Days to Go

Enjoining Departments, Bureaus, Offices, and Agencies of the National Government, Including State Universities and Colleges, (SUCs), Government-Owned and/or -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), Government Financial Institution (GFIs), Local Government Units (LGUs), and All Others Concerned to Support the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines

For legal bases of the commemorations, check President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Executive Order Nos. 55 (2018) and 103 (2020) and Proclamation No. 1128 (2021) here.

For the member of the Executive Branch interested to join the commemorations, visit Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea’s 14 December 2020 memorandum here.

For local government units and attached agencies to the Department of the Interior and Local Government, download DILG Memorandum Circular 2021-023 here.

For the basic education sector, you may access DepED Memorandum OUF-2021-0204 here.

For Civil Service Commission Announcement No. 10, s. 2021, check it here.

For Commission on Higher Education Memorandum to state universities and colleges, access it here.

For the National Quincentennial Committee Memorandum to all government offices, follow this link.

Download all legal bases here.

Introduction

On 21 December 2020, Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea issued a memorandum to the members of the executive branch to support the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP). This is to ensure more coordinated and synchronized celebrations of the quincentennials and wider participation from the government and non-government or private organizations. Being the concurrent Chairperson of the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC), the Executive Secretary stresses that the observance of quincentennials deserves full support in terms of the widest possible information dissemination activities so as to mobilize widespread public participation in quincentennial activities.

Milestones

  1. 8 May 2018. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issues Executive Order No. 55 creating the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC). This is to prepare the country in commemorating the quincentennials (500 years) of the Philippine part in the first circumnavigation of the world, the Victory at Mactan, and other related events in 2021.
  2. 21 December 2018. Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea launches the Philippine Quincentennial Commemorations (later rebranded as the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines or 2021 QCP).
  3. 8 January 2019. President Duterte designates the Executive Secretary as NQC Chairperson.
  4. 14 December 2019. 500-day countdown to 2021 QCP begins; the reckoning date is the 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan, which is designated by NQC as the D-Day.
  5. 28 January 2020. President Duterte issues Executive Order No. 103 refocusing the quincentennial commemorations into post-colonial and Filipino-centric points of view. It also added DPWH, DepEd, DND, NCCA, PCOO, and OPAV as members. The Executive Secretary officially becomes the permanent Chairperson. Whereas, the Chairperson of the NHCP shall concurrently be the committee’s Vice-Chairperson and Executive Director.
  6. 27 April 2020. Amidst pandemic, a simple one-year countdown is conducted at the Lapulapu Monument, Liberty Shrine, Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City.
  7. 21 December 2020. The Executive Secretary issues a memorandum encouraging the members of the executive branch to support the quincentennial.
  8. 17 January 2021. 100-day countdown commences at the Liberty Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City and Rizal Park in Manila. It is followed by the launching of the 5000-piso Lapulapu commemorative banknote and medal by BSP and NQC the following day.

Commemorations

  1. 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan, 27 April 2021 (D-Day)
  2. 500th anniversary of the Philippine part in the first circumnavigation of the world, 16 March – 28 October 2021 (not the discovery of the Philippines nor the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan)
    • Involves thirty-four (34) sites in the Visayas, Palawan, and Mindanao. Check them here [https://bit.ly/3aMvhRg].
    • Includes other related events such as the 500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, with the government’s focus on academic, cultural, and historical aspects only.

For more details, especially the contexts, kindly follow this link: https://nqc.gov.ph/en/about/

The extent of celebration across the country. Map produced by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

Participation

By virtue of EO 55 and EO 103, NQC encourages all government institutions, especially the Executive Branch, to integrate the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines in their plans, programs, activities, events, and strategies for 2021 to 2022 concerning but not limited to formal and non-formal education, economy, diplomacy, science, technology and agriculture, media, natural and cultural heritage, tourism, sports, youth empowerment and community mobilization, and military affairs. These shall be coordinated with the Committee for alignment and proper documentation.

For existing projects and programs, kindly follow this link for reference: https://bit.ly/3dHrnKF

Messaging

The quincentennial theme Victory and Humanity becomes more meaningful as we fight together with our own battle against coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Activities, projects, programs, and initiatives shall celebrate our triumphant spirit, nobleness, and bravery, inspired by the examples of selflessness, courage, and greatness of our ancestors since the time of Lapulapu and his gallant defenders of Mactan. Meanwhile, our culture of compassion and oneness with humankind shall also be celebrated, drawing inspiration from the kindness our ancestors in Guiuan, Eastern Samar had shown the scurvy-stricken, undernourished, starving, and dehydrated crew of the Magellan-Elcano expedition. In 1522, this expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the world and empirically proved that the Earth was indeed round. The said achievement of the expedition advanced our understanding of our home planet vis-à-vis the development of science and technology.

For more information, kindly check this out: https://nqc.gov.ph/en/resources/let-the-quincentennial-begin/

Strategies

Government institutions are encouraged to:

  • Display quincentennial banners in public spaces and edifices from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2022. See downloadable files below. For dropdown banners, click here.
  • Play the quincentennial theme song “Bagani,” along with other songs in the Limandaan album, in public spaces and programs. You may upload the lyric video of each and every song in the album, accessible here. It can also be played via Spotify (500 Years Philippines Playlist).
  • Incorporate, print and/or embroider the quincentennial logo on the official uniforms of the competing athletes in the Palarong Pambansa and other international sporting events, especially the Tokyo Olympics and 31st Southeast Asian Games, and in the official letterheads, streamers, and other applicable public documents, provided the Quincentennial Branding Manual is strictly observed (see manual below).
  • Upload on respective government pages the educational and promotional materials of the quincentennials. Access them here.
  • Reproduce the educational and promotional materials—in print and online—the NQC is producing for wider dissemination. Check this link.
  • Dedicate a school day for the period of 20-27 April 2021 to discuss the value of nationalism, sovereignty, magnanimity, science, natural resources, health and nutrition, and humanity using the materials the NQC have produced, provided special module is devised by the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education in collaboration with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Department of Science and Technology, Department of National Defense, Department of Health, and other relevant government offices and private institutions.
  • Conduct online activities from 2021 to 2022 that
    • retell the heroism, gallantry, and nobleness of various historical figures in history, especially the local heroes and eminent people the locality has produced;
    • honor the modern-day great examples of greatness and compassion;
    • celebrate the overseas Filipino workers; and
    • highlight our achievement as a people in science, arts and culture, and various fields.
  • Make relevant the 2021 QCP in our fight against the coronavirus 2019 pandemic.
  • Participate in the quincentennial D-Day or the national celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan on 27 April 2021 by
    • Sprucing up historical landmarks, monuments, and plazas in time for the simultaneous flag-raising ceremony at 8:00 a.m.;
    • Offering flowers and wreaths at the pedestals of local and national heroes and other illustrious figures in your localities;
    • Hanging and displaying of Philippine flags in public spaces for the period of 20-27 April 2021;
    • Performing live or in canned music the quincentennial theme song;
    • Illuminating in blue at 6:00 p.m. the government edifices, monuments, and other public spaces to celebrate our maritime civilization and our ancient maritime ancestors;
    • Streaming the conduct of the public events online to mitigate the influx of people; strict observance of IATF guidelines in public gatherings is a must; and
    • Sharing the quincentennial features found on the official social media pages of NQC and Presidential Communications Operations Office on or before the D-Day online on respective government social media pages.

Funding

Participating government institutions are authorized to allocate funds as may be necessary to defray the expenditures which may be incurred, subject to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

Reportorial Clause

Given the significance of the milestones, it is our responsibility for posterity to bequeath a memory and an example of how we strived to celebrate as a nation in the midst of a pandemic. All participating government institutions are required to consolidate their activity reports and have them deposited, in print and digital forms, to the NQC Secretariat on or before 31 December 2022 for inclusion in the comprehensive terminal report. E.O. 103, s. 2020 designated NHCP as the depositary of the institutional memory of the 2021 QCP. The reportorial form can be accessed here [https://bit.ly/3rtPke3].

Downloadables

Official Lamp Post Banners

Official Facebook Cover for the Public

Official Streamer for Agencies

Official Facebook Page Cover for Agencies

Quincentennial Brand Manual