Sama-Badjao

Massive Balangay ‘Mother Boat’ Unearthed in Butuan

Four years since it was discovered in a marshy plain in northern Mindanao, the largest ancient Filipino boat ever discovered lies unexcavated. Despite its immense cultural and historical significance, the “mother boat” balangay has been practically untouched since 2013. Submerged under barely waist-deep brackish water, it remains tantalizingly beyond reach — at least for now. National Museum archeologist Dr. Mary…