Quincentennial Symposium of the Discovery of the Philippines and the Circumnavigation of the World

THE arrival of Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan to our shores in 1521 was a watershed in Philippine history because, although he was slain by Mactan chieftain Lapu-Lapu, the Spaniards came back decades later to Christianize and unify the country. Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, during his 1542 expedition, named the islands of Leyte and Samar Felipinas after then-Prince of Asturias. Eventually, the name Las Islas Filipinas would be used to cover all the islands of the archipelago, in homage to his King Philip II.

Compatriot Miguel López de Legazpi, at the head of an expedition, came 44 years later and eventually integrated the geographically fragmented country after burning down Cebu, apparently in retaliation for Magellan’s death.

Not long ago, Rotary Club president Jose “Jimmie” Policarpio invited three speakers who discoursed about our past history with Spain and how we are preparing to celebrate the half-century of colonialism that also placed the country on the world map. One of the speakers was Filipinas Quincentenario Project proponent Andronico Pecho Alviso Jr., on the “Quincentennial Symposium of the Discovery of the Philippines and the Circumnavigation of the World.” The other speakers were economist, business analyst and management consultant Dr. Gil R. Ramos, as well as Philippine Quincentenario Center Inc. Corporate Secretary Emmanuel Sto. Domingo Lopez.

According to Ramos, before the Spaniards came, the Philippines was part of the Sri Vijaya Empire. The seat of power of this thalassocracy, or a government composed of thousands of islands, is in the island of Java. The Sri Vijaya Empire included the Indonesian archipelago, Brunei Darussalam, Java and the Philippines up to Northern Visayas. Luzon then was a part of China’s Song Dynasty; hence the name, Lu Song. Lu means “province” in China.

Ramos said the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade began when Spanish navigators Alfonso de Arellano and Andres de Urdaneta discovered the eastward return route in 1565. “Reasoning that the trade winds of the Pacific move in a gyre as the Atlantic winds did, they had to sail north from Manila to the 38th parallel north, off the east coast of Japan, to catch the eastward-blowing westerly wind that would take them back across the Pacific.

“Upon reaching the west coast of the North American continent, Urdaneta’s ship, the San Pedro, sailed south to Acapulco, arriving on October 8, 1565. By the 18th century, it was understood that a less northerly track was sufficient and galleon navigators steered well clear of the rocky and foggy California coast. It made the trip shorter and less hazardous.”

The Manila trade, Lopez said, was so lucrative that Seville merchants petitioned King Philip II of Spain to protect the monopoly. This led to the passing of a decree in 1593, limiting two ships sailing each year from either port, of which one was kept in reserve in Acapulco and the other in Manila. Spain was forced to find a westward route because the eastern half of the globe at that time belonged to Portugal.