Lapu-Lapu City prepares for the quincentennial kick-off
Posted on 04 February 2019
By NQC Admin
During
the 1st Stakeholders’ Meeting at the Archbishop’s Residence in Cebu City on 12 October 2018, the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) announced its proposal to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to hold the 121st anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine independence at the Lapulapu Shrine on 12 June 2019. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza accepted the call to be the host city and assured the attendees of the meeting that the City Government of Lapu-Lapu will prepare for the occasion.
The NQC eyes the Independence Day in Lapu-Lapu City to be the kick-off program for the country’s commemoration in 2021 of the Victory at Mactan and related events.
In his article “¡¡Gising na mga Tagalog!!” (Wake Up Filipinos) dated 23 October 1895, Emilio Jacinto (under the pen name “J. Aging”) wrote “¿Saan na napatungu ang dugu ni Kalipulako (Lapulapu), ang masiglang hari ng Maktan, niyaong pinatay niya ang lilong si Magallanes?” (Where has the blood of Lapulapu, the jubilant king of Mactan, flowed, after he had killed the liar Magellan). Jacinto’s question was answered by the Philippine Revolution that gave birth to the Filipino nation. The document “Acta de la Proclamation de Independencia del Pueblo Filipino” (Act of Proclamation of the independence of the Filipino People) read during the proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite on 12 June 1898 proudly evoked once again the name of Kalipulako (Lapulapu), implying that the spirit of Mactan had endured until the time of the founding fathers of the nation.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Acting Executive Director Ludovico Badoy met with Mayor Radaza on 5 November 2018 to discuss the readiness of the proposed site for the national event. The Lapu-Lapu City Government is now redeveloping Lapulapu Shrine based on the recommendations of the NHCP. Lapu-Lapu City Tourism Officer Hembler Mendoza wants the redevelopment completed by April 2019, in time for the 498th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan.
