Lapu-Lapu Museum for Datu Lapulapu eyed

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines is planning to build a museum in Lapu-Lapu City that is inspired by the US’s  Jefferson Memorial. The museum will be for local hero, Datu Lapulapu, who was the first Filipino to fight against foreign invaders. | AP photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Lapu-Lapu City will soon have its own version of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial with the planned construction of the Lapu-Lapu Museum at the Mactan Shrine in Barangay Mactan.

In a Facebook post on February 29, 2020, Lapu-Lapu Mayor Junard Chan said he met with officials of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) at the Malacañang Palace on Friday to finalize the project implementation.

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Updates on the one-year countdown to the 500th anniversary of Battle of Mactan that will be held on April 27, 2020 was also among the items discussed during the gathering.

“Daghang activities ang nagpaabot kanato sa mag singhabot nga Kadaugan sa Mactan karong tuiga,” Chan said on Facebook.

(Many activities await us leading to the Kadaugan sa  celebration this year.)

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan joins officials of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in a meeting that was held in Malacañang on Friday. | Photo grabbed from the Facebook page of Junard “Ahong” Chan

The museum project will be inspired by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which is a monument to honor the third US President Thomas Jefferson.

The memorial, which is located in Washington DC, has a dome-shaped rotunda with a 19-foot bronze statue of Jefferson inside.

Chan said the museum project was thought of to honor Datu Lapulapu, who was the first Filipino hero to have fought against foreign invaders almost 500 years ago.

“Usa ni sa mga dakong achievements ubos sa atong administrasyon nga makatabang og dako sa atong turismo og maghatag og trabaho sa atong mga constituents,” Chan said in a Facebook post.

(This is will be a big achievement under our administration that can be a big help to our tourism industry and provide jobs to our constituents.)

With its completion, Chan said he would be expecting a 40 percent increase in the city’s tourists that would eventually translate to livelihood opportunities for some of the city residents./dbs