After lunch and some special halo-halo at DJC Halo-Halo & Snack Inn, we again boarded our van for the short, 7-km. drive to the quiet, little coastal village of Putsan, touted as the birthplace of pottery in the Philippines.  The barangay is said to be rich in red clay and feldspar which are the basic materials in pottery making.

Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (PhilCeramics)

Here, we were to visit Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (PhilCeramics), a state-of-the-art terra-cotta production center in the Bicol region which has been identified as a tourist destination by the Department of Tourism. The building, situated on a 1,500 square meter lot donated by the Barangay Council of Putsan to DTI-Albay, has a total floor area of 1,000 sq. m..

Clay being hand molded

PhilCeramics introduced the modern technology of pottery making in Tiwi which is now the leading terracotta ceramic industry in Bicol Region. This project of Department of Trade and Industry, allocated P15.7 million under the General Appropriations Act of 1994, started operating in January 2001.

A pair of steady and trained hands working on the potter’s wheel

The village then formed a cooperative, the Putsan Ceramics Manufacturers Association (PCMA), whose role was to process clay, through the PhilCeramics facility, and to sell them to the entrepreneurs.  PCMA now has 57 members from Brgys. Baybay, Bolo and Putsan. Three were able to put up their own display centers of their products. It now provides a sustainable livelihood through pottery making.

Various patterns being smoothly and uniformly carved out

Many potters, though, not yet ready to adapt to the modern processes, still choose to abide by the traditional method of pottery.  Traditional potters dry clay and molded pots under the sun along the sides of road or in front of their houses, and use the conventional way of baking, burning piles of hay and chaff on their yards, with the molded items underneath.

Painting designs in warm and vibrant colors

Of the 80% of households in Putsan that were into pottery, 20%used the PhilCeramics service facility while 60% stuck to the traditional methods of production. However, the two groups have different markets and there never was a competition between the traditional and modern potters. The traditional potters produce pots and big jars while the modern potters invest on decorative items.  The peak season of the industry is from December to March.

Aromatherapy burners

Specifically, PhilCeramics is mandated to undertake research and development activities and serve as a training center that will hone the skills of the local producers, giving rise to new breed of TC entrepreneurs. Today, it has developed 25 new entrepreneurs in Putsan who are active users of the service facility.

Stars and crescent moons carved into the jars

As a production center, it provides access to common state-of-the-art service facilities for clay processing, kiln firing, casting, use of spray booth, and electric throwing machines, thus enabling local producers to manufacture export quality products.. It is also a display center providing a space to interested local producers who wish to maintain an exhibit of their products. Through the transfer of appropriate technology, it also seeks to improve the quality of products.

As a product development center, it conducts continuing product development activities in coordination with the PDDCP and other agencies. A training center, it provides a series of basic and advance skills training to potential and existing TC workers, producers and entrepreneurs. For trade development, it conducts trade seminars and forums, trade fair participation and market matching activities that enhance the marketability of the terracotta wares.

Upon arrival, we observed the pottery making process within the factory.  The process begins with heaps of red clay being dug out.  The clay then undergoes a long, meticulous process to make them fine and ready for shaping.  Then, these chunks of red clay are ground, milled, sifted and pressed into finer lumps with a bit of water and white clay blended in the mixture. Three mixtures are used in making a pot – red clay (himulot na pula), black clay (himulot na itom) and feldspar (baras). Water is added to complete the formula. An average of 20 to 40 kilos of clay is produced daily.

The processed clay is then distributed to the parahurma (the local term for potter) of Putsan for them to mold right inside their homes, making modern pottery a communal enterprise in the village.  Jars and pots are then hand-molded in delicate shapes, by men, on top of an electric-driven throwing machine.  A pair of steady and trained hands works on the potter’s wheel, molding clay into the shape of pots or jars.

Pots being dried under the sun

Then creativity kicks in, with various patterns (butterflies, flowers, moon, stars, etc.) smoothly and uniformly carved out.  The molded and carved out jars and pots are then placed into petroleum gas-powered ovens and baked. Women paint the designs in warm and vibrant colors.  A tight watch is made over the oven as too much heat can also break the pots and jars.

Display center of finished products

Product prices vary depending on size and design but most do not exceed PhP500. The products made are mainly for local consumption since bringing them to Manila would be expensive due to the high cost of freight services from Albay. However, the local government is also extending financial help to the pottery industry with the long-term goal of penetrating the export market.

Ceramic key chains

Products include elegant vases (PhP50-250), ash trays (PkP50-100), pencil holders (PhP35-60), miniature jars cut and holed to become candle holders (PhP50-65)and aromatherapy burners (PhP65-300), key-chains (PhP10), ref magnets (PhP35), candle holders, decorative wind-chimes featuring butterflies and flowers (PhP75) and lamp shades (PhP65-150).  Coffee mugs and tea cups are made-to-order.

The ceramics from Tiwi, because of its improved quality and design, is now gradually being introduced to the world of fashion and interior design. Some ceramic-made accessories are now being fashioned into accents for bags, curtains and blinds. Ceramic accents that looked like cookies are used for wall frame products.

Horoscope key chains

While we were in the facility, we met up and chatted with Japanese Ms. Yukiko Takiguchi, Ms. Chiaki Koyama and 27 year old Mr. Yuji Ueno.  Yukiko, who arrived in Albay early this year, was studying pottery making in the facility.  During her training, she learned the Bicolano dialect.  When we arrived, she was assisting Chiaki at molding a pot at the potter’s wheel, with Yuji, a volunteer by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), looking on.

Yukiko and Chiaki at the potters wheel

Yuji, now working with Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO), also teaches students the concept of town watching, a popular activity on disaster education in Japan. Ueno is also bringing to Bicol the Iza! Kaeru Caravan, a famous Japanese fun-filled learning workshop and game on DRRM developed by PlusArts, a Japanese non-profit group, and the Japan Foundation.

PhilCeramics Arts and Crafts Center: Brgy. Putsan, Tiwi, 4513, Albay.

How to Get There: Tiwi is located 12 kms. from Tabaco City, 39 lms. from Legazpi City, and 538 kms. from Manila.  Brgy. Putsan is 2 kms. from the main road.

Another cottage industry that Albay is famous for is their abaca handicraft and furniture manufacturing. Abaca (100% biodegradable and eco-friendly) and abaca-based products have been a consistent dollar earner for the Philippines, one of only two abaca producers in the world (the other is Ecuador).  At the top of the list of manufacturers is Natural Carpet Industries (NCI) in Camalig.  NCI is one of the big abaca processors that supply high‐end abaca products.

Felipe Noe M. Mapa, Jr.

We dropped by NCI’s 7,300 sq. m. production area to observe the abaca product manufacturing process.  On arrival, we were welcomed by the 36 year old Camalig-born owner Mr. Felipe Noe Morin Napa Jr., Sumlang’s barangay captain and one of a pool of entrepreneurs and artists adept in creating innovative styles and designs that are in sync with global trends.

Rolls of carpets

Abaca baskets

A stack of finished rattan chairs

In 1995, Napa started his small handicraft business as Napa’s Handicraft, mortgaging almost all of the Napa family’s properties to set it up.  Manufacturing abaca rugs, rattan furniture and fixtures, it has survived tough competition from other handicraft producers, both here and abroad, paying its workers per piece of any hand-woven product they created.

Adding finishing touches to an abaca carpet

Now, NCI is debt-free, boasting of a complement of 120 skilled and experienced weavers and craftsmen.  They create world-class products largely to fill the demand of the export market, particularly in Australia, Canada, Middle East, Europe and China.  NCI has boosted Albay’s abaca industry and created more jobs in the province.  In 2014, Felipe received the Outstanding Albayano Award for Decorative Arts.

Basket maker at work

One of their major products is natural, eco-friendly abaca carpets which are available in so many styles and colors. Other products include abaca placemats, ottoman, carpets, sofa, beds, jelly lamps, blinds, baskets, mirror frames and, if you want, a coffin made from abaca. Like other manufacturers, they continue to produce diverse and unique products that have undergone meticulous research and conceptualization in order to ensure each product’s functionality and intricate designs.

Abaca strands being woven into a carpet

The manufacturing process begins with the fiber first being extracted from the trunk of the abaca (Musa textilis) plant. These are stripped by hand, dried, classified according to size, color and texture, and then segregated and stored in bales. Before weaving, each individual fiber is sorted out to ensure the consistency of the rug’s strength and superiority. The selected strands are then delicately and very carefully handwoven. From the cutting of a plant up to the start of weaving process takes about a month and a half. A 3 x 7-foot carpet takes one person a week to weave while bigger pieces can take about a month, using many different patterns.

Removing excess strands off a carpet

Natural abaca fibers are twisted and woven by hand. I observed a woman demonstrating how to weave an exquisite, boldly textured 14” x 19” placemat. She first collected the pinuron (strands of abaca fiber) using the spinning wheel and then takes two separately collected pinurons and  alternately inserts the threads into the wooden handloom.

A handloom for weaving abaca

She then steps on the left break, inserts the first pinuron to the left side of the thread, then pounds it. Next, she steps on the right break, inserts the second pinuron to the right side of the thread, pounds it.

Newly painted baskets are placed under the sun to dry

Natural Carpet Industries (NCI): Napa Bldg., Zone 5, Brgy. Sumlang, Camalig, 4502, Albay. Tel: (02) 738-9963.  Mobile number: (0917) 570-1830 and (0932) 811-1704. E-mail: napa_felipenoejr@yahoo.com.

Municipal Tourism, Culture and Arts Office: Camalig Tourism  and Pasalubong Center, Brgy. 2, Camalig, Albay.  Mobile number: (0927) 621-3315.  E-mail: camalig_tourism@yahoo.com.

Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO): Albay Tourism Bldg., Albay Astrodome Complex, Capt. F. Aquende Drive, 4500 Legaspi City, Albay.  Tel: (052) 481-0250 and (052) 742-0242. E-mail: albaytourism@yahoo.com and albaytourism@gmail.com.