Lapu to make friends with Magellan's town

CEBU, Philippines -  The Lapu-Lapu City Tourism Commission will push through with the earlier plan of former city mayor and congressman Arturo Radaza to establish a sister city agreement with Sabrosa town of Portugal, the hometown of Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan.

Former city councilor Damian Gomez, chairman of the City Tourism Commission, along with Councilor Harry Don Radaza, chairman of the City Council's committee on tourism, aired the idea during a recent press conference called for Kadaugan sa Mactan celebration on April 27.

Gomez described the sisterhood agreement with officials of Magellan's hometown as a good idea, as the city government of Lapu-Lapu is eyeing the yearly celebration to be a global event to attract more visitors, especially foreign tourists.

Councilor Radaza shared the observation of Gomez, saying they are now working on making the annual celebration more impactful.

The idea to establish sisterhood ties with Sabrosa town in Portugal was initially discussed when Sabrosa mayor Jose Manuel de Carvalho Marques visited former city mayor Arturo Radaza 10 years ago. Mayor Marques was then attending meetings with mayors from different countries at the Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa.

Marques personally visited then mayor Radaza at his office at the City Hall and also the Mactan Shrine in Barangay Mactan where the historic battle between Magellan and local chieftain Datu Lapu-Lapu took place on April 27, 1521.

The meeting between the two mayors was attended by The FREEMAN.

The purpose of the sisterhood agreement is to strengthen the tourism promotions. Councilor Radaza said he will present this to the City Council for discussion.

Marques, during his visit in Lapu-Lapu City, said Sabrosa wanted Lapu-Lapu to be part of its worldwide network of cities that were part of Magellan's expedition.

Born sometime in 1480 in Sabrosa, a town located some 380 kilometers north of Portugal's capital city of Lisbon, the ancestral house of Magellan still stands in its original location and has become a tourist attraction.

Magellan, also known as Femao de Magallanes in Spanish, was the leader of the first sea expedition that circumnavigated the world.

Although he was born in Potugal, Magellan went to Spain because the Portuguese king at that time refused to finance his proposed trip westward to reach the coveted "Spice Islands" in Moluccas, now part of the Indonesian archipelago.

Magellan was not able to complete the full expedition that was financed by the Spanish King Charles 1 after he was killed in a historic battle against Datu Lapu-Lapu.

The city government of Lapu-Lapu celebrates this "victory" against colonizers every year through re-enactment plays at the shores of Barangay Mactan. (FREEMAN)