President Rodrigo Duterte wants a bigger statue for Lapulapu, citing he observed colonizer Ferdinand Magellan’s statue was bigger than the country’s national hero.
“I am not belittling Magellan…I do not mean to offend the sensibility of Cebuanos. I’m just a citizen of this country expressing my opinion. When I was campaigning for the presidency, I went to Cebu and there was this statue of Magellan and Lapulapu. Magellan’s statue is bigger than Lapulapu. I don’t know about the Cebuanos, but I am very uncomfortable to say that the statue of Lapulapu is smaller than Magellan,” Duterte said in his public address aired Tuesday morning.
“There was a crowd [then] and I said if I become President, I will make Lapulapu’s statue bigger than Magellan. Can you note that, Karlo, and somebody from NHCP to go there and try to look at the situation,” he added.
Dutere referred to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
“It should always be na mas malaki ang kay Lapulapu. Hindi talaga ako komportable. I do not like what I see. Paggawa na lang natin (Lapulapu’s statue should always be bigger. I am not really comfortable. I do not like what I see. Let’s have it built),” Duterte said.
Duterte wants statue of Lapulapu bigger than Magellan’s
“My hero is Lapulapu, not Magellan, although I respect Magellan,” he added.
Nograles responded there is already a bigger Lapulapu statue in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
“As a matter of principle, I do not want that Magellan has a higher statue than our national hero,” Duterte said.
Lapulapu killed Magellan, who was working for Spanish colonizers.
“Call the Historical Commission, I want it started,” Duterte added.
In December 2020, Duterte issued Executive Order 152, ordering the private and public sectors that Lapulapu and not Lapu-Lapu spell the first Filipino hero’s name correctly.
In such an order, it is explained that the name of the hero of Mactan was first written in the Latin alphabet as “Cilapulapu,” with “Ci” being a title in recognition. The heroes Jose Rizal and Juan Luna also allegedly used “Si Lapulapu.”
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