Butuan museum deepens Balangay heritage awareness through excavation site learning visit

BUTUAN CITY (MindaNews / 25 July 2026)  — The Balangay, the pre-colonial wooden Butuan boats that have long been preserved and displayed as cultural treasures in museums, were brought to life in a different way on Thursday, July 23, as the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP)-Butuan took heritage appreciation beyond the gallery by opening an active excavation site to the public through a learning visit aimed at deepening awareness of the city’s heritage.

Museum researchers demonstrate excavation methods and field processes to participants at the Toyota Site in Barangay Libertad, Butuan City, on July 23, 2026. MindaNews photo by IVY MARIE MANGADLAO

Named “Archaeology in Action: A Learning Visit to the Butuan Boats Excavation Site,” the activity was held at the Toyota Site, near the Butuan Boats 4 and 9 in situ Conservation Site in Barangay Libertad.

The learning visit was opened to the public and conducted in two batches. The morning session was attended by officials from Libertad and students from Libertad National High School, while the afternoon session welcomed university students, educators, heritage advocates, and other interested members of the community.

Participants in the learning visit conduct wet sieving of excavated soil from the site under the guidance of a museum technician of MUCHD at the Toyota Site in Barangay Libertad, Butuan City, on July 23, 2026. MindaNews photo by IVY MARIE MANGADLAO

The program forms part of the ongoing archaeological investigation being conducted by the NMP’s Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division (MUCHD).

Participants were given a firsthand look at the excavation site and were introduced to the archaeological processes and field methodologies involved in conducting excavations, as demonstrated by the MUCHD team.

Some participants were also given the opportunity to take part in wet sieving, a process that involves passing excavated soil through progressively finer mesh screens to recover small artifacts and other archaeological materials that might otherwise be overlooked.

Balangay replicas depart from Davao City en route to Davao del Sur on 19 April 2010. The Balangay Expedition, composed mostly of the Philippine Everest Team, retraced the routes of ancient sea-faring Filipinos in their travels in many parts of Asia using only the wooden boat. A number of balangay were excavated in Butuan in the 1970s, one of them traced to the year 320 A.D. after carbon-dating. MindaNews file photo by RENE B. LUMAWAG

Eunice Plaza, head of the NMP-Butuan said the learning visit gave the public a rare opportunity to witness firsthand the archaeological process behind the Butuan boats. 

“While museum visitors usually see only the finished collections on display, they rarely get to experience the behind-the-scenes work, from the systematic and careful excavation and documentation of artifacts to the meticulous conservation process they undergo before being exhibited,” Plaza added.

One of the participants, Kimberly Cawaling, a tourism student at Father Saturnino Urios University in Butuan City, shared during the reflection session that the learning visit deepened her understanding of Butuan’s history through direct interaction with the experts from the MUCHD.

A visitor views parts of a balanghai (also balangay) displayed at the branch of the National Museum in Butuan City on June 24, 2014. The balanghai is a precolonial boat used by inhabitants of Butuan. MindaNews file photo by H. MARCOS C. MORDENO

“Thank you so much for the opportunity. It’s good that we are being exposed to these kinds of learning experiences because they help us better understand our history. It’s a great opportunity for us,” Cawaling said.

Nero Austero, team leader and senior museum researcher of MUCHD explained that the excavation site currently being investigated and shown to participants was first excavated in 2025 as part of the team’s search for Butuan Boat No. 3, where researchers uncovered at least two wooden planks.

“So last year, we concluded our activities with, you know presuming that these planks are from the boat number 3 but then later on, during our continued research as well as reading additional resources or literatures, we are now confident that these planks does not belong to the boat number 3,” Austero added.

During the current investigation, the team uncovered another wooden plank that appears to be an extension of the remains discovered during the 2025 excavation.

Austero noted that they have yet to determine whether the planks belong to any of the 11 previously recorded Butuan boats.

“It’s a good thing because that might mean there are still other boats out there,” he added.

He said the project does not only focus on previously excavated vessels but also seeks to identify new archaeological sites and possible additional Butuan boats in the future.

Rachel Anne Geline Ureta, conservator and senior museum researcher said the Butuan Boats archaeological project started in 2024 and has since been institutionalized, allowing the team to conduct annual archaeological investigations in Butuan.

“The project will take a very long time because there are still many reported Butuan Boat sites that we want to revisit,” Ureta said.

The learning visit was the second edition of the activity organized by NMP-Butuan. The first was held in August 2025, alongside the MUCHD’s excavation activities at the site. (Ivy Marie Mangadlao/MindaNews)