OUR AWESOME PLANET: The Voyage of the Balangay

I can't believe it! We have recreated the Balangay (the Philippines' ancient boat)! Aidan is sitting on a historic boat that is going to set sail on June 24 from CCP in Manila Bay to Tawi-Tawi. Don't miss the opportunity to visit this historic Balangay in CCP before it goes on its maiden voyage. Our Awesome Planet will feature the Balangay throughout its journey.

The Philippines has a rich maritime culture -- present even before the colonizers' arrival. Our ancestors viewed South East Asia as different islands connected by the sea, made accessible by the Balangay. When the Spaniards came, they tried to erase our maritime superiority by brainwashing the natives that it's not safe to go into the sea, which was part of their Divide-and-Conquer strategy.

Thanks to Art Valdez for recreating the awesome Balangay. Art is an undersecretary for the Department of Transportation and Communication. His claim to fame is that he is the visionary and driving force behind the Philippine Mount Everest team's dream of conquering Mt. Everest.

In May 2006, the team reached the summit of the Mt. Everest for the first time. Leo Oracion, Erwin "Pastor" Emata and Romi Garduce became the first Filipinos to reach the summit. The year after that, the Filipina team of Janet Belarmino, Noelle Wenceslao and Carina Dayondon successfully traversed Mt. Everest.

In June 2009, Art will set sail for the maiden voyage of the Balangay around the Philippines.

To better understand the significance of the Voyage of the Balangay, here is a photo-essay of the sequence of events leading to this maiden voyage. To be truly proud to be a Filipino, we must revisit our roots and proclaim our rich cultural history.

The Voyage of the Balangay Beginnings

On September 3, 1976, the relic of the oldest Philippine Watercraft was discovered in Butuan. Burial grounds with Oriental ceramics, gold ornaments and various evidence of a thriving port were also unearthed.

The discovered balangay dates back to 1,600 years ago and is carbon-dated at around 320 A.D. This is the oldest artifact on display in the Butuan Balanghay Museum. You can also see a partially reconstructed Balangay in the National Museum.

These ancient wooden boats used wooden pegs called "dowels" to join pieces of wooden planks together.

In 2004, Butuan historian Greg Hontiveros published his landmark book "Butuan of a Thousand Years", highlighting the significance of the discovery of the Balangay boats.

Here is a quote from the book:

"The archaeological discoveries in Butuan were really a product of an accident. The city government was constructing large canals or esteros to control the perennial floods in the latter part of 1974 when diggers struck strange wooden coffins and Chinese ceramic wares in great abundance...."

"In July 1976, antique hunters hit on the remains of a large wooden boat in sitio Ambangan of barangay Libertad, a couple of kilometers south of Suatan. This discovery was unprecedented in Asia: the balanghai boat relic were the eastern equivalent to the Viking boat discoveries in Northern Europe."

(Source: page 10 of "Butuan of a Thousand Years" by Greg Hontiveros)

On December 4, 2008 at the launch of the Philippine Mt. Everest Book, Art announced his latest project -- building the legendary Balangay to sail around the Philippines in 2009.

"The Kaya ng Pinoy Foundation, together with the Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition team, officially marked the beginning of their newest adventure, The Voyage of the Balangay, through the ceremonial laying of the keel. The event was held at the CCP grounds, Pasay City, on April 24, 2009 with Former President Fidel Ramos as the keynote speaker."

"The laying of the keel signals the start of a boat’s construction. It is an age-old tradition in boat building that invokes good fortune and safe voyage. The lashed-lug planked boat technology of the Balangay is attributed to the early inhabitants of Southeast Asia, the Austroneans—ancestors of the Filipinos."

(Source: Philippine Mount Everest Team Unveils the Voyage of the Balangay)

The Balangay was created using ancient construction methods. The shell is made of Dungon, which is the wood used by our ancestors.

The planks are connected with pegs (the "dowels"). After the shell is finished, that's the only time the wooden skeleton to support the U-shaped hull is created. (Usually, it is the other way around.)

To make the Balangay water-tight, they use natural resin from mangrove trees.

The only compromise in the Balangay's construction was the drill used to bore holes for the wooden pegs. Also, the Coast Guard requires a spare engine for any boat sailing the Philippine seas for safety reasons. (Our ancestors adapted to their times, so we don't see any reason why we can't have a Balangay with an engine.)

Master Balangay Project Manager, Judail Muyong, pointing to the final destination of the Balangay Voyage: Tawi-Tawi -- the home of the Badjaos' Master Builder who created the Balangay.

The Badjaos came from the Island of Sibutu in Tawi-Tawi.

Rey Santiago, National Museum senior researcher for archaeology, was part of the team who discovered the Balangay. He helped craft the design of the Balangay from their research. There was no blueprint available when they started to construct the boat.

Rey is showing the design plans for the deck floor and the nipa cover.

This is the faithful mini reconstruction of the Balangay for the Butuan Museum. (I really couldn't imagine that we'd get to see one recreated in our lifetime. :) )

The Balangay will be 15 meters long and 3 meters wide. It is a much bigger version of the Falowa for those who have traveled from Batan Island to Sabtang Island in Batanes. Our ancient boats did not have katig to stabilize them; instead, they followed the waves and hugged the shoreline.

A historic photo showing Art Valdez and Aidan of Our Awesome Planet.

All Filipino kids should see this monumental boat before it is transferred to the Manila Bay waters on June 12 (Independence Day) and before it sets sail on June 24 (Araw ng Maynila).

The Balangay's crew will be composed of Philippine Mount Everest Team members Leo Oracion, Edwin “Pastor” Emata, Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayondon, Janet Belarmino-Sardena, Dr. Ted Esguerra, Fred Jamili, Dr. Voltaire Velasco, and headed by Art Valdez.

Art Valdez' pet dogs will be joining them in their Balangay Journey.

Here is the detailed route of the Voyage of the Balangay in 2009:

The Voyage of the Balangay 2009 - Phase I - Philippine Waters

Grand Total Distance: 2,108 NM- 3,908KM

First Leg: Manila to Boracay - 248 Nautical Miles, 460 Kilometers

Second Leg: Boracay to Cebu City/ Mactan - 369 NM = 684 KM

Third Leg: Mactan to Cagayan de Oro - 374 NM = 693 KM

Fourth Leg: Cagayan de Oro to Zamboanga City - 299 NM = 554 KM

Fifth Leg: Zamboanga City to General Santos City - 380 NM = 705KM

Sixth Leg: General Santos City to Davao City - 158 NM = 293 KM

Seventh Leg: Davao City to Siluag, Tawi-Tawi - 280 NM = 519 KM

In 2010, the Balangay will retrace the trading routes in South East Asia!

On June 4, Thursday at 5:30pm, join us for a Bloggers' Event in the Balangay for a meet-and-greet with Art Valdez and the crew. You'll also get to join and varnish the Balangay!