09/12/2025
BOHOL’S ASIN TIBUOK MAKING INSCRIBED IN UNESCO’S URGENT SAFEGUARDING LIST
Another milestone for Philippine heritage was achieved today, December 9, as UNESCO inscribed the practice of making asin tibuok, the artisanal sea salt of Bohol, into the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding during the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in New Delhi, India.
This marks the first Philippine traditional food process to ever be included in an UNESCO ICH list.
NCCA Chairman Victorino Mapa Manalo welcomed the news, noting that the inscription “honors the skill and devotion of our Boholano salt makers and affirms the centuries-old wisdom passed down through our ancestors.” Senator Loren Legarda added that the recognition “confirms that heritage is not a remnant of an earlier era, but a resource for national development and cultural pride.”
The National Museum of the Philippines likewise celebrated the inscription, calling it “a well-deserved and long-overdue recognition for Alburquerque’s mang-asinay, whose dedication has kept this important heritage alive across generations.” They added: “This UNESCO inscription also celebrates the artistry and craft of Alburquerque’s salt potters, whose skilled hands shape the very vessels that make traditional salt-making an enduring facet of Bohol's heritage. The recognition calls the National Museum to work ever more closely with the community to support the industry, uphold their role as economic and cultural drivers, and ensure its survival as a living testament to resilience and identity.”
This is the sixth inscription for the Philippines overall in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage lists after the hudhud chants of the Ifugao (inscribed in 2008), Darangen epic of the Meranaw people of Lake Lanao (2008), Punnuk tugging game of the Ifugao (2015) and Aklan piña handloom weaving (2023) in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity; the Subanen ritual buklog (2019) in the Urgent Safeguarding list; and the School of Living Traditions (2021) in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices
(Photos: Commissioner Ivan Henares, NCCA Documentation Team for Asin Tibuok Nomination, Roel Manipon)
