TAGBILARAN CITY – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is now protecting the Asin Tibuok, the artisanal sea salt of Alburquerque town by making it to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
After its formal presentation to the Philippine delegation on December 10, 2025, the UNESCO decision took place during the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held at the historic Red Fort Complex in Delhi, India, a UNESCO World Heritage site, according to the National Museum in its fb post, citing also the National Commission on Culture and The Arts (NCCA).
“The practice of making Asin tibuok was inscribed on December 9, marking a milestone as the first Philippine traditional food process to be included in a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list, and the seventh Philippine element across the three UNESCO ICH lists.”
Ernesto Renato Ottone Ramírez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, and Fumiko Ohinata, Secretary of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, presented the certificate to the Philippine delegation composed of representatives from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, National Museum of the Philippines, Philippine Embassy in France, Provincial Government of Bohol through the Center for Culture and Arts Development and the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage Council, the Municipal Government of Alburquerque and the Philippine Embassy in India led by ambassador Josel F. Ignacio and consul Melissa Anne M. Telan.
“Mang-asinay” or salt maker Felix Pinlac, Jr. represented the “Asin Tibuok” making community of Alburquerque during the presentation.
The traditional salt-making or “Asin Tibuok” has been practiced since the early 1700s, hence centuries-old. The labor-intensive salt-making is using the process of filtering the seawater thru ashes from burnt coconut husks and fire it for days until it produced the hard-like rock salt in a clay pot.
Joanne Pinat, Bohol tourism officer said that she welcomes the new feat Bohol has earned.
Gov. Aris Aumentado told media he thank the UNESCO, who also named Bohol the first Geo-park in the country in 2023, for the inscription of protection, saying Boholanos should be first to protect it. (Ric Obedencio)
