Cebu, Sabrosa propose sister city agreement

Lisbon, Portugal – Ferdinand Magellan is already immortalized in the annals of Philippine history for “discovering” the Philippines, introducing Christianity to the inhabitants of Cebu, and claiming the islands for King Charles I of Spain. Other than the fact that he was killed by Lapu-Lapu’s men during the Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521, not many Filipinos are familiar with the background of this great explorer whose Portuguese name was Fernão de Magalhães.

Born sometime in 1480 in Sabrosa, a city located some 380 kilometers north of Portugal’s capital city of Lisbon, the ancestral house of Magellan (sometimes referred to as Fernando Magallanes in Spanish) still stands in its original location and has become a tourist attraction. Considering their historical connection, it does not really surprise us that a proposal is already being forged to formalize a sister city agreement between Magellan’s birthplace of Sabrosa and Cebu City, thanks in large part to the efforts of Sabrosa mayor Jose Manuel de Carvalho Marques (left in the photo) and our Ambassador to Portugal Philippe Lhuillier. In fact, there is now a street named “Avenida Cidade de Cebu” in Sabrosa.

Our friend Ambassador Lhuillier informed us the sister city deal between Cebu and Sabrosa is part of a larger project dubbed the “Magellan cities” that seeks to establish linkages between several international cities which became part of the Portuguese explorer’s expedition. The sister city pacts are in line with preparations for the big event in 2021 that would commemorate the 500th anniversary of Magellan’s voyage.

Ambassador Lhuillier personally hand-carried the Sabrosa mayor’s letter inviting Cebu City mayor Mike Rama to visit Magellan’s birthplace. I’m told the Cebu City Council has also issued a resolution approving the sister city proposal, and both parties are just waiting for an opportune time to hold the formal signing of the agreement.

While his current posting may be considered a “smaller” one with just a complement of nine personnel and no attached agencies, Ambassador Lhuillier (who also happens to be a Cebu native) says the challenges and the work are no less relevant than what he faced in Italy where he previously served. While diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Portugal go as far back as 1946, our embassy in Lisbon is barely four years old, having only opened in December 2009.

Compared to other countries, the Filipino community in Portugal is actually very small (less than 3,000), which is perhaps one reason why the Portuguese have a low level of awareness of the Philippines as the Ambassador himself noted.  I have to give it to Philip Lhuillier who certainly has his work cut out for him in trying to increase levels of trade and investments between the two countries – and so far, it would seem that he is doing well judging from the number of cultural activities, technical cooperation as well as institutional and people-to-people linkages that have been lined up – one of which is the sister city pact between Sabrosa and Cebu.

A vision of Fatima

One of the most visited places in Portugal is the Santuario de Fatima (Shrine of Fatima) in the municipality of Ourem. Composed of a series of Catholic buildings and structures, the shrine commemorates the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children – 10-year-old Lucia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto – on May 13, 1917. The children said they saw a lady brighter than the sun surrounded by dazzling rays of light, and these apparitions would again happen for several times on the 13th day of each month – which eventually became known as the “Miracle at Fatima,” with many people testifying that these appearances were accompanied by unexplainable events like the miraculous dancing sun.

The children, in particular Lucia, also gave prophesies and foretold visions that are now referred to as the Secrets of Fatima. Francisco and Jacinta were eventually beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1989, while Lucia became a nun, later joining the Discalced Carmelite order where she took on the name of Sister Maria Lucia of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart. She died on February 2005 at the age of 97, with her possible canonization being examined by the Vatican.

In Fatima, there are a lot of small shops selling souvenirs and among the most popular are religious items like statuettes of the Our Lady of Fatima, rosaries, even holy water and books about the story of the children of Fatima. Filipinos are really everywhere. We came across a Filipina married to a Portuguese who owns one of these souvenir shops, and she seems to be doing well judging by the number of tourists who were buying up numerous items to bring home to their friends. She warned us about a number of “tourist traps” that people should be wary about, like items being passed off as wood but are really made of resin, or plastic items that are being sold at outrageous prices.

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