Surigao City is the capital of Surigao del Norte on Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines. Marked by rolling hills, a very special topographic feature of the city are the more than two dozen islands and islets. They are separated from the mainland by the Hinatuan Passage, which connects Mindanao Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

The bloody red boat sits on the white floor of the museum lobby, its crimsonness calling for attention, floating idly in space, looking strange and gothic for a symbol of the country’s vulnerability in maritime geopolitics.