MARCH 16, 1521 was when a Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan reached Philippine shores (Limasawa Island in Leyte). Or at least that was what Yoyoy Villame told us.
Okay, I am joking about Yoyoy Villame but I admit that I always refer to the first line of Villame’s song “Magellan” when somebody asks me when Ferdinand first made landfall in our archipelago. “On March 16, fifteen hundred twenty-one, when Philippines was discovered by Magellan...” It’s not March 15, 1621, right?
A century only has one Year 21. Our century will pass Year 21 three years from now. So on March 16, 2021, five centuries will already have passed since the Magellan expedition changed the course of our history. That is why Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena this early is preparing for a grand celebration on that day.
Why so? While March 16, 1521 should be associated with Limasawa, Cebu can stake a claim to that part of history because Magellan eventually reached Cebu after that, bringing with him an image of the Sto. Niño and the religion that it represented. It is safe to say that Christianity took strong roots here in Cebu. And Magellan’s death in the hands of the Mactan chieftain Lapulapu ensured 1521 will always be associated to us Cebuanos.
What amuses me about Osmeña announcing his plans for 2021 is the fact that before 2021 there is 2019. You may ask, did something happen in 1519 that we would also note 2019? Actually, nothing happened in 1519 but something will happen in 2019. That something is the local and national elections--the so-called midterm polls.
It is important to note that, considering that the elections will include the mayoral polls in Cebu City. Meaning, that Osmeña will have to run for reelection by then if he wants to remain as mayor in 2021. Nobody can predict an election’s outcome, of course, but I say the mayor is facing formidable odds come 2019. He can’t say that in 2021 he’ll still be mayor. In short, he can’t be presumptuous.
I am not saying it’s wrong to have foresight. I say that if we really want the city to put its best foot forward for that “grand” celebration, preparations can start as early as now. I think preparations for 2021 has already rolled at the national level. But it should be more than just hiding from view the spaghetti wiring of utility and telecommunication firms. And everybody should be involved in it, not just the mayor.
The celebration can be a chance for us to raise our level of awareness about our past, but this should not be limited to 1521 and the Spaniards. A big chunk of the discussion should be about the society that Magellan’s group encountered in the islands in our archipelago at that time. Researchers have so dug up so many information about that time we will already be able to describe in detail pre-colonial Philippines.
I think the 2021 celebration should not only be about Spanish colonization and Christianization but also about understanding and being proud of the islanders that welcomed the Spaniards. Frankly, when I read about pre-Spanish society, that was when I became prouder of our race.