Lapu-Lapu, The Victor of Mactan

Lapu-lapu is one of our first heroes because he showed his fearlessness in defending his homeland against invaders. This selection is an account of the famous Battle of Mactan.

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO the Filipinos were ruled by chiefs. The most powerful chief on an island was respected by the other chiefs there who were not so powerful. He was like an elder brother to them. He was often called king.

The most powerful chief in Cebu was Humabad. In those days Cebu was called Sugbu. One day Humabad saw some strange ships come sailing into the bay. These ships were different from the Chinese boats that came there to trade. Soon the ships cast anchor. A small boat rowed to the shore with a messenger. The messenger was a Malay. He spoke to King Humabad in the Malay language.

"I have been sent by Ferdinand Magellan, subject of the powerful king of Spain. He wishes to land on your shore."

"If he is a friend," answered King Humabad." I will let him land. Tell him I will receive him and his men."

So Ferdinand Magellan, the first Spaniard to reach the Philippines, came on shore with his soldiers. They were clad in shining armor. The points of their long lances gleamed in the bright sun.

Humabad and his court were gathered in the shade of a large tree. The king had on rich clothes covered with beautiful embroidery. Around his head was a piece of red silk. This was called putong and it was red to show that the king was a warrior. There were gold bracelets on his arms. At his side hung his sharp kampilan encased in a finely carved scabbard.

The Queen and her women were also richly dressed. The Spaniards were greatly impressed. They said to themselves: " These people dress better than we do." They were even more impressed when they were asked to eat with the king. The plates on which food was served were of Chinese porcelain. The Spaniards had never seen porcelain plates before. At that time people in Europe used wooden plates to eat from.

Magellan wanted to show the Cebuanos how well his men could fight. He called two of his soldiers and told them to give an exhibition fight.

"You can see that no weapon through their armor" Magellan said.

Hundreds of people had gathered to watch the Spaniards fight. Most of the spectators were Cebuanos.

Some spectators were from the nearby islands. They happened to be in Cebu on that day to trade. They looked on and said nothing. But they noticed one thing that they remembered afterward. The saw the Spanish armor had weak spots. These spots were at the joints. At the shoulders, elbows, and knees, the pieces of the armor were loosely joined to allow the soldier to move his arms and legs.

Ferdinand Magellan told King Humabad about the Christian religion, and he asked him to become a Christian. Humabad agreed and he was baptized. The Spaniards fired a salute, while the Cebuanos beat their gongs and clashed their cymbals.

Now, after King Humabad was baptized, Magellan sent messages to the other chiefs.

He said to them:

"King Humabad is now a Christian. He is the friend of the king of Spain. Come and kiss his hand."

This message reached Mactan where Lapu-lapu was chief.

"Why should I kiss Humabad's hand?" said Lapu-lapu. "I am not his slave. And who is this king of Spain? I do not know him."

Magellan was angered when he learned of Lapu-lapu's answer. Again he sent a messenger to Lapu-lapu ordering him to obey. "If you do not obey," said the message, "you shall feel the sharpness of the Spanish lances."

Lapu-lapu answered, "If the Spaniards have lances, we too have them. Ours are made of wood hardened in fire."

Magellan saw that he would have to compel the proud chief to submit. He planned to go to Mactan the next day. He asked the Cebuanos to cross over with him and see how well the Spaniards could fight.

It was still dark the next morning when the Spaniards arose. With burning torches to light the way, they crossed the narrow strip of sea between Cebu and the small island of Mactan. They reached Mactan before sunrise. Lapu-lapu's village was very quiet. The people were still asleep.

The Spaniards rushed up the beach with their burning torches. They went to that side of the village farthest from the beach. They set fire to the houses. The nipa and bamboo houses flared up quickly. The darkness was reddened with the flames.

"Fire! Fire! Enemies!" the villagers shouted, awakened from their sleep.

Lapu-lapu heard the voices. He snatched his weapons and rushed out. He suspected that the Spaniards had come.

"They are attacking at dawn," Lapu-lapu said in anger. "That is not right. Our ancestors held that it is wrong to attack an enemy in his sleep." So Lapu-lapu thought that the Spaniards were behaving not like brave warriors but like savages from the mountains.

Lapu-lapu joined his men who had already armed themselves. They were angry. They attacked the Spaniards furiously. They could not pierce the metal armor of the enemy. But soon they remembered what they had seen at the exhibition fight in Cebu. They aimed at the weak places of the Spaniards' armor. Lapu-lapu's men killed some of them. When Magellan's soldiers saw that their armor was no longer useful, they ran away, leaving their leader alone, and Magellan was killed. His cowardly companions took to their boats and sailed to Cebu.

In relating the story, they exaggerated the number of Lapu-lapu's men. They said that there were thousands, because they had to explain some way why they had run away.