The Balisong was originally thought to come from the Philippines, but as of late there has been new groundbreaking evidence that the original design of the Balisong is indeed EUROPEAN in nature. Yes I didn't believe it myself when I first heard it. Nevertheless on my opinion it is the Philipine martial arts and backstreet influence that made the Balisong what it is today. It's local historical roots date back to the little town of 'Balisong' in Batanggas. The knife is an integral part urban legend as is a 'Saturday night special' is to New York. It's roots dig so deep into urban culture that it is quite fuzzy whether or not it is 'officially' illegal (yes even the infamous double edged spearpoint blade). In fact many Filipino police officers carry a Balisong on their belt.
The knife was first imported into American shores by American soldiers stationed in the Philipines during the second World War, and it was dubbed the 'Butterfly Knife'. In my opinion the Balisong is probably the only Filipino export worthwhile other than dried mangoes.
It is not my purpose to make the perfect Balisong page. If I believed that I could, I would've done so a long time ago. However for fear of sounding redundant, I am at a loss for what to talk about on my Balisong page. Rest easy cause I don't feel like reading any history books or reitterating any long technical blurb available form any other page.
Many individuals (and rightly so) praise the balisong because of it's grace, beauty, and the perfect mold of form following function. Personally I think it's bad ass.
