Honoring Asia’s first and greatest unknown hero

April 27 should be declared by all Asian nations as an Asian National Holiday. On April 27, 1521 Datu Lapu-lapu killed Magellan in a battle on the shores of Mactan Island. This battle created a first which unfortunately the world do not know.

In the 15th century, the world’s greatest powers were Spain and Portugal. The Dutch, British and French became world powers only in the 16th century and colonized Aisa (except China and Japan). The April 27, 1521 fight was the first involving East and West. The East won because of the bravery and leadership of Lapu-lapu. It also created a very very sad effect. Kalan Tiaw is also a hero and honored because of his Code of Kalantiaw. Copies of the Kalantiaw code written in native alphabet in 1433 were discovered in Panay in 1614. We know something about Kalantiaw through oral traditions and native scripts.

There are no Cebuano scripts about the battle of Mactan. We only know about the heroism of Lapu-lapu and his Mactan warriors later through the reports of Antonio de Pigafetta who was there when it happened. Pigafetta, a Venetian, grudgingly wrote that Lapu-lapu killed Magellan in Mano a Mano Combat. We know nothing about the parentage, life, death of Lapu-lapu because during the 15th century, Asians had no sense of history so they did not write about the great events and great leaders. The First Lapu-lapu marker in 1934 contained this line “xx since then, Lapu-lapu have been considered the first Filipino to have repelled European aggression xx” Honor and Glory of all the unknown Pilipino Heroes.