HISTORIC BATTLE. Ferdinand Magellan (right) and Datu Lapu-Lapu (left) portrayed by “Pinoy Boy Band” finalists James Ryan Cesena and Tony Labrusca, respectively, reenact along with school volunteers at the Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Barangay Mactan, the famous Battle of Mactan which was fought in the Philippines on April 27, 1521. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
OVER 5,000 spectators were on hand to watch yesterday’s reenactment of the annual Kadaugan sa Mactan that showcased participants of four schools, several folkloric dance groups and Manila-based celebrities clad in native Filipino costumes.
The event was secured by nearly 500 personnel from the navy and Philippine National Police Maritime Group along with civilian volunteers like the Foreign National Peace Keepers Network (FNPKN), said Senior Supt. Rommel Cabagnot, Lapu-Lapu City police chief.
In a speech, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said it was Datu Lapu-Lapu’s defiance of the Spanish that inspired the country’s leaders to assert Philippine independence.
At right, “Pinoy Boy Band” finalist Tony Labrusca (standing) enacts the role of Lapu-Lapu as he raises his weapon over Ferdinand Magellan portrayed by fellow “Pinoy Boy Band” finalist James Ryan Cesena (carried by tribal warriors).
(CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
“It is through Lapu-Lapu that we the Filipinos have developed this sense of pride, of loyalty and bravery to protect our own land which had been passed on from one generation to the other. What he and his men did for Mactan should be a living reminder for us that we have to protect one another, not destroy each other,” Radaza said.
She said if Datu Lapu-Lapu lived today, he would join and even lead the campaign against Filipinos, like drug peddlers, who are destroying or taking advantage of their fellow Filipinos.
Mayor Radaza also lauded the Oponganons who help the police in monitoring the presence of suspicious-looking persons out to victimize and inflict violence on civilians in reference to the Abu Sayyaf bandits that arrived in Bohol province.
“Let us continue to defend our land, work together for progress and development for our children’s sake. Let us not allow ourselves to be defeated and to be complacent. Let us continue what Lapu-Lapu started, for the victory at Mactan is the victory of our country,” Radaza said.
Pocholo Joselito Paragas, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprize Zone Authority (TIEZA) chief of operations, said he will lobby for the restoration of the Liberty Shrine and building of a senior citizens’ park proposed by Lapu-Lapu City Rep. Aileen Radaza.
Lapu-Lapu City tourism chief Hembler Mendoza said participants in the reenactment of the Kadaugan sa Mactan consist of 300 students from the University of the Visayas, University of Cebu and Cebu Normal University as well as the Knap Sack dancers.
The Philippine Air Force conducted a flower drop during the event.
Spectators were also entertained by Manila-based celebrities such as “Pinoy Boy Band” finalists Tony Labrusca and James Ryan Cesena, who portrayed Lapu-Lapu and Magellan, respectively, and GMA star Kris Bernal who assumed the role of Reyna Bulakna.