Chief Lapulapu”s (1491-1542) other name is Kolipulako. The hero of Mactan and conqueror of Magellan, is described as stern, proud, intelligent, unyielding. He waged continuous war against the powerful ruler of Cebu, then a very much greater kingdom than his little island of Maktang. Of him, President Gullas of the University of the Visayas writes:
“Lapulapu is a good example of determination and willingness to work well. He learned how to ride on a horseback and on carabao proficiently at the age of six years; knew how to read and write at seven; boxed well at nine; became a champion swimmer, boxer and wrestler at eighteen; beat the Bornean marauders and pirates twice at twenty.” In the lives of men who have almost become legendary one finds it diffucult to separate fact from fiction. This must be true in the case of the material quoted above.
History has it that Mactan Island although small was a thriving community when the great Magellan was in Cebu. The brave Spanish navigator and soldier, upon learning that some inhabitants on this tiny island across Cebu refused to recognize the King of Spain, burned one of the villages. Lapulapu was one of he native leaders who refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of Spain over the Islands.
When Magellan, “with three boatloads of Spaniards and twenty boatloads of Cebuanos” went to Mactan to help a friendly chief, Lapulapu and his men armed with native fighting elements - wooden shields, bows and arrows, lances - met them. The invading Spaniards and Cebuanos were driven back to their boats, but their brace leader, Magellan, net death in the hands of Lapulapu. On what is believed to be the exact spot where Magellan fell and died, now stands an imposing monument in honor of the gallant explorer.
In the well-kept plaza of Opon, one of the two towns on Mactan Island, stands today an inspiring monument in honor of Lapulapu, considered the first Filipino to have repelled European aggression.
“Lapulapu is a good example of determination and willingness to work well. He learned how to ride on a horseback and on carabao proficiently at the age of six years; knew how to read and write at seven; boxed well at nine; became a champion swimmer, boxer and wrestler at eighteen; beat the Bornean marauders and pirates twice at twenty.” In the lives of men who have almost become legendary one finds it diffucult to separate fact from fiction. This must be true in the case of the material quoted above.
History has it that Mactan Island although small was a thriving community when the great Magellan was in Cebu. The brave Spanish navigator and soldier, upon learning that some inhabitants on this tiny island across Cebu refused to recognize the King of Spain, burned one of the villages. Lapulapu was one of he native leaders who refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of Spain over the Islands.
When Magellan, “with three boatloads of Spaniards and twenty boatloads of Cebuanos” went to Mactan to help a friendly chief, Lapulapu and his men armed with native fighting elements - wooden shields, bows and arrows, lances - met them. The invading Spaniards and Cebuanos were driven back to their boats, but their brace leader, Magellan, net death in the hands of Lapulapu. On what is believed to be the exact spot where Magellan fell and died, now stands an imposing monument in honor of the gallant explorer.
In the well-kept plaza of Opon, one of the two towns on Mactan Island, stands today an inspiring monument in honor of Lapulapu, considered the first Filipino to have repelled European aggression.
