Pottery Making

Overview

Pottery making in Talibon, Bohol — centered in Barangay Bagacay — is one of the province’s traditional craft industries. Artisans work clay through traditional kilns, using techniques passed down through generations. The primary output is vases and functional pots.

The pottery is sold through several channels: at Talibon’s own market, at the town market in Calape, and at craft stands along the Loboc River cruise route. Prices range from PHP 150 to PHP 500 per piece. Potters also supply pottery resellers and accept orders from store owners and customers in Talibon and surrounding towns.

Location

Barangay Bagacay, Municipality of Talibon, Bohol. Talibon is in northern Bohol, approximately 80–90 km from Tagbilaran City.

[FACT NEEDED: precise GPS coordinates of pottery workshops in Bagacay; whether there is a central production area or workshops are spread across the barangay]

Getting There

From Tagbilaran City, take a bus or van to Talibon (approximately 2–2.5 hours via the northern route). From Talibon town center, ask for Barangay Bagacay; the distance from town center is not specified in source data.

[FACT NEEDED: specific directions from Talibon town proper to the pottery area in Bagacay; habal-habal availability]

Practical Info

• Products: vases and functional pots (primary items listed)
• Price range: PHP 150–500 per piece
• Sales outlets:
  • Talibon town market
  • Calape town market
  • Loboc River cruise stands (craft vendors)
  • Direct orders accepted from store owners and resellers
• Techniques: traditional clay and kilns, generational craft transmission
• [FACT NEEDED: whether workshop visits are open to tourists; number of active potters in Bagacay; whether the craft has any formal recognition or association]

What to Expect

The pottery industry in Bagacay is a working craft operation, not a purpose-built tourist attraction. Visitors who make the effort to reach the barangay can expect to see traditional pottery production in a working household or small-workshop setting. The output — vases and functional pots — reflects everyday utility rather than decorative export ware.

Most tourists encounter these pieces secondhand, at the Loboc River cruise souvenir stands. Buying directly in Talibon or Calape skips that markup and puts more of the price in the potter’s hand.

Academic fieldwork gives a detailed picture of the craft. A 1986 SEAMEO SPAFA ethnoarchaeology training course was held in Bagacay (July 22–September 22), during which researchers Mary Jane Calderon and Thelma Roales documented the village’s pottery tradition for the SPAFA Digest (1987). At that time Bagacay had approximately 51 household potters, most from the third or fourth generation of potting families, with few of their children continuing the craft. Potters make three product types — cooking pots, water-container pots, and decorative pots — traditionally graded by size under named categories (from smallest to largest: anlet, segunda, upat singco, tagdusan, uno y media), reflecting a pricing system dating to the 1930s. Before working a new clay source, potters historically performed a ritual called “pag-abang” (a form of payment to the spirits believed to guard the clay), which involved offering a red-feathered rooster — the red plumage was believed to influence the reddish color of the fired pots. Two forming techniques are used: pinching/hand-molding and paddle-and-anvil; a decorative technique called “giring-giring” (short linear impressions made with the edge of the paddle) is applied to cooking pots and water containers.

A follow-up ethnoarchaeological study by researcher Rhayan G. Melendres (“After 30 Years and During a Pandemic,” 2021) revisited Bagacay’s potters in 2017–2018 and again during the 2021 pandemic, documenting changes in production, organization, and distribution over the intervening three decades — including the continued pressure on the craft from cheaper aluminum and plastic containers.

Notes

• The Loboc River cruise market is a major secondary distribution point for Bohol’s traditional crafts; Talibon pottery is among the items that circulate through it.
• Pottery making is listed under both Shopping and Cultural Tourism in the BPTO taxonomy, reflecting its dual role as a craft heritage activity and a retail product.
• [TO ENRICH: workshop visit protocols; whether a formal cultural tourism program exists; current (2026) number of active potters, given the documented generational decline]

Sources:

• A Description of Pottery Making in Talibon, Bohol – SPAFA Digest (1980–1990), by Mary Jane Calderon and Thelma Roales, accessed 2026-07-17.
• After 30 Years and During a Pandemic: Pottery Production and Distribution in Bagacay, Talibon in the Island of Bohol in the Philippines, by Rhayan G. Melendres (2021), accessed 2026-07-17.
• Ceramics And Pottery – The Local Government Unit of Talibon, Bohol, accessed 2026-07-17.