October 30, 2023, Manila- The unmistakably fierce eyes and scowl look straight ahead, at opposite ends of the grassy mall, in Rizal Park. The Philippines’ first national hero, long before there was a Philippines, and the man credited with ending Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe, has been granted a Janus-like status at the country’s premier greenspace.

Lapulapu was an immigrant, from what is now Sabah, the northeastern state of Malaysia. He arrived on Mactan, a small island off the coast of the central Philippine island of Cebu, in the early 1500s and was given land by the Datu (Chief) of Cebu, as he expressed a desire to live as a peaceful farmer. Lapulapu’s leadership skills soon made him a Datu in his own right. Con trolling Mactan, which is at the head of the Cebu Strait, actually made him more powerful than the Datu of Cebu, whose name was Humabon.

As the Spanish and Portuguese pursued colonization of the vast Malay region, seeking to wrest control of the spice trade, from China, and from other European forces, the Spanish gravitated towards the northeastern islands of the archipelago, naming them in honour of King Philip II, of Spain, upon the completion of their conquest. The Spaniards managed to temporarily obtain the fealty of Datu (also called Rajah) Humabon, and one of his vassals, known as Zula. In conducting their politics, however, the Spanish took a Euro-centric view of Malay society, and regraded Humabon as an overlord, or king, of the Cebu region. In reality, the area was governed as a loose council of city-states, with Humabon and Lapulapu essentially being equals. Magellan’s appeal, upon his arrival in 1521, was to Lapulapu to “follow the example of his King” and submit to Spanish rule. The Datu of Mactan refused, and became enraged when Magellan’s men set fire to houses in Mactan’s main village. In an ensuing battle, Magellan and his men were killed.

Lapulapu has thus become a symbol of the Filipinos’ spirit of independence and resistance to foreign rule. This spirit never died, through nearly four centuries of Spanish rule and a half-century of occupation by the United States and Japan. It has helped propel the islands forward, into a growing economic force and a nation that is finding its footing.

Along with my host, Norlie, I stood in respect at Lapulapu’s bust, ironically after having walked through Rizal Park’s Japanese Garden. Here is that likeness of the great Datu, and some scenes from our Barangay Election Day outing. (More on Barangays, in the next post.)

This last is an apt description, as my time here in Manila gets short. It’s been, though, a continuation of all the love that I have felt, these past many years-and all the more so as my own act has gotten together more cogently. My hope is that blessings shower upon all those who have offered that love.