Proem

On April 27, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan with 59 other Spaniards went to Mactan, Cebu. They are accompanied by the newly baptized Christian King Humabon of Cebu and about 900 Cebuanos.

During the fight against Lapu Lapu and his men, Magellan and 7 other Spaniards were killed. Given this scenario, why would King Humabon massacre the Spaniards including the priest Fr. Pedro de Valderrama on May 1, 1521 or days after the battle at Mactan?

Our History Books

Dr. Gregorio Zaide in his book "Phil. History and Government (1980: pp. 59-60)" put the blame on Enrique, the slave of Magellan. Dr. Zaide said, "Angered by Barbosa's refusal, he (Enrique) connived with Rajah Humabon to massacre the Spaniards."

However in page 98 of same book, Dr. Zaide said, "Saavedra carried a letter from Cortes to the Cebuano King apologizing for the rude conduct of Magellan's men in 1521.

So, what was that "rude conduct?" Peter Martyr, a Spanish writer, asserts that the violation (rape) of the women by the sailors was the cause of the massacre. [Blair & Robertson, Phil. Islands, Vol. 33, p. 342).

Cebuano Version

In 1952, long before the history book of Dr. Zaide was written (1980), Mr. Jovito S. Abellana wrote his local version entitled, "Aginid, Bayok Sa Atong Tawarik (Glide On, Ode to Our History)." The story of the rape of the Cebuanas was mentioned by Abellana as the main cause of the massacre.

Abellana's Version

Around midnight of April 26, 1521, King Humabon and around 900 men left Cebu to accompany Magellan for the attack of Mactan. What were left in Cebu were the old, the women, and the children. The Spaniards who were left at Cebu had their chance to rape and abuse the women of Cebu.

In the afternoon of April 27, King Humabon, his men and the Spaniards returned. They were busy in the burial of the dead Spaniards. King Humabon was secretly told by some Cebuanos what transpired in his absence. King Humabon then decided to plan for revenge. Meanwhile, he pretended to be busy with the negotiation to retrieve Magellan's body that Lapu Lapu kept as a trophy.

Soon, their came Makiyong (Enrique) telling Humabon that the Spaniards will soon leave. King Humabon then told Makiyong (Enrique) to inform the Spaniards that he (Humabon) will hold a banquet on May 1, in honor of the occasion. Humabon said that gifts would be given to the Spaniards and to the King of Spain.

The Plan

The plan was to hold the banquet at the beach. Tables were set and the Cebuanos buried their cutlasses, bolos, spears, and other weapons under the sand.

In the morning of May 1, 1521 the Spaniards came. They were unarmed. The Cebuanos apparently were not armed also. Soon, delicious foods and wine were offered to the Spaniards. At around mid-morning, when the sun was about two-finger-span (duha ka dangaw) above the horizon, King Humabon gave the order to attack the satiated and groggy Spaniards. No Spaniard was able to escape.

Spanish Casualties

The following Spaniards were killed, or presumed to be dead: 1) Juan Serrano, 2) Duarte Barbosa, 3) Anton Rodriguez, 4) Anton de Goa, 5) Pedro Herrero, 6) Guillermo Fenesi, 7) Francisco Ante, 8) Nuño (a slave of Magellan), 9) Francisca Martin, 10) Juan de Segura, 11) Cristobal Rodriguez, 12) Francisco de Madrid, 13) Enrique (the slave of Magellan), 14) Peti Juan, 15) Hartiga, 16) Hernando de Aguilar, 17) Simon de la Rochela, 18) Pedro de Valderrama (priest), 19) Andres de San Martin, 20) Sancho de Heredia, 21) Leon de Espeleta, 22) Juan de Silva, 23) Luis Alfonso de Goys, 24) Francisco de Mosquita, 25) Rodrigo de Herrera, 26) Francisco Picora, and 27) Francisco Martin.

Spanish Version

In the viewpoint of the Spaniards who were aboard the ships and were able to escape, the reason for the massacre was to capture the ships and steal all the goods on board.

The Spaniards hurriedly set sail for Bohol without waiting for the Spaniards on shore.

They actually did not know what happened to the Spaniards on shore. They just presume that everybody were dead.

Comment

Our earlier history writers, even though they know the real reason for the massacre, were very careful not to displease the powers that be. They pretended to skip over the fact of the rape done by the Spaniards in Cebu. Now, it can be told that even when Magellan and the leaders were behaving as good Christians, their men were still savages by not controlling their incontinence.