Finally, Lapu-Lapu Day
President Rodrigo Duterte has declared April 27 "Lapu-Lapu Day." In the said declaration named as Proclamation No. 200 which Duterte signed last Wednesday, Lapu-Lapu is recognized for having "left us a legacy of freedom through his leadership, extraordinary bravery, courage, and love for his own land."
"Being among the first of our forefathers to have fought against foreign domination, Lapu-Lapu's heroism has been recognized as a representation of the Filipino people's love of freedom and capability to rise above adversity," the presidential proclamation said.
Finally, it took a leader with Cebuano roots to formally install Lapu-Lapu in a place in our historical memory that he long deserves.
Though it came short of declaring April 27 a national holiday, the proclamation decrees that Lapu-Lapu be given "the highest honor and his legacy be remembered by all Filipinos through appropriate ceremonies" during this day.
Some historians may argue that Lapu-Lapu cannot be considered on the level of a Filipino hero because there was no Philippine nation yet during the time his tribe fought and repelled the foreign aggressors. Others would even dare to say he was an aging pirate reduced to just giving orders to his men, quite opposite from our striking image of him as a muscular middle-aged warrior. But that, for me, is beside the point.
It is, indeed, quite known that it was the rivalry between tribes in Cebu --not a battle for national pride and sovereignty-- that led to the Battle of Mactan. Historical accounts vary, but one account states that the proud conquistador Magellan got involved when a scheming Humabon provoked him to anger against Lapu-Lapu, that chieftain of Mactan who was intransigent to any foreign power. Eager to show off the Spanish contingent's dominance in battle against any tribe, Magellan miscalculated the situation in Mactan and paid for it with his life.
Whatever is the motivation and political undercurrent surrounding the battle that earned Lapu-Lapu a place in history, the foremost point for me in valuing and remembering a hero is in how the memory of him evokes feelings of national pride and self-determination. And that is what the memory of Lapu-Lapu represents.
A common sense for positive national identity and inspired action should therefore be put above political correctness as a cardinal principle in remembering and celebrating the memory of historical icons and heroes.
Heroes were flawed human beings too. But despite their flaws, they became heroes because of their involvement in a defining moment in history that a grateful nation can draw lessons and inspiration from.
As a Filipino, if I were asked to choose one hero to emulate, I would rather answer that I want to follow the versatile genius of Jose Rizal, the passion of Andres Bonifacio, the firebrand patriotism of Antonio Luna, the strength of Gabriela Silang, the tenacity of Francisco Dagohoy, and, of course, the triumphant bravery and leadership of Datu Lapu-Lapu.
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The recent New York Times editorial entitled "Let the World Condemn Duterte" has triggered another characteristic reaction from President Duterte who shot back that the publication of the newspaper must also stop.
Duterte scored the Times for not even criticizing the US invasion of Iraq which was pretexted by wrong or misleading information about weapons of mass destruction. In fairness to the Times, the liberal-leaning newspaper had probably even criticized the US unilateral action against Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
But allow me to go out on a limb to express my mistrust in the mainstream foreign media, the likes of New York Times and Time magazine. This mistrust stems from their almost auspicious timing in publishing articles against Duterte in seeming coordination with the ardent critics of Duterte at home.
The Times editorial was released in time for the hosting of the Philippines of the ASEAN Summit. The said editorial referred to a case filed this week against Duterte at the International Criminal Court by an individual named Jude Josue Sabio, lawyer of self-confessed Davao Death Squad member Edgar Matobato. It also came even before the ink ran dry on Time magazine's vilification of Duterte and positive spin of Senator Leila De Lima.
Stopping or mitigating the rampant violations of human rights under the Duterte administration is a struggle that requires painstaking grassroots documentation of the human cost of the drug war. Shallow schemes and the hypocrisy of those who seek to undermine Duterte will just not hack it.
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