The “Balanghay Festival” is a unique Butuanon celebration
accentuated by month-long festivities to commemorate the discovery
of ancient “balanghais” that became the solid proof
that Butuan existed even before the Philippines was discovered
by Ferdinand Magellan. The balanghai refers to the large boat used
by Malay settlers who traveled to the Philippines during pre-Hispanic
time. The existence of such basic units of society has clearly
shown that trade relations have been ongoing between Butuan and
the outside world as early as the 10th century.
If you happen to visit Butuan City at the start of the summer
months during the Balanghay Festival, you’ll notice that
the main streets are lined with colorful banners and posters.
Every weekend, bars are crowded with party people and some street
intersections are closed to give way to makeshift disco dancefloors
or "disco-ral" as locals call them (from the combination
of the English word "disco" and Tagalog word "kural" which
means enclosure). note: i-edit mo na lang ulit!
Many Butuanons living outside the city or even the country usually
go home to Butuan during this time to attend school homecomings
and the many activities lined up for the festival. Another big
event that is part of the Balanghay Festival is the “Search
for Miss Butuan City”, a local beauty and personality pageant
patronized by the city’s aspiring models and beauty queens.
 The
National Museum Balanghay Shrine in Libertad, Butuan City is
home to three of the nine known balanghais discovered in Ambangan,
Libertad. In many ways, a balanghai was considered to be
a royal family boat as its size was fit for a large family of
a datu/rajah or a small community. About 18 meters in length,
its construction style is called the edge-pegged, plank-built
technique which is said to predate European boat construction.
Sturdy wooden pegs were used to secure the planks together along
with the “cabo negro” – the cord used to tie
the wooden planks tightly. Its sleek design made it glide easily
through narrow waterways like rivers and streams. It was also
versatile because of its many uses – as a home, a warboat
and even as a fishing vessel.
Nine balanghais have been documented to exist in the area around
Ambangan. In 1976, Butuan Boat Number 1 was discovered along
the East bank of the Libertad River. Radiocarbon (C-14) dating
done on Boat 1 revealed it to be at 320 AD (1630 +-110 years).
Two years later, Butuan Boat Number 2 was found and its radiocarbon
test showed it to be 1250 AD (700+-790 years). The last of the
three balanghais excavated and conserved by the National Musuem
was discovered nearly a decade after Butuan Boat Number 2 was
found. Butuan Boat Number 5’s C14 test resulted to 900
AD (900+-70 years).
The discovery of the three boats became the solid evidence that
trade relations between Butuan (Philippines) and the Kingdom
of Champa (now South Vietnam) back in the early 10th century
really existed. By the 11th century, Butuan was the central trade
and commerce hub in the Philippines.
And so, it can be considered accurate to say that indeed, before
there was the Philippines, there was Butuan. Its 1,682 years
of recorded history is living proof of that claim.
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