When was the last time you thought about commitment? Was it yesterday? Or when you had to sign the university enrollment form a year ago? Maybe when you felt good about making your first ceramic piece last weekend? Then, you started to think about pursuing a more comprehensive and lengthy ceramic training program.
For Agustin Cabance, a potter from Brgy. San Felipe, Tantangan, South Cotabato, commitment is not just an idea but a daily part of his life for many decades.
“Kon ikaw isa ka-potter, katunga gid na sing kabuhi mo ang pag-pottery¹,” Cabance warmly shared these words as I sat in front of a pile of terracotta pots he made while Oda, enamored by the tranquility of the province, took a quiet nap in a duyan nearby. What Cabance wanted to highlight was the deep dedication it takes to become a potter and being a potter means half of your life is committed to the art of pottery-making.
Cabance came from a family of potters. The Juanillos, relatives of Cabance’s grandparents, were originally from Iloilo but they moved to Tantangan, which was still part of Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur back then, in the 1970s. They have been practicing pottery-making since they were living in Iloilo but they did not know how to cultivate land for farming, and so they had to continue their pottery practice in Tantangan for a source of living. Among all the other areas in the province, they found the right spot where they can harvest a suitable clay for their pottery works along the grounds of Brgy. San Felipe in Tantangan, South Cotabato. Hence, the forefathers of Cabance decided to settle in San Felipe and invited his grandparents to migrate in the same barangay through a telegram. Together, as one of the earlier settlers of San Felipe, they sold terracotta planting pots, kolon or a cooking pot in Hiligaynon, banga (jars), and kalan (traditional cooking stove). But unlike today, they used a method they call “pikpik” which is closely similar to how the many generations of potters in Aklan and in Antique create a palayok — the usual traditional cooking pot in the Philippines.
It was only when a man from the Dizon family of Pampanga brought a pottery wheel to San Felipe when Cabance’s relatives learned how to throw on a wheel. Cabance, the third generation potter of their family, was already seven years old at that time when they encountered their first pottery wheel. Dizon, who taught them how to throw, was the same person from Pampanga who also made visits to the potters of Digos, Davao del Sur. However, we cannot confirm if he also brought the first pottery wheel to the potters of Digos.
“Nakita ko man abi halin sang nag-pottery ang mga ginikanan ko. Amo na indi ko gid ni pag-bayaan kay mabuhi ka gid basta pisan ka lang. Parehas sa amon, amo lang nang gakabuhi sa amon halin sang gamay. Ang mga kabataan ko amo man nang nakabuhi²,” Cabance reflected on the role of his ancestors in helping him understand the impact of pottery-making in their lives. He acknowledges that he had seen the value of pottery-making from his parents and its value has been passed on to the next generations. He affirms that pottery-making may be an exhausting day-to-day experience, but every sacrifice will never be a waste.
It may take a lot of strength and energy to commit to pottery-making but he has seen how it helped him and his family grow together, not only in monetary rewards but also in nurturing their connections with each other. Because of this notion, despite having another responsibility as the Punong Barangay of San Felipe, Tantangan, Cabance promises to pursue pottery-making in remembrance of his forefathers who worked hard for their successors’ harvest, in a strive for fostering a culturally appreciative youth, and in the name of his home – San Felipe, the heart of pottery in the province of South Cotabato.
The pottery scene in Tantangan only started to slow down when the COVID-19 pandemic made its deadly visit. You either had lower sales or no sales at all. Since then, many people who were only doing pottery for the sole motivation of making money had to close their pottery stores. They did not lift a finger to fight for it.
Cabance swiftly points out that money should not be the only motivation and the ultimate drive for pottery-making; one must get to know the medium step-by-step and learn it with more depth in order to stay in a relationship with pottery. Trained potters with one hundred percent commitment to the discipline of ceramic-making allows them to generate new strategies and exhaust all possible ways to save the craft. He also mentioned that it is important to think about the matters of sustainability first.
As I exchanged a couple of laughs and glances of reverential respect at Sir Agustin Cabance, I was also reflecting on his words and realized that our relationship with clay stays longer if we think of it as if we are dating to marry and not only dating for the sake of free food on dates and receiving luxurious gifts on monthsary dinners. As I was lost in thought for a few seconds, I remembered I had to ask my last question since Oda and I had to leave for my mom’s adobo that awaits us at home. And so I asked him about his aspiration for the tradition of pottery-making in San Felipe, Tantangan. Cabance, a third generation potter carrying his hometown’s legacy and an advocate for cultural preservation, uttered these words with pure determination:
“Tani hindi madula ini asta sa pinaka-last nga henerasyon. Damo nahimo ang pottery sa amon kinabuhi, tani hindi ni pagkalimtan bisan ano pa mangin propesyon sang mga kabataan. Hindi ko ni pagbayaan kay naumpisahan ko na ining amo ni nga palangabuhian.”
And his words may be understood as:
“I hope that this (pottery-making tradition) lasts up until the final generation. Pottery has done a lot for our lives and may the youth never forget about it no matter what professions they may have. I shall continue what I started and never forsake this way of life (pottery-making).”
The following Hiligaynon phrases and sentences above may be understood as:
¹ If you are a potter, half of your life is spent on pottery-making.
² I witnessed my parents’ pottery journey. And that is the reason why I will never forsake pottery-making. I believe that you can make a living from pottery for as long as you have the perseverance. Look at us, pottery allowed us to live a good life since we were young. Even my children are free to live their lives because of the work I do in pottery-making.
Lin Bajala, raised in South Cotabato, is a poet with literary works in Filipino and Hiligaynon. Her poems metaphorically describe the pain of losing, longing, and hoping.
She is also the curator for the core programs of Odangputik Art Space which are mainly designed for the progress of Philippine contemporary ceramics. Her practice often integrates decentralized structures and interdisciplinary concepts.
She took Master in Business Management Major in Finance in Mindanao State University and she is currently studying Art Studies in the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Above all things, Lin would prefer to introduce herself as a crazy cat lady.