By Betheena Unite The expedition of three primitive wooden sailboats from the Philippines to China is a sign of renewed ties between the two countries, the head of the expedition said as they sailed back to Manila Tuesday. Three wooden boat replicas of traditional vessels “Balangay” sailed back to the Philippines from its voyage to China and docked at Manila Yatch Club in Manila on Tuesday. (Czar Dancel/Manila Bulletin) Philippine Balangay Expedition team onboard three 18-meter wooden pre-hispanic designed vessels arrived in Manila Tuesday after a successful 22-day expedition to China "We succeeded again in renewing the ties through a commemoration of the travel of the sultan of Sulu to the middle kingdom more than 600 years ago," Arturo Valdez, head of the Philippine Balangay Expedition, said. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the Balangay Expedition aims to commemorate a voyage in 1417 taken by Sultan Paduka Pahala, the first sultanate of Sulu to be buried in Shandong, China. The Sultan of Sulu, 600 years ago, set on sail from the Southern Philippines to pay tribute to the Yongle emperor of the Ming dynasty in Beijing. "There are current issues that have been raised but it depends upon the political weather as time goes by but the people-to-people contact will forever be eternal. People-to-people contact and the cultural relationship among the people of Southeast Asia and the middle kingdom will forever remains strong in friendship and in peace,"Valdez added. The team with 33 crew members was welcomed yesterday as they sailed back to Manila, three days after they arrived in Pier 2, Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union. The three identical wooden sailboats, a well-crafted centuries-old design, departed from Poro Point in La Union bound for Xiamen, China last April 28. The team spent six days in Xiamen. The Filipino Balangay Crew members rode a train to Dezhou in the Eastern province of Shandong, since the Grand Canal linking to the city is no longer navigable. "When we arrived in Xiamen, even the port authorities and the pilot guiding us were shaking their heads. How did we manage to reach China in those kinds of boat but I think it is the will power brought to us by our ancient ancestors and mariners, who were great seafarers, that brought us there," Valdez narrated. The expedition’s story began in 2009, when Valdez and his crew set sail from Tawi-Tawi in the Southern Philippines on a 17-month voyage that called on the ports of Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. However, the original plan to continue on to China was abandoned due to bad weather. It was supposedly the first attempt in 2017 that mark the 600th anniversary of the historical journey of Sultan of Sulu. “The significant message of Balangay Expedition is to bring back the true identity of Filipino," Valdez said. "The waters across the Philippines, Southeast Asia and China never divided us but unified us. Our nation shares a long and colorful history with our neighboring countries. This enduring friendship has contributed to our rich culture, stimulated trade between our nations, and fortified the foundation of our continuing quest for economic development,” he said.https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif