Our identity as a country and people goes beyond the words that are stamped on our passports. There are surely a lot of things that divide us, but many things can unite us as well.
Knowing our history can help our people understand what makes us a nation, what makes us truly and uniquely Filipino.
This year we are celebrating the 500th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition to the Philippines in 1521, as well as other notable events like the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, the role of the country in the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation, and Lapu-Lapu’s victory in the Battle of Mactan, which might very well be the first Asian victory against European colonialism.
Perhaps what most Filipinos know about Magellan, Lapu-Lapu and the events of 1521 came from a song made popular by Yoyoy Villame in the 1970s, a true testament to the late legendary Filipino folk pop singer’s genius in using music for great storytelling.
Magellan’s voyage to the Philippines happened during the so-called Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration, when seafaring European nations explored regions across the globe, primarily led by the Portuguese and the Spanish.
Magellan was a Portuguese explorer and yet he led the Spanish expedition to the East Indies from 1519 until his death in the Philippines in 1521, a study in contradiction worth another article.
History books (like Yoyoy’s song) tell us that Magellan landed on our shores on March 16, 1521 or 500 years ago today. However, historian Xiao Chua, in his article When Our Ancestors “Discovered” Magellan, says March 16 actually marks the date when Magellan’s ships first caught sight of the Philippines from afar.
“Since their departure from Guam on March 9, 1521, Samar was the first significant landmass sighted by the expedition on the dawn of March 16, 1521,” he wrote, adding “the expedition proceeded to a place called Yunagan and Suluan, the latter an island under the jurisdiction of Guiuan, Eastern Samar.”
Chua says it was actually on the following day, March 17, 1521, that the expedition made its first landfall at Homonhon, also an island now under the jurisdiction of Guiuan.
But beyond the dates, names and places there are other more important lessons to learn from the events of 1521.
Chua wrote vividly of how the first Filipinos who received the Spaniards showed them compassion. After seeing that Magellan’s crew was starving, the Spaniards were welcomed and fed. Even though they could not understand the foreigners, the humanity in our ancestors prevailed, he said, noting this magnanimity showed by our ancestors inspired Magellan to be hopeful of the locals around and helped the unprecedented achievement of circumnavigating the world for the first time.
He said the Filipinos’ kindness is illustrated throughout history: Filipino revolutionaries fed and patiently waited for almost a year, from 1898 to 1899, for the surrender of the last Spanish soldiers in the Philippines who sought refuge inside the Baler Church in Aurora; Filipinos welcomed Jewish refugees during World War II when no other country was willing to shelter them; Filipinos accepted the White Russians who were expelled from China by the communists in 1949.
Filipinos are innately compassionate and magnanimous people, Chua said, “to the extent we cheer for other countries like Timor-Leste during the 30th Southeast Asian Games.”
There may be many sordid parts of our past, but Chua is right, there are also many more episodes in our history we can be proud of.
Just like our ancestors, Filipinos today are naturally hospitable, gracious and generous hosts. We are able to set aside personal biases, even against foreigners and strangers, in favor of goodwill. And, no surprise, we always know how to feed our guests and share our food, no matter if it’s a banquet or a scant meal, to the point that “kumain ka na?” or “kain tayo” has become synonymous with our hello.
During this time of negativity and anxiety, these are truly Filipino traits we certainly need to celebrate, emulate and propagate.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano