THE very same members of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition team will now try to conquer the sea.
Three months from now, they are expected to reach mainland China using three balangay—traditional wooden boats used by early Filipinos.
They will travel to nearby Asian destinations. Throughout their voyage, they will try to invite one citizen of each country they visit to journey with them until they reach China by mid-October for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
Filipinos riding a balangay or a wooden boat. Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/popazrael/
“We are confident we can reach China and be back here again by late November or early December,” said former Transportation undersecretary Art Valdez at a press briefing on Tuesdays. Valdez is leading the team of the Kaya ng Pinoy foundation.
The foundation, he said, launches a new undertaking that will retrace the migration of our ancestors across the sea using only the native balangay used during ancient times.
The Balangay voyage, he added, will showcase and challenge Filipino ingenuity and native survival skills in this modern age by using natural seafaring technology.
Balangay Diwata ng Lahi and Masawa Hong Butuan have already conquered the Philippine archipelago. The Philippine voyage lasted for eight months. It started in Manila on September 1, 2009, and arrived in Zamboanga City on May 1, after 70 multiport stopovers.
“The stops helped rekindle maritime consciousness and heritage among the local population,” said Valdez.
The third Balangay Sama Tawi Tawi will be launched on July 16 in Butuan City. It will rendezvous with the two other boats in Zamboanga for their July 26 departure to China.
The first two balangay are currently docked in Zamboanga City undergoing repairs and logistical preparations for the voyage’s continuation.
The international leg of the voyage will take the balangay and their crew to Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam before finally journeying to China. The entire roundtrip will cover 14,000 km. The Philippine leg of the voyage already ran for 2,500 km.
“We want the balangay to not only be the source of unity for the country, but also a source of unity for the whole of Asia,” said Valdez.
He noted that the balangay was used by Southeast Asians in trading with China. “We want to commemorate this through the balangay’s new voyage,” added Valdez.
Source: Business Monitor
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