Lapu-Lapu City marked its 65th year of transforming from the town of Opon into a chartered city by virtue of Republic Act 3134, which was signed into law by President Carlos Garcia in 1961.
The city takes its name from Datu Lapulapu who vanquished Ferdinand Magellan of Spain in the 1521 Battle of Mactan.
With its barren terrain, the town would have just been ignored by subsequent Spanish colonizers if not for its being Magellan’s death place which was sentimental for them. In the 1730s, a church was built for the Birhen Sa Regla that had become the town’s patroness while in 1866, a monument for Magellan was erected on the spot where he died.
With their land being unsuitable for agriculture, Oponganon residents meanwhile lived mainly on fishing, carving, guitar-making and boat-building. When the Spaniards left, Americans led by Dean Worcester established the Visayan Refining Company, becoming the country’s largest coconut oil producer by 1920. Another big business in Opon was the Cebu Shipyard and Engineering Works. A precursor of things to come, both companies became the locals’ main sources of jobs.
Education also prospered under the Americans, as evidenced by the opening of the Saint Alphonsus Catholic School in 1916.
But World War II halted progress. As the Japanese stumped economic activities, many Oponganons became guerilla fighters. One place that they monitored was an aircraft landing strip built by the Japanese.
After WWII when Sergio “Serging” Osmeña, Jr. was elected Cebu governor in 1951, he envisioned the airport’s transfer from growth-constricted Lahug in Cebu City to the landing strip in sparsely-populated Opon. The proposal was approved by President Ramon Magsaysay in 1955 who unfortunately didn’t see its completion after his flight crashed into Mt. Manunggal, Balamban, in 1957.
Construction of what was then called Mactan Alternate Airport continued under President Garcia, whose wife, Leonila Dimataga, was from Opon. Her brother, Mariano Dimataga, was in fact the mayor at the time.
At first, the airport was mainly used for military purposes since it shared facilities with the Mactan Air Base. As another project proposed by Serging Osmeña, the Mandaue-Opon Bridge was built and completed under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in 1973, commercial aviation became more feasible.
In 1979, Marcos and City Mayor Maximo Patalinjug, Jr. opened the Mactan Economic Zone for multinational investment companies. The Tambuli Beach Resort also commenced, kicking off Cebu’s tourism branding as an “Island in the Pacific.” What soon became the Mactan-Cebu International Airport served as the tourism backbone of the Philippine South.
Many things have happened since. The airport has expanded, two massive bridges and two economic zones were added, more world-class hotels, beach resorts and convention facilities have been built, more tertiary schools and training centers opened while shopping malls have sprouted along with banks, telecom facilities, hospitals and other amenities.
As such, international events like the Asean and Apec have made the city their meeting place.
Mayor Cindi Chan, Vice Mayor Celsi Sitoy and Congressman Junard Chan have meanwhile assured that a lot more is in store for Lapu-Lapu City. While facilities are upgrading, projects like the Lapu-Lapu Expressway, the 4th Mactan-Mandaue Bridge, North Reclamation Area Development, socialized housing, coastal road, sports oval and a new city hall building are already in the pipeline.
With its unshakeable faith in the Birhen sa Regla and a steady resolve for progress, Lapu-Lapu City’s future will hopefully be as bright and promising as ever. After all, 65 is still a very young age for a city.
