Some 600 years ago, Sultan Paduka Batara of Sulu, his family and 300 of his noble followers embarked on an expedition to China to seek a preferential trade deal from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Today, a group of Filipino adventurers are retracing that voyage on board ancient boats made of wood, called the “balangay”. This will be the continuation of a journey that started seven years ago but was unfinished because of bad weather.
Unlike the Sultan’s group, however, the team led by Environment Undersecretary Arturo T. Valdez – the same team that conquered the world’s highest peak Mt. Everest over a decade ago, will be armed with satellite telephony.
Smart Communications, the wireless unit of the PLDT Group, is providing Valdez and company satellite communications – a Thuraya Atlas IP for broadband connectivity, and four Thuraya XT mobile satellite phones.
“The Smart satellite mobile and broadband device will provide the group with reliable equipment to monitor weather patterns and choose the safest route to China. It will also allow them to stay connected with their families and provide real-time updates of their location even when at sea,” said Joel S. Lumanlan, head of Smart’s Global Access and International Services.
Seafaring people, country rich in marine sources
On board three Balangays, the team recently sailed from Bacolod to Manila, farther north to Poro Point in La Union before crossing the South China Sea to Hong Kong, and then Shanghai.
“Replicating the Sultan’s journey to China down to the ancient boats called balangay will commemorate the 600th anniversary of that historic undertaking,” said Valdez. “More than the adventure of sailing on a boat as ancient as the balangay, the whole exercise is to highlight that the Philippines is a seafaring nation, and we are a seafaring people. In fact, one out of three seafarers in the world is a Filipino,” he added.
He also underscored the vast wealth of marine resources found within the country’s territories.
“We should marshal our resources and enjoin our maritime stakeholders and policy makers to develop and protect our marine resources. The Philippine Rise, and the Sulu Sea, which is at the heart of the coral triangle are just examples of our rich marine resources,” said Valdez.
Bad weather
Valdez said this trip to China is seen to be more challenging than the one they started, but failed to finish, seven years ago because of the monsoon winds. This time, he said the sea is even more forbidding, and the heat, scorching.
“The biggest challenge is the weather. We thank Smart for providing us with state-of-the-art equipment so we can get the latest weather updates. This will help us make decisions that could spell life and death to the members of the team,” added Valdez.
To date, Smart is the largest provider of mobile satellite services in the Philippines complemented by a complete line up of satellite-based solutions.
