Magellan's Cross, believed to be miraculous, is nothing but a deceptive tool to conquer the unsuspecting ancient Cebuanos.
I find it disturbing how some history textbooks tell us that the Philippines was “discovered” by Spanish-hired Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Wow Philippines has even repeated the same confusing remark when describing the island of Limasawa as a birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines. I question the use of the word “discovered” because hundreds of years before these Spanish/Portuguese explorations, the islands have long been inhabited by its natives. In fact, Mactan Island’s chief Lapu-Lapu was already there when Magellan and his team arrived.
The word Christianization also does bother me. Spain that time was using God as a scare tactic to conquer and manipulate inhabitants in the east. What the Spaniards had really brought us was an idolotrous religion that subsisted on the sweat and blood of those they have conquered. Where is Christianity there? Not even a trace.
The house built for the ancient cross
Just across the present Cebu City Hall is Magellan’s Shrine that houses the Cross of Magellan. The original cross, believed to be encased in Tindalo wood, was made a symbol of Cebu and local government seal when it is nothing but an ugly reminder of how our own gullibility made us Spanish captives for 333 years. Lapu-Lapu, probably one of the brightest minds of his time, refused this religious crap from gaining a foothold. We all know how this brave warrior made a faucet out of the Spaniard’s body. Our historians may have named a small city after him, but Magellan’s cross was made a symbol of the province the Mactan chieftain so tried to defend. Call that irony.
Devotees light their candles and offer up prayers
The marathon to explore Cebu City four hours before the flight schedule landed us on our second destination for the day. Our lengthy walks from one spot to another digested every lechon bit I had earlier and probably shed off a couple of pounds without even taking in Fastin diet pills. If I happen to be a Roman Catholic, I would have exclaimed, “Pit Senor!”
Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño
Just right across Magellan’s Cross is The Church and Convent of the Sto. Niño (known as Basilica del Sto. Niño), the oldest church started by the Spanish friars in the Philippines. It was founded by the Spanish Augustinian priest Rev. Andres Urdaneta in 1565. It was on the same year that the Legaspi expedition arrived in the Philippines and gained foothold in this southern city. What followed next was a strong Spanish influence that scattered like a disease lasting for more than three hundred years.
Spanish influences remain inside the house of prayer
The intense devotion of the Visayans to the Sto. Niño and religious pilgrimages are centered on this church since the time of Legaspi. Aside from being a house of devotion, the Church and Convent of the Sto. Niño was also a center for educating the natives, rest house for missionaries and care home for the elderly and the sick.
Today, this church remains as the permanent home of the oldest known relic of the Sto. Niño for centuries.
Shiny, shimmery, splendid
Cebu has changed so much over the years that it is no longer the butt of those old school Magellan-Lapu-Lapu-kusinero jokes that circulated during the Yoyoy Villame era. The Visayan capital has followed the footsteps of Manila in so many ways that differences are now hard to tell. Supermalls define the city’s landscape and dictate lifestyle patterns. Five-star hotels house casinos and restaurants offering variety of flavors. Business processing offices opening in the area have rendered this old Spanish settlement absolutely sleepless and probably restless hundreds of years after.
Manang Linda shows us the painful details of the craft
While the IT and retail industries flourish, Cebu has also made a mark in the fashion scene. Local fashion accessories industry starts to bloom and exports have been aggressive so far. Bijoux Cebu was the ultimate proof that they too have stepped into the challenge of becoming world-class.
During the exhibit, we’ve met Manang Linda who graciously demonstrated to us how those accessories you see today were processed from scratch. In fact, every design component has its own humble story to tell from just being a piece of an abandoned shell to something that accents beauty. Every piece was painstakingly made by people who devoted their resources, time, passion and strength. So remember those things next time you purchase one.
It is a thriving million dollar industry that generates more jobs, opens up small business opportunities and inspires creativity not only among women but even men who have an eye for design and symmetry.
