Balangay boat excavation @ 50: A legacy to ASEAN
By Mariesh F. Celedeña
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — In time for the country’s hosting of the 48th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, the city government of Butuan commemorates the 50th year of the discovery of the ‘balangay’ or Butuan boat, one of the key symbols in the ASEAN Philippines 2026 Chairship logo.
In 1976, the first balangay was discovered in Barangay Libertad, Butuan City. Solidifying the earliest known watercraft evidence of the pre-colonial maritime activities between the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
Eunice M. Plaza, head of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), Butuan, said during the Kapihan sa PIA on May 4, that the balangay holds outstanding national significance and is considered a National Cultural Treasure (NCT) as they represent the country’s rich maritime heritage and the early Filipino ingenuity and seafaring tradition.
“We are happy and proud that the balangay has been included as a key symbol in the ASEAN logo,” Plaza said. “This recognition will increase public understanding of the balangay and strengthen cultural advocacy and appreciation not only in the country, but also in the broader Southeast Asian countries.”
“According to the study of Dr. Ligaya S. Lacsina, a University of the Philippines School of Archeology professor, the balangays are carbon-14 dated back to circa the 8th to 10th century. We should be proud they were found here in Butuan City,” she added.
“In the National Museum of the Philippines, you can see the material evidence of these tradeware goods. This means that even before the Europeans came, we were already national traders. The Philippines has archaeological accounts supported by historical evidence. There is a document, a fleet in China, recording Butuan bringing goods there.” Plaza told the participants of the said Kapihan.
She also emphasized that the Philippine boat-building tradition shared features with other Southeast Asian countries.
At present, according to Alven B. Magdua, information officer III of the NMP Butuan, of the 11 balangay reported to have been discovered in Barangay Libertad in the 1970s, five have been recovered and documented. These include Boat No. 1, now housed at the National Museum of Butuan; Boat No. 2, currently exhibited at the National Museum of the Philippines; and Boat No. 5, displayed at the regional museum in Barangay Libertad. Meanwhile, Boats No. 4 and No. 9 remain at their original excavation sites, carefully preserved in the exact locations where they were found. (MFC, PIA Caraga)