Bill to declare ‘balangay’ as national boat awaits fate as Congress resumes session next week

The bill seeking to declare the Philippines' ancient wooden boat, balangay, as the national boat is among the measures awaiting approval when Congress resumes session next week.

House Bill 7070 has been approved on third and final reading at the House of Representatives in January this year, but its counterpart measure remains pending at the Senate.

Agusan del Norte Representative Lawrence Fortun, the bill's principal author, said the balangay "deserves its rightful place not only in museums but also in the consciousness of every Filipino."

"By declaring it as the county's national boat, the nation ensures that future generations of Filipinos will recognize the vital contribution of pre-colonial ancestors in shaping the country's maritime tradition. It would also pass down the values of solidarity, harmony, determination, courage and bravery," he said in a news release of the House.

"The balangay is a source of true national pride that should not be forgotten. It is time to formally include it in our roster of national symbols," he added.

The balangay was the first-ever wooden watercraft to be excavated in Southeast Asia, and that it demonstrated early Filipino boar-building genius and seamanship expertise during the pre-colonial times, according to the news release.

The boat, found only in the Philippines where a flotilla of such ancient boats exists, was also said to have been used by Filipino ancestors to maintain trade relations with neighboring islands around the country and empire around Southeast Asia.

The balangay is where the word "barangay" is derived.

According to Fortun, it is a "symbol of the Filipino community's character of unity, cooperation, determination and resilience."

"As demonstrated by our ancestors, building a balangay and sailing it in the high seas entail solidarity and harmony among boat builders and seafarers," Fortun was quoted as saying.

"It is for this reason that it is now used by the Philippine Government as a term to refer to the smallest political unit, now popularly known as the barangay."

Congress will resume session on May 20 and will adjourn on June 7, ending the 17th Congress. —Margaret Claire Layug/LDF, GMA News