MANILA, Philippines - Philippine history is filled with heroes past and present who have inspired the nation to achieve one glorious victory after another. This year, yet another testament to Filipino courage, strength and determination will be added to these chronicles: The Philippine Mount Everest Team, considered modern-day heroes, will once again put Filipino resiliency to the test as they embark on an ambitious transatlantic ocean voyage with nothing but a replica of an ancient boat, ancestral seafaring technology, their supporters’ good wishes and a prayer.
Called the Balangay Voyage, the project aims to retrace the migration of our ancestors, who circumnavigated the world onboard the balangay. By highlighting the historical boat, it also aims to promote patriotism and pride in Filipino heritage and tradition, a mission shared by all the project partners who were present at the replica’s unveiling last June 27 at the CCP Complex in Pasay City.
“The Balangay Voyage will be a perfect showcase of the kind of unbelievable potential that Filipinos can unleash, something Jollibee has always believed in,” remarked Gold F. Tantoco, vice president for marketing of Jollibee, one of the project’s biggest supporters.
The Balangay crew
Kaya ng Pinoy Foundation’s Art Valdez, whose organizational expertise and rich experience led the Philippine Mount Everest Expedition in 2007, is the guiding light of the balangay undertaking. His team is composed of the same group who made history in 2007 by scaling Mount Everest’s treacherous heights, namely Leo Oracion, Erwin Emata, Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayondon, Janet Belarmino-Sardena, Dr. Ted Esguerra, Fred Jamili and Dr. Voltaire Velasco.
Before the actual transatlantic voyage, Valdez and his team will test the waters, literally, to determine the preparedness of the vessel and its crew for the gargantuan task.
An initial local journey will commence this year, stopping at 75 docking points - many of which have a Jollibee store nearby - from Manila to Davao. This expedition alone will take six to seven months, with the crew spending two to five days in each stopover to conduct medical missions, coastal clean-up and reforestation initiatives. Jollibee will likewise support the Balangay crew and other volunteers during these activities.
From its final stopover in Davao, the bigger journey will commence. The group will proceed along the following global routes: Southeast Asia in 2010; Micronesia and Madagascar in 2011; Pacific Ocean heading to the Atlantic Ocean, then around the world in 2012; and back to the Philippines in 2013.
Using ancient boat-building techniques from Southeast Asia, master boat builders from the Island of Sibutu in Tawi-Tawi constructed the four-to-five-ton balangay at the Reclamation Area in Manila.
Following ancient tradition, these Badjao boat builders used all-native materials such as cabo negro, local plants and nipa palm fruit, among others, in constructing the historic vessel.