If the Philippines’ cultural seacraft, called “balangay,” only roamed the country’s archipelago in the past to boost historical recall among the locals, it would now embark on an international odyssey across Southeast Asia to drum up international awareness of the Filipino’s maritime heritage and promote unity among Asians.

But compared with the balangay’s local voyage, its international odyssey will be threatened by unpredictable weather, harsh waters, maritime traffic, and threats of piracy as they sail beyond Philippine territory starting this month.

The odyssey of the three balangays, named “Diwata ng Lahi,” “Masawa Hong Butuan,” and “Sama Tawi-Tawi, ”will start from Zamboanga on July 26 and will end in Shanghai, China but the roundtrip voyage will cover at least 14,000 kilometers as the crew decided to go on a longer route.

According to Arturo Valdez, balangay voyage leader, they opted for the longer route to China since coastal water is gentler for the structure of the balangay compared to the open sea. Instead of going to Laoag from Zamboanga to Taiwan, the balangay fleet will roam around the South China Sea, passing by Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Vietnam en route to China.

The three balangays are expected to reach Vietnam in time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summit by September and China for the closing of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai by the middle of October.

“We will make noise around international waters. We will sail beyond the boundaries of our country like what our ancestors did,” he said.

Aside from raising awareness on the maritime heritage of the Filipinos among its Asian neighbors, the balangay’s voyage is also aimed at promoting unity by literally “bringing Asians in one boat.”

“As we pass by each country, we will invite at least one national to join our voyage. Our target is to invite on board one Malaysian, Singaporean, among others, so that when we reach China, the Southeast Asians then will be together. Our togetherness (aboard) the balangay is a symbolism that we are together literally in one boat,” he explained.

The passion to complete the voyage of Valdez’s team is insurmountable but he admitted that the structural limitations of the balangay make their journey always prone to postponement, even claiming that theirs is a journey without an expected time of arrival or expected time of departure.

“We don’t know what to expect around Southeast Asia. We will just play it by ear as we sail using the skills of our forefathers; we’re confident to reach Shanghai and make it home by December just before Christmas day,” he said.

Aside from the balangay’s ancient design and structure, which limits their voyage only during daytime, Valdez admitted that the balanga’s crew is completely a neophyte in terms of international sailing and piracy. He however clarified that the diplomatic protocol for the balangay’s cultural voyage has been arranged by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“We are aware about incidence of piracy. Perhaps we will seek the assistance of marine forces to guide us as we pass by the Straight of Malacca. After all, ours are cultural boats powered by wind and sail, they will certainly give us the right of way,” he said.

All three balangays - Diwata ng Lahi, Masawa Hong Butuan, and Sama Tawi-Tawi - follow the ancient design of the boat used by ancient Filipinos, making them inept for night sailing. Only the newest balangay, Sama Tawi-Tawi, was equipped with communication devices and radar system for the international voyage.

“It is best to sail coastal and only during day time. We cannot sail at night because we do not have night sailing capability. We sail the way it was (during our ancestors’ time). And we built the balangays using the tools our ancestors used because if we use technology, our aim of relieving history will defeat its purpose,” he added.

It was recalled that the Diwata ng Lahi and Masawa Hong Butuan have separately conquered the Philippine archipelago that lasted for eight months. It started in Manila on Sept. 1, 2009 and arrived in Zamboanga last May 1 after a 70 multi-port stopovers.