The Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521 was a very significant event in the country.
In our history classes, we learned that it was this day that Filipinos fought and won against
Spanish invaders led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
The man who led the Filipinos to victory is native chieftain of Mactan Island, Datu Lapulapu.
Most historical accounts of Datu Lapulapu state that he is from the neighboring island of
Borneo and has reached the shores of Sugbo (Cebu) where Rajah Humabon ruled and was
recognized as King.
Aside from being a Filipino hero and symbol of bravery, there are still many facts about
Datu Lapulapu and the Battle of Mactan known through extensive research which are worth
noting.
Here are some of them:
He was from Borneo
According to a folk epic taken from the oral histories of the region called the Aginid, Bayok
sa atong Tawarik, when Lapulapu arrived from Borneo (Sabah), he asked Rajah
Humabon for an area he and his people could settle in.
Humabon then offered them a place to stay in Mandawili (Mandaue), which included the
island known as Opong (Opon).
Lapulapu soon after became the chief of the region’s people and was called Datu for his
brave battles with pirates.
Later on, Lapulapu’s people helped enhance the trade of Sugbo when they cultivated the
land in his region.
After the Battle of Mactan, the Aginid says that Lapulapu decided to return to Borneo with
all his children, wives, and some of his men.
Lapulapu’s real name
Datu Lapulapu is also known for many names like Çilapulapu, Si Lapulapu, Cali Pulaco,
Lapulapu Dimantag and as a Muslim Iranun Chieftain also known as Kaliph (Salip) Pulaka.
According to one account, there are various names for Lapulapu because of wrong
translations by different writers.
In Antonio Pigafetta’s written accounts, the Italian scholar who joined Magellan’s conquest,
he referred to Data Lapulapu as Çilapulapu.
While historians and writers seem to have different versions of his name, Lapulapu was
described as a brave warrior and intelligent leader.
Did Lapulapu kill Magellan himself?
Datu Lapulapu was known to be the leader the group of men that won in the Battle of
Mactan against the Spaniards.
But many writers and historians still debate whether the Chieftain himself killed Magellan in
the battle.
According to research, it is impossible to tell whether Magellan lost his life in the hands of
the Datu, and until this day, there is no evidence to support that.
Research also suggested that during the battle, Magellan was also very strong at 41 years
old against Lapulapu, who was said to be 70 years old at that time.
How and when did Lapulapu die?
According to historical records, Lapulapu was born in 1491 but there are no exact dates
recorded.
Some research suggests that he was already horseback riding at 6 years old, and was able
to write and read a year after and then learned to be an excellent fighter.
Aside from swimming, he was also good at other sports.
When he was around 70 years old during the Battle of Mactan, some historian claim that he
did leave Mactan and went back to Borneo but there are no more accounts as to how he
died.
While others say that he died in Mactan a year after the battle, some locals believe that in
his last years, Lapulapu turned into a stone in the ocean and vowed to guard the seas of
Mactan forever.
During the battle, the tide was on Lapulapu’s side
According to Antonio Pigafetta’s document of events, the Spaniard’s boats were forced to
anchor their ships “two crossbow flights” away from the shore.
So the soldiers had to disembark the boat and walk into a hand-to-hand combat with the
locals.
Still, according to his accounts, Magellan only had 50 troop members during the battle,
against Lapulapu, who had his 1,500 warriors.
Underestimating his enemy, Magellan did not decide to call more soldiers.
Pigafetta also wrote that Lapulapu and his army aimed their fire-hardened bamboo spears
and poisoned arrows at the legs of the Spanish soldiers.
With Magellan being killed, the other soldiers that survived came rushing back to the ship
and left defeated.
A 2018 photo of the reenactment of the Kadaugan sa Mactan at the Lapulapu shrine.
Historical records also state that the Battle of Mactan was never an official plan of
Magellan’s mission.
When he arrived in the country, Magellan took efforts to convert all indigenous people to
Christianity.
He baptized King Humabon of Cebu along with thousands of other natives.
But Magellan threatened to kill those chieftains who were against the conversion.
Lapulapu remains to be a symbol of courage and great leadership for leading his troops to
victory and protecting his people from the foreign explorers.
The Battle of Mactan is celebrated every year on April 27 to remember the bravery and
victory of the first Filipino hero.
MANILA, Philippines — The Battle of Mactan in 1521 was brought into spotlight last February when
Filipino-American rapper Ez Mil mentioned about it in his hit song "Panalo (Trap Carinosa)."
Despite the controversy, it reminded many Filipinos of their history. This year marks the quincentennial
year of the battle on April 27 where the Filipino chieftain Lapulapu (also reffered to as Lapu-Lapu) is said
to have defeated Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Historians often cite the chronicles of Italian scholar and explorer Antonio Pigafetta, who was among the
more than 200 crew of the expedition led by Magellan. He was also among the 18 who boarded the
Victoria, the only remaining ship from a fleet of five that sailed to the Philippines and Moluccas (Spice
Islands) and returned to Spain in 1522.
But what really transpired during the two-year expedition in the name of the Spanish crown? Was there
any beheading that occurred? What is the signifance of the Battle of Mactan and Magellan's accidental
landing in Samar to modern Filipinos?
Filipino Public Historian Prof. Xiao Chua sits with [Link] in an exclusive interview and gives details
on what transpired in that perilous journey that culminated in the first circumnavigation in history.
1. National heroes like Rizal saw the story of Lapulapu's
triumph against Spain as an inspiring tale of winning
against conquerors.
Prof. Chua said that for our heroes to create our nation, they needed a narrative that could inspire people
to believe that Filipinos can topple the colonialists.
"Tandaan natin na when our heroes started to create the nation, they have to bring down colonianism,
right? And colonianism was of course brought by the Spaniards. Noong panahon 'yan ng 19th century,
1800s.
"They needed a symbol. (Jose) Rizal, Juan Luna, Mariano Ponce, even the Katipuneros, Emilio Jacinto
and Emilio Aguinaldo. They needed a symbol wherein they can show that we, Filipinos, can win against
Spain. And that's why they made the events of 1521 important because in 1521 we defeated the
Spaniards, Magellan in the Battle of Mactan which was led by Lapulapu," he explained.
Prof. Chua noted that in reality the events in 1521 did not drastically change the course for Filipinos until
1565 when the Spaniards started their colonization by annexing it as part of King Philip II's reign. It came
after the expedition of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in Cebu in February 13, 1565.
"That's why if you look at it, Lapulapu became a symbol of victory. Kapagka nanghihina tayo at
napaghihinaan ng loob kasi ang laki-laki ng kalaban, ng hamon, we always bring up Lapulapu. So pagka
naghahanap tayo ng assurance, ng identity, that we can win, Lapulapu is that symbol. That's why he is
important."
2. Pigafetta only cited Lapulapu once, while Rizal named the
Mactan chief.
Most of the accounts on the said expedition, including the famous battle, were told and recorded by most
of the European survivors. These are often seen as "primary resources."
Apart from Pigafetta, other survivors like Juan Sebastian Elcano, the captain of Victoria, also told their
accounts of the expedition that took off from Spain on September 20, 1519.
Prof. Xiao said there were variations on their stories because "memory tends to fail."
"For example, Antonio Pigafetta was the most detailed of all the records and he only cited Lapulapu once
as the leader of Mactan and his name was Cilapulapu in both the Italian and French versions of his
account. Historians after that believe that Ci was actually a title like Sri or a great man. Rizal was thinking
maybe tinuro siya kaya Cilapulapu. That's why Rizal made him Lapulapu. Actually it was Rizal who made
him Lapulapu as we know him today. If you're going to look at it, 'yun lang 'yung sinabi," the professor
shared.
On the part of the locals who might have had told their stories, Prof. Xiao said that it takes much to verify
its accuracy.
"It is hard to ascertain if the oral history came from the original sources. That's the problem with that. So
you have to recognize that they are important because they are oral traditions but oral traditions cannot
be construed as historical. They're important but they're not historical."
3. Magellan's expedition went to great lengths and
ordeal — including thoughts of cannibalism — before they first
saw Samar.
It was the age of exploration, and Magellan wanted to have his fair share of the pie. After all, they've
heard of the exploits of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. They also wanted to find spices which
were deemed valuable commodities at that time.
"Nobody had ever traversed that path before at least recorded and that's why the Pigafetta account and
the Magellan-Elcano expedition is important to our history because it is the first circumnavigation in the
world. It was an achievement of science and mankind. They were daring because they wanted to get rich
and they wanted to be placed in history. They knew about Christopher Columbus and what he did and the
other explorers in Latin America. So they wanted to have a fair share of that slice of the pie, so to speak,"
the professor shared.
The crew were on the high seas for 90 days and Pigafetta's account painted a picture of how little
Magellan and his men knew of the unchartered lands and the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.
"They were eating bad food. They were already selling rats to each other. Kinikiskis nila 'yung kahoy ng
barko so they can eat sawdust o 'yung alikabok nu'ng kahoy. They had supply of biscuits na
binubulate na and they killed some people in Guam, noong sinasabi nilang ninakawan sila, and they
wanted to get the bodies of those so they can eat it. 'Yun na 'yung situation nila. They were hungry.
"On March 16, they saw Samar then on March 17 they landed. There were no people on Homonhon
because they were so afraid to go down, na baka saktan sila ng mga natives. But when the natives saw
them the next day, March 18, from Suluan, hindi sila nagkasunduan but they were treated well.
"After a few days, these people from Suluan came back from Magellan and his men with two boats of
food which meant na sanay ang ating mga ninuno sa pakikipag-kapwa tao at sa trading," Chua said.
4. Magellan played with local politics and it cost him his life.
Samar natives welcomed the Spanish crew. They even held the first-ever mass in the Philippines on
March 31, 1521 in Limasawa. What changed that led to the Battle of Mactan?
"Remember, when you come in peace to Filipinos, they will also treat you nicely. They had the time of
their lives in Limasawa where they had their first mass and then they went to Cebu where they were also
treated very well but Magellan started to mingle with the local dynamics.
"Since Magellan did not have money, wala siyang way to pay the taxes of (Rajah) Humabon and the latter
wanted him to pay and they did not need anything from Magellan. The Cebuanos did not need anything
from them and so Magellan used his secret weapon in diplomacy," Prof. Xiao explained.
Magellan had said that Humabon could be like a little king or representative of King Philip II. He said that
they could fight for Humabon, who was Lapulapu's rival and the chieftain or datu of Cebu.
"Gustong pakialaman ni Magellan, like in Europe, may emperador tapos hari siya ng mga hari. Humabon
liked that idea to be king of kings in a way but Lapulapu did not like it. So naningil ngayon because
Humabon was very crafty. The Battle of Mactan happened because Magellan said ipagtatanggol namin
kayo sa mga kaaway ninyo, and so pinagtanggol nga niya. Magellan even said (to Humabon) to not help
his crew but just watch. Of course, Humabon did not at 'pag lumaban pa si Humabon doon, hindi siya
makakapag-hugas ng kamay," Prof. Xiao said.
5. Lapulapu employed the triangle strategy.
The Mactan chieftain had the advantage and he knew it, so he utlilized it.
"In some accounts of survivors given to some other storytellers at that time, there were two Battle of
Mactans actually. Pero in Pigafetta's account, pinagtulung-tulungan si Magellan. It's 49 versus 1,500. Our
ancestors employed the triangle strategy of the backland because Pigafetta said, on three sides,
sumalakay 'yung mga Filipino. Ginamitan lang ng strategy kasi hinayaan lang nila pumasok e sa loob ng
shore eh papasok 'yun. If you're going to look at it, they will trap Magellan.
"If you're going to look at it, it makes Magellan and his men look good because there were only 49 and
there were not so many people killed except that they killed Magellan kasi 'pag napatay mo na 'yung lider,
tapos na e," the professsor said.
6. No one-on-one happened between Magellan and Lapulapu.
Battles are won by compelling narratives, and as much as many would have liked to think that there were
great moments between the two leaders, it was not necessarily the case.
"There's always this imagination that Lapu-Lapu was one-on-one with Magellan, which was not the case.
People just assumed that the two leaders will have their man-to-man but they did not," he said.
7. Lapulapu was not Muslim.
The professor also shared several misconconceptions about the Cebuano hero.
"The other things, na siya (Lapulapu) ay Tausug daw na nagmula sa Sulu na nagpunta sa Cebu. (Doon
sa mga nagsasabi na) siya ay isang Muslim are not true because in the Visayas, they were eating pork,"
he shared.
He shared that the Spaniards described non-Christians as Moros but he cleared that the Cebuano
chieftain was not described as Moro.
"They were Visayan animists. They were worshipping anitos. Nag-sandugo sila. Sa Muslim, bawal ang
sandugo e," he explained.
8. The surviving crew got lost in the Zamboanga Peninsula and
Palawan before finding Moluccas.
After the death of Magellan and the massacre of the newly elected leaders of the expedition due to a
betrayal, the remaining crew set sail for Moluccas, an island off Indonesia.
"After that, they proceeded to other parts of the islands. Naligaw-ligaw pa sila. They even passed by
Zamboanga, Palawan, Zamboanga again and even went to Brunei then back to Zamboanga. They
traversed both the sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao until Saranggani province until they were able to
see their much-longed for spices in Moluccas na kailangan na kailangan sa Europe because of their value
in gold," Prof. Xiao said.
From more than 200 crew, 18 survived aboard the remaining ship Victoria manned by Juan Sebastian
Elcano.
9. No one knows how Lapulapu died.
The Battle of Mactan was put into spotlight early this year when Filipino-American rapper Ez Mil
infamously wrote "pinugutan si Lapu sa Mactan" in his hit song "Panalo (Trap Carinosa)." The singer has
since apologized for the misstep.
"Wala. We don't even know how he died. Nothing like that," Prof. Xiao said on Lapulapu's demise.
The professor commended the song, saying it was beautiful and as an artist, Ez Mil, had the "right to do
that."
"It was a very good song. Sabi niya he included it because he wanted it to be noticed. But the song is
beautiful, it would be noticed even with him not doing that. If you're going to look at it, the song is beautiful
in itself and you did not need that controversy. Kumbaga there's so much confusion about history tapos
dadagdag ka pa. 'Yun lang 'yung resentment ko but otherwise, he was free to do it," he said.
The professor jested that he had found Lapulapu's "killer."
"Sino pumatay kay Lapulapu? It's Ez Mil. Pinugutan si Lapu sa Mactan e," he said referring to the
rapper's controversial lyrics.
10. Filipino frontliners are modern-day superheroes like
Lapulapu.
The quincentennial commemoration of the Battle of Mactan is a cause for celebration and reflection for
Filipinos. Prof. Chua believes that colonialism may have a negative connotation but Filipinos should still
see it as a lesson so it would not be repeated.
Heroism and unity should be observed, he said, especially in these uncertain times. Filipino frontliners
possess the spirit of Lapulapu and like him who is celebrated throughout the years, our modern-day
heroes should also be a source of inspiration.
"We should be united. We should think of other people. Makipag-kapwa tao tayo. We should show
compassion especially during this time of COVID-19 and pay tribute to those who like Lapulapu had the
tenacity and bravery na harapin ang virus to cure people. These are our Filipino frontliners, medical or
non-medical, who help us get through this nightmare," he said.
"Walang pinipiling lahi ang Pilipino. The humanity that we show to the world, the Filipino nurses, are being
hailed around the world. This is the spirit of the victory of Lapulapu and the humanity of our ancestors.
That for me is the meaning of the quincentennial commemorations in the Philippines." — Videos by
Efigenio Toledo IV, Deejae Dumlao
6. Datu Lapu-Lapu is also known under the names Çilapulapu, Si Lapulapu, Salip
Pulaka, Cali Pulaco, and Lapulapu Dimantag. The reason for this various names he was
known for is said to be because of wrong translations done by writers who wrote about his
heroic deeds in his territory to preserve independence from the European invaders. No
matter what name he was called, writers agreed on two things, this man was both very
intelligent and a great warrior.