ON this day, 500 years ago, the earliest recorded Christian baptism in the Philippines took place in Cebu. It was a Sunday and the venue was at the consecrated piaza where Rajah Humabon, the ruler of Cebu, had allowed the Spaniards to mount a Christian cross and bury two of their countrymen four days earlier. The ceremony was officiated by Fr. Pedro de Valderrama, chaplain of the Magellan-Elcano expedition. Originally intended only for Rajah Humabon, the baptism was extended even to the local officials present.
Ferdinand Magellan, the expedition's captain, threatened the allies of Humabon who refused to be baptized that they would taste the wrath of Spain. Intimidated, the said allies who came from various parts of Cebu received the sacrament. Here, Magellan contradicted his statements days earlier "that they should not become Christians for fear or to please us, but of their own free wills," Antonio Pigafetta, chronicler of the expedition, noted. Magellan also said that he "would not cause any displeasure to those who wished to live according to their own law."
Humabon was baptized as Carlos, after the then incumbent king of Spain; his heir became Fernando, named after the brother of the Spanish king; Rajah Colambu of Mazaua received the name Juan, most likely after the brother-in-law of King Carlos of Spain, João III, King of Portugal. Around 500 men were baptized before noon. Magellan ordered the display of a large cross in the middle of the piaza for veneration, reiterating to the new converts the need to "burn all their idols and set up a cross in their place." After the baptism, Humabon and the chiefs declined Magellan's invitation for a lunch aboard the flagship, Trinidad.
After lunch, another baptism was held for women, including the wife of Rajah Humabon and family, and 800 more. The queen of Cebu waited for Fr. Valderrama on shore, because the usual lunchtime among the Spaniards is at 2:00 pm. The baptism continued on the succeeding days.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines designated the 500th anniversary of the baptism in Cebu as the reckoning date of the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines on 14 April 2021.
"The First Baptism in the Philippines" (1949) by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, owned by the Ayala Museum. Photograph courtesy of Pupuplatter.
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Seeing this post? Curious what this is about? This 2021, we will commemorate the Philippine part in the achievement of science and humankind in circumnavigating the planet for the first time. Central in this commemoration is the 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan on 27 April 2021. These and more are collectively known as the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines by virtue of Executive Order No. 103 (2020). Know more about the event here:
About us
[https://nqc.gov.ph/en/about]
Watch our promotional video
[https://youtu.be/ptgU1ZUgFZc]
Listen to Quincentennial Soundtrack
[https://spoti.fi/3nxWXPa]
Watch our lectures [https://portal.nqc.gov.ph/]
Quincentennial activities and materials here [https://bit.ly/3dHrnKF]
#VictoryAndHumanity
#Ph500
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