Magellan didn't fight Lapu-Lapu?

I attended the book launching of the book, "Ferdinand Magellan: The Armada de Maluco and the European Discovery of the Philippines" written by Dr. Danilo Madrid Gerona.           This was done to mark the 495th Anniversary of the Battle of Mactan, sponsored by the USC Press, USC Cebuano Studies Center and the Cebu Historical Society hosted by the Bank of the Philippine Islands Foundation at the BPI Museum beside the Sto. Niño Basilica. It also included the unveiling of the Magellan 500 Logo and a PowerPoint presentation of the Augustinian Archival Records in Spain by Dr. Jojo Bersales and the official turnover of the Archival Records to the Cebuano Studies Center to Dr. Hope Yu and Resil Mojares and Dr. Erlinda Alburo.

Dr. Gerona gave a very impassioned talk about his book, which challenges many historical facts that we have learned to know throughout the years of reading about the Battle of Mactan between Ferdinand Magellan and Lapu-Lapu. Dr. Gerona did a thorough 10-year research on his book and found out that Lapu-Lapu was already 70-years old when the Battle of Mactan happened. So he concluded that he never fought Magellan in actual combat, but the killing of Magellan was attributed to him as Chieftain of Mactan. He was also aided by at least four Chieftains from Mactan.

There are many other interesting historical facts that we should know that for instance the date of the Battle of Mactan isn't the exact date because Magellan and Pigafetta didn't know that they crossed the international dateline. I got this from the book "Over the Edge of the World by Laurence Bergreen. So get a copy of this book and learn more about our history. Finally, we also concluded that Magellan held the first mass in Limasawa and from there he went to Cebu. He never went to Butuan or that place called Mazaua, which the Butuanons laid claim but that can't be proven.

*  *  *

During the 888 News Forum held at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel last Tuesday, our dear friends, Ms. Mayen Tan, president of the Beverly Hills Association and its former president, Mrs. Girlie Lim, came as guests on this program to sound the alarm that the area that we have known as the Osmeña Shrine up near Beverly Hills and Beverly Glen Subdivisions were now invaded by squatters who believe that they can just claim this land as theirs.

Right after the 888 News Forum, I drove straight to the Casino Español to join the media presscon of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and during the Q&A, I told him what Ma'am Mayen Tan and Girlie Lim reported to us at the 888 News Forum. Mayor Rama asked one of his lawyers to talk about this issue where we learned that this property was donated by the City of Cebu during the term of Mayor Tomas Osmeña to a Christian Foundation for the purpose of building a cemetery. I remember opposing this move and so too with the Beverly Hills and Beverly Glen Associations. So this did not materialize.

So now, Mayor Rama assured us that he would do the legal work to rescind that donation and turn the Osmeña Shrine into the park that Cebu City really needs. Mayor Rama also bewailed the double-standard of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for not stopping those squatters from cutting the trees in the Osmeña Shrine, but they are so strict in the cutting of trees along the sides of the road.

The other issues I brought up before Mayor Rama and his executive staff who were all present in the presscon was the parallel road to Escario Street which is now on its 16th anniversary of sheer and total neglect by the Department of Public Works and Highways. Yes, in 2000 when I assumed as chairman of the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management (CITOM) then Mayor Osmeña asked me to bring this issue of the parallel road to Escario to the Regional Development Council (RDC-7) of which I was a member. We prioritized this road, but somehow DPWH never agreed with us to make this road a priority.

Mind you, 16-years ago, traffic wasn't so bad in Escario Street. Today, it is one of the most congested roads in Cebu City to the point that during the presidential campaign in 2010, then presidentiable Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro made this road as his campaign promise. Alas he didn't win the 2010 elections thanks to the PCOS "tikas" machine. Then for nearly six-years under the Aquino regime, this road was never prioritized.

So will a new term for Mayor Michael Rama finally result in the implementation of the parallel road to Escario Street? It really depends on who would win the presidency. Unfortunately for Mayor Rama his political partner, Vice President Jejomar Binay is lagging behind in the polls. I suggest that he dump Binay and seek a partnership with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

*  *  *

For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. or [email protected].  His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.