Lapu-Lapu: Symbol of Pinoy pride

If the French donated the famous Statue of Liberty to the United States, the Koreans may now be known in history for having donated the statue of Lapu-Lapu to the Philippines.

"The Statue of Liberty is the icon of freedom all over the world. Lapu-Lapu is the icon of freedom all over Asia. He is not a mythological character, he is a Filipino. This gift is given to us out of respect for his bravery," said administration Sen. Richard Gordon.

The 30-foot bronze statue of Lapu-Lapu, which stands proudly at the Teodoro F. Valencia (formerly Agripina) Circle at Manila’s Rizal Park, will be known as the "Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom," and a "symbol of Philippine pride," Gordon said.

Gordon, a former tourism secretary before running for the Senate, said the Lapu-Lapu monument at Rizal Park was placed 400 feet from Rizal’s monument along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. The distance between the two statues symbolizes the 400 years between the time of Lapu-Lapu and Rizal.

The Korea Freedom League under the leadership of Kown Jung-Dal donated P15 million to erect the statue.

Gordon added that Lapu-Lapu best represents the Muslims while Rizal best represents the Tagalog-Christians in the nation’s history. It is the one major monument of Lapu-Lapu outside Cebu that has raised the hero to national consciousness.

The bronze statue was created by noted sculptor Juan Sajid Imao, an award-winning young artist from the University of the

Philippines. Sajid’s forte is cast metal using the age-old lost wax method. His art is inspired by Ukkil l Okir, a distinct curvilinear design commonly seen in Maranao art.

Although visually impaired, Sajid was chosen as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines under the arts category in 2001.

He is also known for his functional sundial made of brass located at the Fort Bonifacio Global City, an award-winning entry in the first Fort Bonifacio Public Art Contest in 1997.