The ships that passed Bolyna in 1521
After Magellan died, his surviving crews sailed past Balabac on their way to Brunei. One of them wrote the island down.
Written from public sources to get this page started. We'll replace it with the story as Balabac residents tell it.
In 1521, after Ferdinand Magellan was killed in Mactan, what was left of his fleet kept sailing. The ships Trinidad and Victoria went south along Palawan, looking for Brunei.
An account of the voyage by an unnamed Genoese pilot describes two islands at the strait: "that on the north side is named Bolyna, and that on the south Bamdym." The National Quincentennial Committee says the nearest match on a modern map is Balabac Island.
The crews then spent 42 days repairing their ships at a place they called Cimbonbon, which historians identify as Banggi, just across the strait in today's Sabah.
A marker in town
In 2021, for the 500th anniversary, the National Quincentennial Committee and the National Historical Commission installed a marker in Barangay Poblacion V. It was one of 34 markers along the expedition's route through the Philippines.
The name "Balabac" has no settled origin. One explanation links it to balabag, meaning crosswise. Treat that as a folk story until someone finds a better source.
