About the Commemorations

About the
Quincentennial

 

In 2021, the country will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan, the Philippine part in the first circumnavigation of the world, and other related events, collectively known as the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP). Executive Order No. 55, s. 2018 created the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) for this purpose.

Exeutive Order No. 55

Comprehensive Plan

The Milestones

 

The State-sponsored commemorations are branded as 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines as per Executive Order No. 103 (s. 2020).

The National Quincentennial Committee is spearheading the 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan (27 April 2021) and the 500th anniversary of the Philippine part in the first circumnavigation of the world (16 March – 28 October 2021). Whereas, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines is leading the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines.

Executive Order No. 103

The Filipino Way

 

The Executive Order No. 103 (s. 2020) espouses a Filipino-centric point of view of the first circumnavigation of the world, underscoring the magnanimity, compassion, and humanity of our ancestors in helping the starving crew of the first circumnavigators—the Armada de Maluco, a.k.a., Magellan-Elcano expedition—that traversed the Pacific Ocean, and the courage and bravery of the warriors in Mactan that inspired the heroes and martyrs who founded the Filipino nation and the generations thereafter.

Aims

 

  1. Promote local and national tourism
  2. Reignite nationalism of every Filipino
  3. Inculcate values for the common good
  4. Strengthen social cohesiveness of the community
  5. Intensify social awareness
  6. Foster the Filipino creativity for our socioeconomic growth

Committee Functions

 

  1. Undertake the overall study, conceptualization and implementation of relevant programs and projects on, but not limited to, diplomatic concerns, history, culture and the arts, academic affairs, science, environment and agriculture, socio-civic participations, volunteer and partner mobilization, military participation, and infrastructure;
  2. Act as the principal coordinator for all the activities related to the 2021 QCP;
  3. Serve as clearing house for the preparation and dissemination of all information on the programs, activities and projects for the 2021 QCP;
  4. Constitute sub-committees or working groups, as may be necessary, to undertake the implementation of programs, activities and projects;
  5. Undertake fund raising activities, as may be necessary, to attain the objectives of the Executive Order No. 103 (s. 2020), subject to applicable laws, as well as budgeting, accounting, and auditing rules and regulations;
  6. Call on any government agency or instrumentality, and invite private individuals and organizations, including overseas or international entities, to assist in the preparations and celebration of the 2021 QCP; and
  7. Carry-out such other functions as may be directed by the President.

Celebrating the
500th anniversary
of the discovery
of the Philippines

 

What we are commemorating with the world is the 500th anniversary of the achievement of humanity in circumnavigating the planet for the first time.

EO 103 (s. 2020) emphasizes our (Filipino) point of view in commemorating the said milestone.  The National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) maximizes the world-wide commemoration to underscore the fact that our ancestors have had flowering civilization upon the arrival of Magellan in 1521.

A Filipino-centric
point of view.
But what Filipino?

 

While Lapulapu and our ancestors in 1521 were not Filipinos, we, the Filipinos, are their descendants. Although they existed long before the birth of the Filipino nation in 1898, our pre-colonial ancestors are worthy of remembrance. Thus, we celebrate their ideals, sacrifices, struggles. They are the source of our inspiration. By assimilating them into our national imagination, we are rescuing them from oblivion and colonial prejudices.

500th anniversary
of the Victory
at Mactan as
the 2021
QCP D-Day

 

Between 16 March and 28 October 2021, a series of quincentennial milestones will be commemorated. Just like the Philippine Centennial Decade (1988-1998), when several milestones were commemorated and the State chose 12 June 1998 as the D-Day, Victory at Mactan embodies greatness and pride. Like the founders of the Filipino nation, we see Mactan as a symbol of triumph.

Calling the
quincentennials
correctly

 

Executive Order No. 103 (s. 2020) brands the Battle of Mactan quincentennial as 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan.

Instead of arrival of the Magellan-Elcano expedition, it should be 500th anniversary of the Philippine part in the first circumnavigation of the world—not “discovery” of the Philippines nor “arrival” of Magellan. All these and other related events in 1521 are collectively known as 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP or QCP).

Why Victory and Humanity
as theme?

 

Victory represents Lapulapu and his men’s triumph that transcends to our generation. This also represents how the gallantry and the spirit of freedom of our ancestors and forebears determined our destiny and history.

Humanity represents the compassion of our ancestors in saving the sick, starving, undernourished, and hopeless crew of the first circumnavigators of the planet in Homonhon, Guiuan, Eastern Samar. This trait of us as a people is recurrent in our history, and we want the world to know this further.

Learn more here.

Our Blue Motif

 

Our ancestors were sea-faring people. Our identity, our world view is partly based on water. So as our history with the first circumnavigation of the planet.

Water connects us, Filipinos, to our rich, distant world of our ancestors. Blue is the motif of the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines to celebrate our ancestry and the achievement of humanity in circumnavigating the world for the first time.

We have always been part of the world because of water.

The Logo

 

 

On 14 August 2019, the National Quincentennial Committee adopted the official logo of the commemorations. It highlights “500” to represent the quincentennial commemorations; the number “5,” designed in a stylized cross, symbolizes Christianity, while the waves represent the circumnavigation. The silhouette of Lapulapu is patterned after his statue at the Liberty Shrine, Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City.

Blue is the color of the logo, representing the maritime culture of our ancestors, as well as the achievement of humanity in circumnavigating the world. The logo was designed by Mary Lyn Dioso and Relly Coquia.

Download the logo here. Read how to use the logo here.

National Quincentennial Committee

 

Chairperson

Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea
Office of the President of the Philippines

Vice-Chairperson and Executive Director

Dr. Rene R. Escalante
Chairperson, National Historical Commission of the Philippines

Members

Department of Foreign Affairs
Ernesto C. Abella
Undersecretary for Strategic Communications and Research

Department of Tourism
Roberto P. Alabado III
Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation

Department of the Interior and Local Government
Jonathan E. Malaya
Undersecretary for Plans, Public Affairs and Communication

Department of National Defense
LtGen Reynaldo B Mapagu, AFP (Ret.)
Undersecretary for Civil, Veterans, and Retiree Affairs

Department of Education
Annalyn M. Sevilla
Undersecretary for Finance-Budget and Performance Monitoring

Presidential Communications Operations Office
Ramon L. Cualoping III
Director-General, Philippine Information Agency

Department of Public Works and Highways
Engr. Antonio V. Molano, Jr., CESO III
Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations in the Visayas, NCR, and Region IV-B

Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Visayas
Anthony Gerard Y. Gonzales
Undersecretary

National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Al Ryan S. Alejandre
Executive Director

Department of Budget and Management
Mary Anne Z. Dela Vega
Director, Budget and Management Bureau-B

Secretariat

National Historical Commission of the Philippines

Carminda R. Arevalo
Officer-in-Charge
Office of the Executive Director

Rosario V. Sapitan
Officer-in-Charge
Office of the Deputy Executive Director for Administration

Alvin R. Alcid
Officer-in-Charge
Office of the Deputy Executive Director for Programs and Projects

Gina C. Batuhan
Chief
Historic Sites and Education Division

Ar. Reynaldo S. Lita
Head of the Secretariat and the Technical Working Group for Infrastructures

Ian Christopher B. Alfonso
Senior History Researcher and In-Charge of Quincentennial Commemorative Events

Ayesha H. Sayseng
Historic Sites Development Officer II

Gerwill I. Cruz
Historic Sites Development Officer II

Archt. Genissa O. Villegas
Architect II

Archt. Dan Paul Awarayan
Architect II

Josef Alec D. Geradila
History Researcher II

Juvelyn D. Nierves
History Researcher II

Mark Kiven G. Oriendo
Museum Technician I (Administrative)