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A
flotilla of 5 ships with a crew of 237 sailed
out of Seville, Spain on August 10, 1519 with
Portuguese Explorer Fernando de Magallanes at
the helm. In his earnest quest for the famed
Spice Islands (Moluccas), the Spanish
navigator traversed the Cape Verde Island of
Brazil in the course of his two-year long and
arduous voyage.
His patience and determination paid off on
March 16, 1521 when land was first sighted by
his men. The day after, Magellan learned that
he committed an error in latitudinal
calculations since he wound up in an obscure
island named Homonhon, some 10 degrees too far
northwards. Upon further exploration, it
turned out that Magellan and his men
discovered not only one but several island
groups - an archipelago.
The Philippine Archipelago
March 29, 1521 marked Magellan's discovery of
Limasawa Island in Leyte where the first
Christian mass was held. The rustic comforts
of Limasawa provided the long overdue respite
for the weary voyagers with the help of
Magellan's loyal Malay slave, Enrique de
Malacca. As Magellan's interpreter, he was
responsible for introducing the sailors to the
locals. Food was aplenty and the voyagers were
rejuvenated after a week of badly needed rest.
Replenishment of the ship's supplies proved to
be easy as the mariners got their supplies
from three big islands: Coulon (Leyte), Pooson
(Camotes), and Zubu (Cebu). Magellan and his
crew sought the graces and assistance of King
Limasawa in the procurement of their supplies.
The Portuguese navigator and his men first set
foot in Cebu on April l7, 1521 where their
vessel was moored at the port of Cebu. Antonio
Pigafetta, Magellan's chronicler, described
the sights and nuances of early Cebuano
culture: ""The houses were built with logs and
had ladders made of wood and were roofed with
nipa. Many sailing vessels from Siam
(Thailand), China, and Arabia were docked at
the port. The people ate from porcelain wares
and used a lot of gold and jewelry for
decoration of their bodies and clothing. Their
wines were in Jars. Men tattooed their naked
bodies covering their private parts with
Bahagui and silk turbans were on their heads.
About their girls, they were beautiful and
almost as white and as large as our girls
although naked from waist up. Upper class
women wore sack-like blouses called Chambara
on top of a square length cloth shirt tied
tightly around the waist. The women painted
their lips and nails with bright colors,
adorned their bodies with jewelries, but all
of them were barefoot.
A religious milestone occurred in Cebu with
the baptism of Zebu¡¯s King Humabon and wife
Queen Juana and 400 of their people, signaling
the spread of Christianity all over the
islands. However, along with the advent of
Christian proselytizing, the islanders were
subjugated to the Spanish sovereignty. The
Spanish reign in Cebu proved to be short-lived
following the death of Magellan on April 28,
1521 in the rebellious hand of valiant Zubu
warrior Lapu-lapu.
Undaunted by the fate of Magellan, forty years
later Spanish colonizer Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi and Fray Andres de Urdaneta set forth
their sails to conquer Cebu. Legaspi reached
Cebu on April 27, 1565 as the second Spanish
conquistador. With the defeat of Rajah Tupas,
leaving in his midst the village in shambles,
Villa del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus rose from
the ruins. This was named after the famous
miraculous image of Senor Santo Nino de Cebu
that was found unscathed among the ashes of a
dwelling burned by Spaniards. However, the
settlement which Legaspi built as another
symbol of Christianity in the island stood as
an omen; portending decades of Spanish
colonial regime.
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi then urged his men to
construct what is now the oldest and smallest
fort in the country: Fort San Pedro. As Spain
intensified its colonization efforts,
indignant islanders showed opposition by way
of intermittent attacks against the
colonizers. Thus the rebellion paved the way
to the construction of Fort San Pedro, a
Spanish military stronghold.
The streets of Tres de Abril and V. Rama were
the sites of a fierce battle on April 3, 1898
when General Leon Kilat of Bacong, Negros
Oriental spearheaded the revolution against
Spanish colonialism. The Spaniards sought
refuge at the Fort San Pedro and three days of
relentless attacks would have spelled victory
for the rebels were it not for the propitious
arrival of the Spanish armada.
However, the fort fell to the hands of the
native Cebuanos when Americans commanded by
Commodore George Dewey vanquished the Spanish
fleet in December 1898 in the battle of Manila
Bay. With the American reign in full force in
1901, then Senate Pro Tempore and late
President Sergio Osmena, Sr. and then
Congressman and majority floor leader in the
House of Representatives, Senator Manuel
Briones, vigorously lobbied for Philippine
independence.
Cebu metamorphosed in more ways than one, but
always for the better. From a sleepy fishing
village to a fledgling trading port in 1521,
from the first Spanish settlement named Villa
del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus in 1575 to a
municipality in 1901, Cebu finally became a
chartered city on February 24, 1937. Being the
first and oldest city in the country,
antedating Manila by 7 years, having the
oldest school and oldest street, and being the
cradle of Christianity in the Far East (i.e.
Magellan's cross planted in Cebu as a symbol
of natives embracing the Christian faith),
Cebu is replete with historical firsts.
February 24, 1937 was a milestone in Cebuano
history as Cebu City was granted its charter
by virtue of Commonwealth Act No.58 enacted by
Congress on October 20, 1936. Senator Vicente
Raffia, formerly representative of Cebu's 3rd
district, was instrumental as author and
sponsor of the bill. It was at that time that
Secretary of Interior Elpedio Quirino
appointed the mayor and board members of Cebu
City in his capacity as representative of
Manuel Quezon.
Shortly after the landing of the Japanese
Imperial Army in Cebu City on April 10, 1942,
the entire province became the principal
Japanese base due to its strategic location
and substantial population. Cebu finally saw
the light of freedom in March 1945 when
American liberation forces landed in Talisay
town. Liberation came in full circle in March
1946 and, to restore law and order, a civil
government dubbed as the Philippine Civil
Affairs Unit (PCAU) was established in the
city.
In Apri1, 1965, the entire Christian world
focused its attention on Cebu City, considered
as the cradle of Christianity in the Far East,
as it played host to the 40th Anniversary of
Christianity in the Philippines. The
celebration highlighted the contributions of
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Fray Andres de
Urdaneta in proselytizing Christianity by way
of establishing a Spanish settlement in the
province. In a country where Catholics
predominate, the conferment of the San Agustin
Church to the title Basilica Minore del Santo
Nino proved to be a momentous occasion as Rome
sent its representative Papal Legate, His
Eminence Ildefonso Cardinal Antonuitte. |
