MANILA - After a rocky start in Luzon, the Balangay vessel finally docked at an Iloilo port in Visayas this week.

Excited Ilonggo residents eagerly waited for the ship's arrival on October 11. The ship, carrying 22 crew members - including members of the 2006 Mt. Everest Philippine Expedition Team - arrived safely in Iloilo late that afternoon.

Art Valdez, team leader of the Balangay Project, said the crew will stay on the island to teach environmental advocacies and nationalism to nearby communities.

"We mostly meet with the young people and we teach them the history of balangay, and that it should be something that we should be proud of," he said.

The Balangay team, who plan to circumnavigate Southeast Asia on the replica of an ancient vessel, had previously encountered difficulties in Cavite.

The balangay vessel had to undergo minor repairs at a nearby naval base after it was swamped by big waves and carried out to sea in Ternate, Cavite.

The boat is a replica of one of the oldest vessels unearthed in the Philippines during the 1970s.

Valdez said the boat has passed several endurance tests already.

The team is set to visit every major port in the Philippine archipelago this year, covering a distance of about 2,108 nautical miles. The voyage is spearheaded by the Kaya ng Pinoy Foundation. Report by Ma. Bulaklak Ausente, ABS-CBN Iloilo.