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[av_heading heading=’Mysterious ‘vessel debris’ resurface at Batan coast’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Tuesday, March 14, 2017
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Alleged fragments of a Spanish galleon are resurfacing in the coastal area of Barangay Mambuquiao, Batan, Aklan. JUN AGUIRRE/PN
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BATAN, Aklan – Alleged vessel fragments have resurfaced in the coastal area of Barangay Mambuquiao. They have been a mystery to the locals.
Villagers long believed them to be pieces of a Spanish galleon, according to Joan Laurente, municipal tourism officer.
“We want to have experts subject the ‘wreckage’ to carbon dating,” said Laurente. “The local government has no funds for it.”
The debris may be seen only during low tide every summer, she said.
Comprising hardwood and pieces of metal, the fragments make up an estimated 15-meter long structure.
(region batan ship1 caption)
Correspondent Jun Aguirre gets his photo taken next to an alleged fragment of a Spanish galleon in Barangay Mambuquiao, Batan, Aklan. JUN AGUIRRE/PN
And the strong Spanish influence in the town gives residents a good reason to believe they were part of a galleon.
“Remnants of Spanish distillery, cemetery, canon, parish church, and even the Spanish map of Batan are still visible here,” Laurente said.
The National Museum has expressed interest in investigating the alleged vessel fragments.
But it needs a letter-request from the local government; it is part of protocol, according to researcher Geovanni Bautista.
Mayor Rodel Ramos said he will prepare the letter-request.
The alleged ship wreckage had been at the Mambuquiao coast for years, but why and how it got there remain a mystery, Ramos said. (Jun Aguirre and Philippine News Agency/PN)
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