Chapter 7: Selected

Essays on the
Balanghay
Prepared by: Mylah Decena
BSEd-2C Values
 Balanghay or Balangay
The balangay was the first wooden boat that was
excavated in Southeast Asia. These boats were
instrumental in the settlement of Austronesian peoples
in the Philippines and the Malay archipelago. It was
used for cargo and trading, in which Butuan, Agusan
de Norte, Philippines was a central trading port.
Today, the Balanghai Festival in Butuan is a
celebration of the first people who settled in the
Philippines.
Photo taken from: Philippine News Agency
Today, in our Philippine Political System, the
term barangay was derived from balanghai
and this is referred to a smallest political
unit. The leader is called – barangay
chairman. The barangay may be composed of
60 and more families.
Balanghay: Image
of the Philippine
History
The Balanghay is Noynoying
Noynoying is a protest tactic in the form of negolism
which critics of Philippine President Benigno Aquino
III have used to question his work ethics.
It involves posing in a lazy manner, such as sitting idly
while resting their heads on one hand and doing
nothing.
It is not bad to be Noynoying – but its bad to be tambay
and a social parasite.
Photo taken from: Global Voices Photo taken from: Freedom Wall
(Portraying the President’s Idle Gestures)
“Society for the Filipino is a small rowboat:
the barangay,” wrote Nick Joaquin in the
beginning of “A Heritage of Smallness,” one of
the essays in Culture and History (1988). This
habit of “thinking small” was, for Joaquin, a
recipe for poverty and pettiness. The Philippine
National Heritage according to him, was
nothing but “a heritage of smallness”
He argues that the balanghay is a symbol of
the Filipinos' seafaring tradition and their
ability to adapt to different environments. He
also suggests that the balanghay represents
the Filipinos' openness to foreign influences
and their willingness to learn from other
cultures
The balanghay played an important role in
Philippine history and culture, being used for
trade, exploration, migration, and art. The
balanghay is a boat that represents the
beginning of Filipino culture and the Filipinos'
ability to adapt to different environments. It is a
symbol of the Filipinos' seafaring tradition,
openness to foreign influences, and resilience.
“Balangay – a proof to the ingenuity of early
Filipinos.” It is believed that the early Filipinos’
boat-building knowledge and skills were advanced. It
is mentioned that the Austronesians who first settled
in the Philippines crossed the rough seas on board a
wooden boat called the balangay. In the Philippines,
boats are generally called bangka, derived from the
Austronesian term baŋka[h] meaning “boat.” It is also
known as sakayan, paraw, vinta, and baroto in other
regions of the country.
Declared as cultural treasures under Proclamation No.
86 in March 1987 by former President Corazon Aquino,
the balangay craftsmanship is proof of pre-colonial
Filipinos’ seafaring expertise and boat-building ability. It
also demonstrates the ancient maritime traditions and
history of the Philippines and empires around
Southeast Asia during the 10th and 11th centuries. The
earliest mariners navigated the balangay by relying on
the location of the sun and stars, bird flights, wave
formations, wind direction, and cloud patterns.