Yes, 2021 is historic for more noble reasons than a resurgence of COVID-19 cases and the unofficial, sly start of campaigning for the 2022 national elections. Five hundred years ago this year, as marked by the 2021 quincentennial commemorations in the Philippines, Christianity came to our shores (and remains the dominant national religion); the Philippines became part of the first circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastin Elcano (who took over after Magellan’s death); and Lapulapu triumphed in the Battle of Mactan. The last event—mainly, its protagonist—is the subject of a musical to be staged as part of the quincentennial celebrations, already significant…
Keep on reading: ‘Lapulapu, Ang Datu ng Mactan’: Fleshing out a mysterious hero