Gov’t to hold Lapu-Lapu National Monument design contest soon

MANILA, Philippines — The National Quincentennial Committee recently announced that it would hold a design competition for the Lapu-Lapu National Monument soon.

This after the committee in its eighth regular meeting last August 14 approved the plan to rise a Lapu-Lapu National Monument.

The committee is tasked to prepare the country’s commemoration of the 500 years of the victory at Mactan or the Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines.

It said that the national monument would be built at the Liberty Shrine in Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City. It is eyed to be inaugurated on April 27, 2019, the 500th anniversary of the Victory of Mactan or the Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines.

National monument guidelines out soon

In view of this, the NQC said it would issue guidelines for the national monument design competition soon.

“Enjoining Filipino designers across the world to design a monumental, imposing and commanding landmark that will honor Lapu-Lapu and the brave warriors of Mactan,” the committee said.

According to the committee, Lapu-Lapu’s national monument would be made of bronze and would be in tableau-classical type. It would follow the tradition of the country’s national monuments, Richard Kissling’s Rizal National Monument in Manila formerly called “Motto Stella” as well as national artist Guillermo Tolentino’s Bonifacio National Monument in Caloocan City.

“To commemorate Lapulapu is to be in communion with Rizal, Bonifacio, and the rest of the heroes who saved his memory and embraced him as part of the Filipino nation--the first democracy in Asia,” the committee said.

The committee said the National Historical Commission of the Philippines would declare the Lapu-Lapu statue as a National Monument as part of its mandate under Republic Act 10086 or the measure called “Strengthening Peoples' Nationalism through Philippine History Act.”

“The flag pole of the Liberty Shrine is also planned by the NHCP to be among the sites in country with the National Flag permanently displayed 24/7 under the Republic Act No. 8491,” it added, referring to the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines.

The NQC said the current Lapu-Lapu statue, built in 1980, would remain at the Liberty Shrine as part of the proposed Mactan Museum.

It is eyed to resemble the Lincoln Memorial ground that would venerate “the memory of Lapu-Lapu as the inspiration of the Filipino people for 500 years to fight and defend freedom.”

'Stop the plan to replace current Lapu-Lapu statue'

Meanwhile, Ahmed Cuizon or Bino Guerrero launched an online petition via Change.Org, calling on the NQC to halt its plan to replace the current statue with a new tableau-style monument.

“This has long been a dream for Filipinos, as an obelisk honoring Magellan has stood in the same shrine since 1866,” the petitioners said.

The petitioners claimed that the current statue has become a historic relic as it is also one of the Philippines’ top tourist destinations.

“It deeply saddens us, therefore, to learn that this statue will soon be taken out and stored in a museum,” the petitioners said.

“We refer to a plan by the National Quincentennial Committee to replace it with a new tableau-style monument depicting how Magellan was killed not by Lapu-Lapu himself but through a “collective effort” of Mactan’s natives. Accordingly, this will be “a more accurate” historical representation as there are no records showing that it was Lapu-Lapu who actually slew Magellan,” they added.

'NQC is Euro-centric'

The petitioners lamented how the committee’s plan confuses them to no end.

They said that President Rodrigo Duterte himself wants to highlight Lapu-Lapu in the quincentennial celebration.

The petitioners added that Duterte declared April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day “to emphasize that the Mactan chieftain was a national, not just a local, hero.”

READ: April 27 declared as Lapu-Lapu Day, nationwide special working holiday

“He has also suggested the renaming of the airport in Cebu after Lapulapu. He further urges that we do away with 'Euro-centric' views on our history, such as the assertion that Magellan 'discovered' the Philippines,” the petitioners said.

“But the NQC certainly has a strange way of highlighting Lapu-Lapu’s heroism and shunning Euro-centric views. First, it wants to remove the 39-year-old Lapu-Lapu statue at the Mactan Liberty Shrine and store it inside a museum. Second, it has launched a nationwide contest for a new monument that will replace the statue,” they added.

For its part, however, NQC said the Lapu-Lapu National Monument would “definitely highlight Lapu-Lapu as the central figure and will narrate the episodes that led to the Victory at Mactan.”

It also said the approval of the plan was in response to Duterte’s consistent pronouncement to honor Lapu-Lapu as a national hero.