MANILA - Datu Lapu-Lapu, native chieftain and warrior of the Island of Mactan, is said to be the first Filipino who defended our nation against Spanish colonizers specifically Ferdinand Magellan. To honor the guy’s heroism, his mug was engraved on the most basic unit of Philippine currency, the one centavo coin but when the coin was eventually removed from circulation, Lapu-Lapu’s image and contribution eventually faded out of our collective consciousness—at least, according to an observation from our President, Rodrigo Duterte. He once told National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) chairperson Dr. Rene Escalante that to people in Metro Manila, Lapu-Lapu is now more popular as a fish one cooks for escabeche, hinting on the need to elevate the late chieftain’s place in history from local hero to national hero.
This year happens to be the most
opportune time for Escalante to act on the president’s suggestion. We are
commemorating the Quincentennial (500th)
anniversary of the Victory of Mactan in April, and no other hero is fit to be
the star of the celebrations.
Duterte seems to have special regard for
the Mactan chieftain. A year after he assumed office in Malacañang, he declared
every April 27 Lapu-Lapu Day—a special working public holiday for the country
and a special non-working holiday for the people of Lapu-Lapu City. In 2018, on
National Heroes Day, he lamented the fact that Lapu-lapu had become a footnote,
a mere vignette of life, “when he was the first Filipino to kill a foreigner
who invaded our country.”
Escalante says Lapu-Lapu also represents how the Philippines values its independence. “Hindi sya pumayag noong 1521 na tayo ay masakop ng mga Kastila, isang bagay na na kapupulutan natin ng aral hanggang sa panahong ito.”
The
Quincentennial committee had three proposals to put Lapu-Lapu back in the
national consciousness. First was to rename the Mactan International Airport as
Lapu-Lapu International Airport. Congresswoman of the lone district of Lapu-Lapu
City, Rep. Paz Radaza, filed a bill for this and it’s already with the
House Committee on Transportation.
The portrait used of the young Lapu-Lapu, like all of our images of the Mactan hero, is an artist’s rendition. The image on the new bill was rendered by Bulacan-based artist Carlo Caacbay. The tattoos on the chieftain’s body, says Dr. Escalante, was based on the Boxer Codex, a manuscript written in 1590 containing artistic illustrations of various ethnic groups in the Philippines and other parts of Asia. The garments were also researched from pre-colonial sources.
Dr. Escalante says the BSP specifically
required the inclusion of Philippine flora and fauna in the design. Hence the
coconut tree, “which was the food the people of Samar provided Ferdinand
Magellan and his crew.” Mount Apo also makes an appearance, a suggestion of
Mindanao, “where the circumnavigators finally found directional clues to their
intended destination of Maluku or the Spice Island,” BSP points out. Although
legal tender, the P5,000 banknote is not for circulation and will only be
available for purchase by the public. Dr. Escalante says that from what he has
heard, BSP will only produce 1000 pieces of the commemorative bill. Yet you can use this to purchase goods.
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