I’m sure I’ve seen Vintas all over my books in highschool
and when I saw this movie of Alessandra “Sakaling
Hindi Makarating” I know, I want to see those too in person. I haven’t had
exact plans yet on visiting Zamboanga Peninsula, but it was already on my lists
during my backpacking in Mindanao and all I care is this Vintas.
To most of you who didn’t know, Vintas are a traditional
boats created by The Bajau and Moros of Sulu and Zamboanga. It was used since
ancient times to transport people and goods to and from different islands.
According to some books, the Bajaus and people from Tawi-Tawi and Basilan used
these boats as their home and would seldom went to land except to bury their
dead.
Vintas are also used in Regattas. Regattas are a series of
races between rowboats such as vintas. The most remarkable of this boats are
their colorful patterns of its sails. The colors used in every line represent
the past and the culture of the Muslims.
It was during Hermosa Festival in the beautiful city of
Zamboanga that I finally saw this colorful vintas. Having this festival makes
it an excuse to see numbers of different vintas on the sea and of course a
Regatta itself.
