas to trade for un-milled rice and other produce such as corn, sweet potatoes and purple yams. According to an old salt maker, they produced salt twice a year, in time for the harvest season.

The salt was used to flavor rice porridge and a variety of dishes such as the traditional halang-halang manok tinunuan. It is also used to cure meats and fish and it was also fed to cattle and carabaos for their mineral needs.

Salt-making is practiced within families, the knowledge and skills passed on from one generation to the next.

A mangasinay making sagsag, a funnel-shaped filter, with buri leaves.
Photographs by Roel Hoang Manipon for the daily tribune

Dry coconut husks are soaked in seawater for several months.

A declining practice

Through the years, the practice of making asin tibuok declined, almost to the point of vanishing. In the salt-making area of Alburquerque, once bustling with salt workshops, there are now about four families left still making asin tibuok.

Several factors contribute to the decline including diminishing demand and lack of interest among the younger generation.

“Di gyud sila. Kay ako sauna pagsugod ani akong gi ingnan nga tan-aw mo diri aron maka-mao mo ba. Aron dili mawala ning pagbuhat sa asin. Di man gyud sila kay cellphone man hilabton. Hago maning trabahua (The younger ones are not into it. I told them to observe so that they can learn, so that the practice of salt-making will not fade away. But they are not interested. They are into their cellphones. This is because the work involved is really hard),” related 74-year-old salt maker Nestor Manongas. “Mao nang daghan ko gi tudluan nga mga kabataan aron dili mawala ning asinan kay ako tiguwang naman ko aron naay mo sunod, di gyud (I have taught many youths so that salt-making will not vanish, because I am already old, so that someone will carry on after me, but they are not really interested).”

Younger generations, while knowing the basics of salt-making, tend to pursue other kinds of livelihood that are more lucrative and less labor-intensive, often migrating to urban centers.

Also contributing to the decline of asin tibuok making is the enactment of Republic Act No. 8172 or An Act for Salt lodization Nationwide (ASIN Law) in 1995, which prevented asin tibuok from being sold in markets.

“Itong ASIN Law gi-require ang mga balay na mu gamit ug iodized salt, mao ni ang nakapahinay sa atoang asin tibuok. Kung dili na iodized salt or FDA approved, so usa gyud na ang naka pahinay sa atoang asin tibuok (This law requires households to use iodized salt. If the salt is not iodized or FDA approved, it is not recognized in the market),” Lacea said.

With the salt remaining unsold, several makers were forced to shut down several salt workshops, to leave their practice and find other means of livelihood.

Additionally, threats to the environment also have impacts on salt-making. Pollution and other factors adversely affect quality of seawater, the main resource of the practice. Mangasinay prefer making salt during dry months and climate change can have impacts on the frequency of the practice. Other resources, such as firewood used in “cooking” the tasik, are also diminishing.

The decline in asin tibuok making also affected other practices such as clay pot making. There are now very few potters in the town of Alburquerque.

Recent resurgence

But in recent years, people are discovering and rediscovering asin tibuok and it started gaining popularity. Several chefs and food makers have also began using the artisanal salt.

With the renewed attention on asin tibuok, a sense of community pride crystallizes for this chunk from its culinary heritage. It has become a cultural icon and marker of identity of Boholanos, symbolizing their creativity and craftsmanship; reflecting their way of life, familial strength and history, and representing the resiliency and dedication of culture bearers.

“Ang proseso sa pagama ning asin tibuok ni reflect sa dedikasyon, gugma, ug pagkamakugihon sa mga Alburanon sa among cultural values and heritage (The process of making asin tibuok reflects the dedication, love and diligence of the people of Alburquerque towards our cultural values and heritage),” said Don Ritchie P. Buates, mayor of Alburquerque.

The realization on the significance of the asin tibuok led to its nomination to the UNESCO list. Cubillo said that the inscription will mean “continuity of something that’s meaningful to them.”

“The ICH not only represents their livelihood but it also represents their pride of place and their identity as cultural bearers. Salt-making has a long history in the community of Santa Fe and to the rest of the coastal communities of eastern Bohol and it has shaped them to who they are today,” he said.

Bohol’s asin tibuok, which means ‘whole salt’ in Cebuano.

Pride and duty

A UNESCO inscription does not only mean honor for people of the island province in the Visayas in central Philippines. It also entails the duty and responsibilities of the state, the community and other stakeholders in crafting safeguarding measures for the practice. The nomination form requires safeguarding and action plans.

The communities and bodies involved have outlined a five-year safeguarding plan for asin tibuok’s continued practice and transmission, identifying five objectives. One goal is strengthening community engagement, which aims “to foster a sense of community ownership and pride in the practice of making asin tibuok through activities that aim to strengthen social cohesion and collective responsibility for safeguarding the tradition.” Other objectives include addressing environmental risks, which involves implementation of “measures that mitigate threats to salt-making sites and essential resources, including policies granting exemptions to certified salt-makers for traditional asinan sites;” revitalizing intergenerational transmission, which means encouraging “younger community members to participate in the transmission of knowledge and skills related to asin tibuok, instilling an appreciation for the tradition among younger generations; and enhancing economic sustainability and promoting slow food principles, meaning exploring “opportunities that would support the economic sustainability of asin tibuok through involvement in Slow Food principles, prioritizing sustainable and locally sourced ingredients while promoting the value of traditional culinary practices.”

“We want to see an increase among mangasinays and the younger generation to take part in safeguarding their community’s heritage. Right now, there are only few who practice pag-asin because of lack of interest from the youth. With an aging population of cultural bearers, it’ll be hard to safeguard the tradition with few practitioners left,” Cubillo said. “We hope to put up schools of traditions where the youth can learn about their rich heritage and history and where they can also be encouraged to actively take part in protecting their sense of self and empower their community.”

“Another thing we want to see is to inspire local legislators to do their part in safeguarding heritage by coming up with policies and ordinances that can preserve our culture for generations to come,” he added.