I had never heard of ‘LapuLapu Day’ before, but it turns out we all here have a sort of connection to the festival.

Lapulapu or Lapu-Lapu, was a Datu (chief) of Mactan, a Philippine island. Lapulapu is known for the Battle of Mactan in 1521, where he and his men defeated Spanish forces led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan on his voyage of circumnavigation. Magellan’s death in that battle delayed the Spanish occupation of the islands until the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi reached the islands in 1565.