Cebu, heart of the Philippines
It is no accident that world navigators namely, Ferdinand Magellan (March 16, 1521) and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi (April 27, 1565) chose Cebu as the birthing place of the country and its seat of its government. It was the result of a sound plan as Cebu is geographically the center of the Philippines.
The Americans held Cebu in high esteem when the Philippine Senate was created in 1916. Cebu (10th Senatorial District) became the only senatorial district composed of a lone province.
It is also no wonder that the country’s biggest tycoons are also Cebuanos, Henry Sy of the Shoe Mart malls (the country’s biggest chain of department stores), Lucio Tan of the Philippine Airlines, and John Gokongwei of Robinsons and Cebu Pacific Air.
The country’s first Speaker came from Cebu, Don Sergio Suico Osmeña Sr. (elected in 1907). Today, the country’s rising real estate company is from Cebu, the Cebu Landmasters headed by Jose Soberano III its CEO and chairman is homegrown and is conquering the country.
The men of Lapulapu, after defeating Magellan and driving the latter’s crew out of the Philippines, expanded their power by becoming advisors to other chiefs of the provinces in the Visayas. The men of Mat-an (Mactan) sired children to the women of these islands. Likewise, Haring Tupas and his men, who pursued Legaspi after driving him out of Fort San Pedro, settled in Panay Island and sired children. The majority of the people of Visayas can trace their roots to the heroes of the Battle of Mactan and the Battle of Fort San Pedro. The Visayans are indeed descendants of heroes and warriors.
This is our history, this is Cebu. Thus, Cebuanos should not be whining and childishly reacting to the movie “Magellan and Sebastian Elcano.” The movie is a production of the so-called conquerors, surely they would depict Lapulapu as the villain. It is true that Lapulapu is the antagonist of the Spanish monarchy as he defied a world power who underestimated the courage and supreme martial wisdom of a Cebuano. The reason why Imperial Manila historians and pseudo-nationalists are whining is because they are insecure. In fact, they don’t know who they are, for it is only the genuine Cebuano who is at peace and secure.
No movie or story written by foreigners or even from Manila can alter what happened in Cebu centuries ago. It is only in Cebu where foreign invaders were slain and driven out, unlike in Manila which meekly submitted to Legaspi and was the given the insulting title as the “Distinguished and Ever Loyal City.” It is a euphemist phrase of being a “sipsip and coward”. Ug mabuhi ang bantugan nga bisaya!
- Latest
