PLASTIC, poor-quality diapers offered by Magellan to Lapu-Lapu, not defense of Mactan Island, led to the battle that the "Magellan" song of Roman "Yoyoy" Villame (1932-2007) promoted more widely and efficiently than any history book did or will do.

When Lapu-Lapu's wife exposed the gift and compared it to the EQ diaper on their child, Lapu-Lapu fumed, saying the foreigner betrayed their friendship.

Not just a distortion of history, EQ's 31-second commercial pokes fun at the historic

event.

Not in mean or malicious fashion: no entrepreneur is crazy to offend his product market. But in the "fun" way Yoyoy's Battle of Mactan is heard by most of the nation and myriad Pinoys overseas.

Grammar and diction are mangled, facts of history are bent. Yet "Magellan" is a song nobody complains about, listeners noting only how tune and lyrics perk them up.

And people also jest about how a fish named Lapu-Lapu killed Magellan and the foreigner's body armor, not the Oponanon's sword, dragged him down to death.

Those jokes haven't angered Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza. The EQ diaper ad has. And she wants an apology and the commercial's pullout.

Solomon, Cleopatra

EQ has two other TV videos that feature historical/biblical figures. But the dig against King Solomon and Cleopatra, also about EQ diapers, won't infuriate anyone, as the Magellan-Lapu-Lapu commercial did.

They're likely to remove the questioned ad and replace it with, say, EQ's "Mahal Kita" version, which can tug even the heart of an iron lady like Mayor Paz.

(paseares@sunstar.com.ph)