ILOILO CITY – Fisherman Jayde Pauchano Sr. and his crew were racing the paraw in the Iloilo Strait toward Bundolan Point when tragedy suddenly struck. The wind and waves became rough, toppling the native boat’s mast and flipping it to its side.
Fortunately, a motorized boat with journalists on board was around to pluck the four crewmen out of the waters. The paraw was later put up and towed to safety, with Pauchano staying to guide it.
Luck refused to abandon Pauchano that day of Feb. 22. His other boat, 2 Angels, won over 74 participants in the 23.8-kilometer Paraw Regatta Sailboat Race from Sto. NiÒo Sur Arevalo in Iloilo City to Bundolan.
The city holds the Paraw Regatta Festival yearly to recognize the creativity of the Ilonggo people in paraw-building. “We have been doing this for the last 37 years. It has been like a community bonding already,” said Edwin Trompeta, regional director of the Department of Tourism.
Since the Spanish times, paraw-building has been a tradition for the Ilonggo people, known to be shipbuilders and seafarers. They have used the boat not only as a means of transportation but also as a source of livelihood.
Distinct character
Pauchano, 61, has joined the Paraw Regatta since 1973. His father taught him how to build the boat when he was a child – a craft that the fisherman eventually perfected by creating the double outrigger boats.
The paraw is built from a carved keelson or a long beam of wood connected to the floor of the boat with plywood planking for the sides. The hull is pointed at both front and back ends.
Measuring 31 m long and 30 m high, the boat’s distinct feature is its slim hull with a length-to-beam ratio of 20 to 1. To stabilize the vessel, it is fitted with outrigger floats made of bamboo.
Its sails are originally made from woven matting, but nowadays, they are stitched up from synthetic awning materials. The forward sail or layag knives the wind as fast as 20 to 30 nautical miles per hour.
Like Pauchano, Cesar Engallado believes that boat-building is in his blood. “My father was the one who actually made the paraw and he just taught me how,” Engallado said in Filipino.
A veteran regatta participant, Engallado loves to gaze at his most prized possession as it gently sways to the rhythm of the wind. He needed at least P30,000 to build the boat. “We buy the materials one piece at a time,” he said.
Joining the race has become a lifelong hobby for him. He started participating when he was 5 years old.
For Pauchano, the paraw is not only a sport but also a means to feed his family of 12. During off-season, he uses a smaller boat to catch fish.
“Sometimes, we catch eight kilos of fish, but at times, we only have two kilos,” he said. He earns a meager amount of P200 to P800 per catch, but has managed to send his children to college.
The paraw also helps ease the burden of day-to-day life, Engallado said. “It helps us forget our problems in life especially when we win.”
He had earlier worked as a checker in a brokerage firm in Parañaque City, but when the firm closed due to financial difficulties, he decided to return to Iloilo and build the paraw instead.
Today, Engallado, 42, alternates fishing and baking in a bread shop in Guimaras so he could keep his boat. “This has been a tradition for us. The paraw is already a part of our lives,” he said.
Fishermen like Pauchano still prefer the paraw over the motorized ones. “The paraw is faster,” he said.
Wind power
The sailboat is considered economical and environmentally friendly since it only needs the wind to propel it. After all, Iloilo is where two winds converge.
With the theme, “Sailing the High Seas, Mooring for More,” the Paraw Regatta Sailboat Race was the highlight of the four-day festivities in the city. The winning boat received P14,000 in cash prize.
More than the money, Rene Cortum, tourist operational officer, said “others joined because they enjoyed it and they really wanted to support Iloilo.”
Last year’s race attracted 40,749 tourist visitors, mostly Koreans.
For Pauchano and Engallado, the paraw is not only a boat but a symbol of a rich heritage of craftsmanship and ingenuity.
Vanessa Hidalgo, Visayas Bureau, www.inquirer.net
