Lapu-Lapu

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This article is about the ruler of Mactan island. For the city, see Lapu-Lapu, Philippines.
For the fish also known as "lapu-lapu", see grouper.
In this Philippine name for indigenous people, this person is addressed by the sole
name, Lapulapu.

Lapulapu

The statue of Lapulapu on Mactan Island

1st Datu of Mactan

Reign fl. 1521-fl. 1542

Predecessor ?

Successor Mangubat[1]

Born c. 1491

Opong, Rajahnate of Sugbu
 Died 1542 (aged 50–51)

Mactan

Lapulapu[2][3][4] (based on Çilapulapu;[5] Baybayin: ᜎᜉᜓᜎᜉᜓ, Abecedario: Lápú-Lápú)
(fl. 1521), also known as Lapu-Lapu, Si Lapulapu,[6] Salip Pulaka,[7] Cali Pulaco,
[8]
 and Lapulapu Dimantag,[9] was a ruler of Mactan in the Visayas. Modern Philippine
society regards him as the first Filipino hero because he was the first native to
resist imperial Spanish colonization. He is best known for the Battle of Mactan that
happened at dawn on April 27, 1521, where he and his soldiers defeated Portuguese
explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who was killed in battle.[10] Magellan's death ended
his voyage of circumnavigation and delayed the Spanish occupation of the islands by
over forty years until the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi in 1564. Monuments of
Lapulapu have been built in Cebu and Manila, while the Philippine National Police and
the Bureau of Fire Protection use his image as part of their official seals.
Besides being a rival of Rajah Humabon of neighbouring Indianized Cebu, very little is
known about the life of Lapulapu. The only existing documents about his life are those
written by Antonio Pigafetta, and according to historian Resil B. Mojares, he was never
seen in person by any European who left a historical record. [11] His name, origins,
religion, and fate are still a matter of controversy.

Contents

 1Name
 2Early life
 3Battle of Mactan
 4Religion
 5Legacy
 6In popular culture
 7Shrine
 8Notes
 9References
 10Further reading
 11External links

Name[edit]
The historical name of Lapulapu is debated. The earliest record of his name comes from
Italian diarist Antonio Pigafetta who accompanied Magellan's expedition. Pigafetta notes
the names of two chiefs of the island of "Mactan", the chiefs "Zula" and Alqader alias
"Çilapulapu" (note Ç).[5] In an annotation of the 1890 edition of Antonio de
Morga's Sucesos de las islas Filipinas, José Rizal spells this name as "Si Lapulapu".
[6]
 The honorific Çi or Si is from si (plural siná), an article in Philippine languages used to
indicate personal names. Patanñe (1999), however, proposes that in this usage, it was
derived from a corruption of the Sanskrit title Sri.[12] The Aginid chronicle calls him
"Lapulapu Dimantag".[9]
The title Salip (and its variants Sarripada, Sipad, Paduka, Seri Paduka, and Salipada,
etc.) is frequently used as an honorific for Lapulapu and other Visayan datus. Despite
common misconception, it is not derived from the Islamic title Khalīfah (Caliph). It was
derived from the Sanskrit title Sri Paduka, denoting "His Highness". The title is still used
today in Malaysia as Seri Paduka.[7]
The 17th century mestizo de sangley poet Carlos Calao mentions Lapulapu under the
name of "Cali Pulaco" (perhaps a misreading of the Ç used in Pigafetta's spelling) in his
poem Que Dios le perdone (May God Forgive Him).[13] The name, spelled "Kalipulako",
was later adopted as one of the pseudonyms of the Philippine hero, Mariano Ponce,
during the Philippine Revolution.[14] The 1898 Philippine Declaration of
Independence of Cavite II el Viejo, also mentions Lapulapu under the name "Rey
Kalipulako de Manktan [sic]" (King Kalipulako of Mactan).[15]
In 2019, the National Quincentennial Committee, tasked with handling preparations for
the 500th anniversary commemoration of Magellan's arrival, has stated that "Lapulapu"
without the hyphen is the correct spelling of the Mactan ruler's name, being based on
Pigafetta's original "Çilapulapu" spelling. [2]

Early life[edit]

Mactan Island in Cebu

There had been many folk accounts surrounding Lapulapu’s origin. One oral tradition is
that the Sugbuanons of Opong was once ruled by datu named Mangal and later
succeeded by his son named Lapulapu.[16]
Another is from oral chronicles from the reign of the last king of Cebu, Rajah Tupas (d.
1565). This was compiled and written in Baybayin in the book Aginid, Bayok sa Atong
Tawarik ("Glide on, Odes to Our History") in 1952 by Jovito Abellana. The chronicle
records the founding of the Rajahnate of Cebu by a certain Sri Lumay (also known as
Rajamuda Lumaya), who was a prince from the Hindu Chola dynasty of Sumatra. His
sons, Sri Alho and Sri Ukob, ruled the neighboring communities of Sialo and Nahalin,
respectively. The islands they were in were collectively known as Pulua Kang
Dayang or Kangdaya (literally "[the islands] of the lady"). Sri Lumay was known for his
strict policies in defending against Moro raiders and slavers from Mindanao. His use
of scorched earth tactics to repel invaders gave rise to the name Kang Sri Lumayng
Sugbo (literally "that of Sri Lumay's great fire") to the town, which was later shortened
to Sugbo ("conflagration").[9]
Upon his death in a battle against the raiders, Sri Lumay was succeeded by his
youngest son, Sri Bantug, who ruled from the region of Singhapala (literally "lion city"),
now Mabolo in modern Cebu City. Sri Bantug died of a disease during an epidemic and
was succeeded by his son Rajah Humabon (also known as Sri Humabon or Rajah
Humabara).[9] During Humabon's reign, the region had become an important trading
center. The harbors of Sugbo became known colloquially as sinibuayng hingpit ("the
place for trading"), shortened to sibu or sibo ("to trade"), from which the modern name
"Cebu" originates.[9]
According to the epic Aginid, this was the period in which Lapulapu (as Lapulapu
Dimantag) was first recorded as arriving from "Borneo" (Sabah). He asked Humabon for
a place to settle, and the king offered him the region of Mandawili (now Mandaue),
including the island known as Opong (or Opon), hoping that Lapulapu's people would
cultivate the land. They were successful in this, and the influx of farm produce from
Mandawili enriched the trade port of Sugbo further. [9]
The relationship between Lapulapu and Humabon later deteriorated when Lapulapu
turned to piracy. He began raiding merchant ships passing the island of Opong,
affecting trade in Sugbo. The island thus earned the name Mangatang ("those who lie in
wait"), later evolving to "Mactan".[9]

Battle of Mactan[edit]
Lapulapu was one of the two datus of Mactan before the Spanish arrived in the
archipelago, the other being a certain Zula, both of whom belong to the Maginoo class.
When Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines in the service
of Spain, Zula was one of those who gave tribute to the Spanish king while Lapulapu
refused.[17]

A depiction of the Battle of Mactan in the Magellan shrine

In the midnight of April 27, 1521, Magellan led a force of around sixty Spaniards and
twenty to thirty war boats (karakoa) of Humabon's warriors from Cebu. They arrived in
Mactan three hours before dawn. However, because of the presence of rock
outcroppings and coral reefs, Magellan's ships could not land on the shores of Mactan.
Their ships were forced to anchor "two crossbow flights" away from the beach.
According to Antonio Pigafetta, they faced around 1,500 warriors of Lapulapu armed
with iron swords,[note 1] bows, and "bamboo" spears.[note 2]
Magellan repeated his offer not to attack them if Lapulapu swore fealty to Rajah
Humabon, obeyed the Spanish king, and paid tribute, which Lapulapu again rejected. At
the taunting request of Lapulapu, the battle did not begin until morning. Magellan,
perhaps hoping to impress Humabon's warriors with the superiority of European armor
and weapons, told Humabon's warriors to remain in their balangay. Magellan and forty-
nine of the heavily armored Spaniards (armed with lances, swords, crossbows,
and muskets) waded ashore to meet Lapulapu's forces. They set fire to a few houses on
the shore in an attempt to scare them. Instead, Lapulapu's warriors became infuriated
and charged. Two Spaniards were killed immediately in the fighting, and Magellan was
wounded in the leg with a poisoned arrow. He ordered a retreat, which most of his men
followed except for a few who remained to protect him. However, he was recognized as
the captain by the natives, whereupon he became the focus of the attack. Outnumbered
and encumbered by their armor, Magellan's forces were quickly overwhelmed. Magellan
and several of his men were killed, and the rest escaped to the waiting ships. [17][18]

Illustration from Antonio Pigafetta's journal showing Cebu, Mactan, and Bohol; with a label indicating that the
"Capitaine general" died on Mactan (c. 1525)

The historian William Henry Scott believes that Lapulapu's hostility may have been the
result of a mistaken assumption by Magellan. Magellan assumed that ancient Filipino
society was structured in the same way as European society (i.e. with royalty ruling over
a region). While this may have been true in the Islamic sultanates in Mindanao,
the Visayan societies were structured along a loose federation of city-states (more
accurately, a chiefdom). The most powerful datu in such a federation has limited power
over other member datu, but no direct control over the subjects or lands of the other
datu.[7]
Thus Magellan believed that since Rajah Humabon was the "king" of Cebu, he was the
king of Mactan as well. But the island of Mactan, the dominion of Lapulapu and Zula,
was in a location that enabled them to intercept trade ships entering the harbor of Cebu,
Humabon's domain. Thus it was more likely that Lapulapu was actually more powerful
than Humabon, or at least was the undisputed ruler of Mactan. Humabon was married
to Lapulapu's niece. When Magellan demanded that Lapulapu submit as his "king"
Humabon had done, Lapulapu purportedly replied that: "he was unwilling to come and
do reverence to one whom he had been commanding for so long a time". [7]
The Aginid chronicle also records that Humabon had actually purposefully goaded the
Spaniards into fighting Lapulapu, who was his enemy at that time. However, the men of
Humabon who accompanied Magellan did not engage in battle with Lapulapu, though
they helped with recovering the wounded Spaniards. Humabon later poisoned and killed
twenty-seven Spanish sailors during a feast. According to the Aginid, this was because
they had started raping the local women. It was also possibly to aid
Magellan's Malay slave interpreter, Enrique of Malacca, in gaining his freedom. The
Spanish were refusing to release him, even though Magellan explicitly willed that he be
set free upon his death.[9][17] A discourse by Giovanni Battista Ramusio also claims that
Enrique warned the Chief of "Subuth" that the Spaniards were plotting to capture the
king and that this led to the murder of the Spaniards at the banquet. [19] Enrique stayed in
Cebu with Humabon while the Spanish escaped to Bohol.[9][17]
The battle left the expedition with too few men to crew three ships, so they abandoned
the "Concepción". The remaining ships – "Trinidad" and "Victoria" – sailed to the Spice
Islands in present-day Indonesia. From there, the expedition split into two groups.
The Trinidad, commanded by Gonzalo Gómez de Espinoza tried to sail eastward across
the Pacific Ocean to the Isthmus of Panama. Disease and shipwreck disrupted
Espinoza's voyage and most of the crew died. Survivors of the Trinidad returned to the
Spice Islands, where the Portuguese imprisoned them. The Victoria continued sailing
westward, commanded by Juan Sebastián Elcano, and managed to return to Sanlúcar
de Barrameda, Spain in 1522. In 1529, Charles I of Spain relinquished all claim over
the Spice Islands to Portugal in the treaty of Zaragoza. However, the treaty did not stop
the colonization of the Philippine archipelago from New Spain.[20]
According to Aginid, Lapulapu and Humabon restored friendly relations after the Battle
of Mactan. Lapulapu later decided to return to Borneo with eleven of his children, three
of his wives, and seventeen of his men. Nothing more is known of him after this. [9]
After Magellan's voyage, subsequent expeditions were dispatched to the islands. Five
expeditions were
sent: Loaisa (1525), Cabot (1526), Saavedra (1527), Villalobos (1542),
and Legazpi (1564).[21] The Legazpi expedition was the most successful, resulting in
the colonization of the islands.[22][23][24]

Religion[edit]
Depiction of the Visayan Pintados in the Boxer Codex (c. 1595)

Lapulapu's religion and beliefs are another subject of debate. The inhabitants of
the Sulu archipelago believe that Lapulapu was a Muslim of the Tausūg or the Sama-
Bajau people.[25][26] There are anecdotes from Sulu oral history that claim Lapulapu was a
Muslim Tausug warrior called Iliji Rajiki who was allied to the Sultan of Sulu and an
expert in the Tausug martial art of swordsmanship called Silatan. [27] Some also believe
that Lapulapu and Rajah Humabon were the founders of a Muslim Rajahnate of
Cebu (as the "Sultanate of Cebu"); or at least that Lapulapu had founded a colony of
the Sultanate of Sulu in Cebu Island, existing alongside the Rajahnate of Cebu with the
consent of Humabon.[28] However, prominent Cebuano anthropologist Jose Eleazar
Bersales disputes this claim, saying in comments regarding an excavation in southern
Cebu, “Cebu was never Islamized.”[29] Further studies of the ancient tradition as
discussed in a previous section, the Sugbuanon epic also suggests otherwise as
records the founder of the Rajahnate of Cebu as Sri Lumay, who was the grandfather of
Rajah Humabon, and a prince of the Indianized Chola dynasty. [9]
Ultimately, it is undoubtedly suggested that the Cebuanos were
predominantly animist (not unlike the Mindanao Lumad) or Indianized (like the
contemporary Kingdom of Butuan) on the arrival of the Spanish.[30][31][32]
A school of thought also suggests that Lapulapu may have been from Borneo,
according to one account, recorded in the Aginid as being an orang laut ("man of the
sea") and an outsider who settled in Cebu from "Borneo". [9][26] The Oponganon-
Cebuano oral tradition effectively disputed the claim saying his father was Datu Mangal,
the ruler of Mactan before him indicated that Lapulapu a native of Opong.[33]
The Visayans were noted for their widespread practice of tattooing; Spaniards referred
to them as the Pintados.[34] Pigafetta, who recorded Magellan's encounter with the
Cebuanos, explicitly described Rajah Humabon as tattooed. He also records the
consumption of pork, dog meat, and palm wine (arak) by the Cebuanos,[17][35] as well as
the common custom of penile piercings (tugbuk or sakra).[17][36] Tattooing, body
modification, pork, dog meat, and alcohol are haram (forbidden) in Islam.[37]
The supreme god of the religion of the Visayans, when explicitly recorded by
contemporary historians, was identified as "Abba" by Pigafetta and "Kan-Laon" (also
spelled "Laon") by the Jesuit historian Pedro Chirino in 1604, comparable to the
Tagalog "Bathala". There is no mention of Islam.[38] This is in contrast to the other
locations visited by the Magellan expedition where Pigafetta readily identifies the
Muslims whom they encountered; he would call them Moros after the Muslim Moors of
medieval Spain and northern Africa, to distinguish them from
the polytheistic "heathens".[17][30][39] In fact, during the mass baptism of the Cebuanos to
Christianity, he clearly identifies them as "heathens," not Moros: [17][31]
We set up the cross there for those people were heathen. Had they been Moros, we
would have erected a column there as a token of greater hardness, for the Moros are
much harder to convert than the heathen.
— Antonio Pigafetta, Primo viaggio intorno al mondo, c. 1525
Indeed, the Visayans were known for their resistance to conversion to Islam in the epic
poem Diyandi of the Aginid chronicle. The name of the capital city of the island (Sugbo,
"conflagration" or "blaze")[note 3] was derived from the method of defense used by the
natives against Moro raiders from Mindanao, which was to burn their settlements to the
ground to prevent looting. They referred to the raiders as Magalos.[note 4] Furthermore,
direct evidences such as accounts of Pigafetta and the native oral tradition did not
indicate Lapulapu as a Muslim but a Visayan animist and a Sugbuanon native. [33]

Legacy[edit]
Left: Lapulapu's profile on the obverse of a Philippine 1-centavo coin from the Pilipino
Series. Middle and Right: Lapulapu is a central figure in the seal of the Philippine National Police and
the Bureau of Fire Protection.

Lapulapu is regarded, retroactively, as the first Filipino hero.[40][41] The government

erected a statue in his honor on Mactan Island and renamed the town of Opon
in Cebu to Lapu-Lapu City. A large statue of him, donated by South Korea, stands in the
middle of Agrifina Circle in Rizal Park in Manila, replacing a fountain and rollerskating
rink. Lapulapu appears on the official seal of the Philippine National Police.[42] His face
was used as the main design on the 1-centavo coin that was circulated in the
Philippines from 1967 to 1974.[43]
According to local legend, Lapulapu never died but was turned into stone, and has since
then been guarding the seas of Mactan. Fishermen in the island city would throw coins
at a stone shaped like a man as a way of asking for permission to fish in the monarch’s
territory.[44] Another urban legend concerns the statue of Lapulapu erected at the center
of the town plaza. The statue faced the old city hall, where mayors used to hold office;
Lapulapu was shown with a crossbow in the stance of shooting an enemy. Superstitious
citizens proposed to replace this crossbow with a sword, after three consecutive mayors
of the city each died of heart attack.[44]
In the United States, a street in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco,
California is named after Lapulapu.[45] That street and others in the immediate
neighborhood were renamed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors with names
derived from historical Filipino heroes on August 31, 1979. [46]
During the First Regular Season of the 14th Congress of the Philippines,
Senator Richard Gordon introduced a bill proposing to declare April 27 as an official
Philippine national holiday to be known as Adlaw ni Lapu-Lapu, (Cebuano, "Day of
Lapu-Lapu").[47]
On April 27, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte declared April 27 (the date when Battle of
Mactan happened) as Lapu-Lapu Day for honoring as the first hero in the country who
defeated foreign rule.[48][49] Duterte also signed the creation of "Order of Lapu-Lapu"
earlier in April 7, to recognize the government workers and private citizens on
supporting his advocacies.[50]

In popular culture[edit]
 Portrayed by Mario Montenegro in the 1955 film Lapu-Lapu.[51]
 Portrayed by Calvin Millado in the 1995 children's educational series Bayani.
 Portrayed by Lito Lapid in the 2002 film Lapu-Lapu.[52]
 A playable character in the mobile game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.[53]

Shrine[edit]
Coordinates:  10°18′39″N 124°0′54.8″EThe
Lapu-Lapu shrine is a 20 metres (66 ft) bronze statue
in Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, Philippines.[54]

Mactan Shrine entrance

 

Plaque recounting the defense of Mactan

 

Plaque recounting Magellan's death