House Bill Officially Declaring Balangay To Become The National Boat Of The Philippines Approved
BALANGAY – A bill was recently approved by the House panel to officialy declare the balangay boat the national boat of the Philippines.
According to the Manila Bulletin, in the panel, the one who approved House Bill 1943, which was primarily authored by Lawrence Lemuel Fortun, Agusan del Norte Representative, was approved by the Roman Romulo, the Pasig City representative who also chaired the panel.
Romulo further said that they unanimously approved the bill officially declaring the wooden watercraft as the national boat of the Philippines.
Formerly known to be associated with the Butuan boat, it is a wooden boat made from bounded carved-out planks edged with pins and dowels.
The boat was firstly known from the writings of Antonio Pigafetta, who called the boat “balangai”. The boat is also mistaken for a community called “barangay” which got its name from the boat.
Balangai is only found in the Philippines where it was used by people in the ancient times to secure trade relations with other neiboring islands around the nation and empires around Southeast Asia.
As of now, there are nine boats in existence, with the oldest one was way back around 320 A.D.
Fortun said that it is a source of pure national pride that Filipinos should never forget. For Fortun, it is time that the balangai is included in the official roster of national symbols.
As per the report, Fortun further said that it deserves a rightful place not just in museums but also in the minds of the Filipino people, adding that by declaring the nation’s national boat will make sure that future generations will see the contribution of the ancestors in shaping the nation.
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