The Three-Day Battle of Mat-an (Mactan) – Part 1

Cebu is the first province that repulsed foreign domination. It was in the Battle of Mat-an (the people of the island had the reputation of being vigilant as mat-an means “with eyes”) that the commander of an invading country was slain.

It was a three-day battle, contrary to what has been impressed on us that it took only an hour for the battle to end. It defies logic that two mighty forces, the invaders armed with sophisticated weapons and ship cannons and the defenders defending their sovereignty, would just scuffle for an hour. Magellan’s forces and that of Lapulapu were not gangs in a tumultuous affray, it was a showdown between two kingdoms. They were proud people, both the invaders and the defenders, they would not just accept defeat with just the first volley, they were willing to fight to the last drop of their blood.

Prof. Lina Quimat in her book “Glimpses in History of Early Cebu” published in 1980 gives a vivid narrative of the battle, before and after.

Who is Lapulapu? This is what Prof. Quimat said of him:

“In 1484 in Mat-an, Sugbo, a boy, the elder of the two boys, was born to Hari Mangal and Rani or Hara Banga. He was named Lapulapu, his younger brother was given the name Malingin. Lapulapu was found to be extraordinarily strong, brilliant and brave even when he was a young boy, so that Hari Mangal gave Lapulapu teachers of various bodily skills for self-protection. Lapulapu was a sire to the knights of Hari Mangal named Bali-alho, Sagpu-baha and Bugto-pasan. Until the present Cebuanos are unequaled in escrimah or arnis which is the typical bodily skill for protection.”

Prof. Quimat mentioned that in 1496, the first attack of the Chinese pirates led by Chiong Li was repulsed by the young Lapulapu who was 12 years old then.

In 1521, Lapulapu was now the King of Mat-an, this was how Prof. Quimat wrote about the happenings of Sugbu after the arrival of Magellan:

“Lapulapu knew all of the activities of Magellan and his men- they dug graves just to get all those gold and other jewelries that were buried with the dead. They were rude, boorish and bastards. The natives were enraged!

“Magallanes and his men were never considered with honor and respect by the natives. Magallanes was bracketed with barbarians known in far-away lands. When he demanded payment of tribute from Lapulapu and the latter refused.” (To be continued)