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| 14°35′03″N120°58′53″E / 14.584248°N 120.9814171°E | |
| Location | Rizal Park, Manila |
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| Designer | Juan Sajid Imao |
| Material | Bronze |
| Height | 12.19 metres (40.0 ft) (including 3.05 metres (10.0 ft) pedestal) |
| Opening date | February 5, 2004 |
| Dedicated to | Lapulapu |
The Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom or the Lapu Lapu Monument is a monument to Lapulapu located at Rizal Park specifically at the center of the Agrifina Circle in Manila, Philippines. [1]
In 2004, House of Representatives members Raul del Mar and Nerissa Corazon Soon-Ruiz initiated the installation of a statue of Lapulapu in Rizal Park as a move to honor Lapulapu as a hero of not only Cebu but the whole Philippines. [2] They urged the Office of the President to an accept their proposal. [3] Then-tourism Secretary Richard Gordon, who was a candidate in the 2004 Senate elections, [4] supported the installation of the statue. [5] The project was opposed by the National Historical Institute (NHI) led by Ambeth Ocampo, which insist that only statues of heroes of the Philippine Revolution could be stand in the Agrifina Circle. [6]
The statue was unveiled on February 5, 2004 despite opposition from the NHI, after then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo greenlit the move. [6] The Korean Freedom League led by Chairman Kwon Jung-dal [1] donated ₱15 million for the casting of the statue. [7] The statue was momentarily dismantled from the Agrifina Circle sometime in mid-2004, which was met with opposition including the local government of Lapu-Lapu City at that time. [6]
In 2014, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza requested the transfer of the statue to Punta Engaño of her city where she plans to put it in an island to be made at the tip of the locality. This proposal came up after Radaza talked to Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. where the National Historical Institute's (NHI) opinion that the statue could "desecrate" Rizal Park was brought up. [2] The move was opposed by Raul del Mar who said that the move would be detrimental and will cause a “loss of honor and recognition” to the province and Cebu and Lapu-Lapu. [3]
The Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom and was designed by sculptor Juan Sajid Imao. The monument is composed of a 12.19 metres (40.0 ft) bronze statue on-top of a 3.05 metres (10.0 ft) pedestal. Imao noted that his work on the statue seeks to portray Lapulapu as a strong and peace-loving man who is also ready to defend himself against those who threaten his freedom. Lapulapu is portrayed not in a fighting stance but rather standing guard holding a kampilan covered in scabbard and planted on the ground. [1]
Then Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab chose to create a statue for Lapulapu not primarily due to his victory over Ferdinand Magellan but the value he stands for in history. [1]
The distance between the statue and the Rizal Monument which is dedicated to Jose Rizal is 400 feet (120 m) which represents the "400-year gap" between Lapulapu and Rizal. [4] According to Gordon, the Lapulapu represents the Muslims and Rizal represents the Tagalog-Christians in Philippine history. [7]
The statue which was also donated by the Korean Freedom League was a gift in recognition for Filipinos who fought for South Korea in the Korean War. [3]
The Battle of Mactan was fought on a beach in Mactan Island between Spanish forces led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan along with local allies, and Lapulapu, the chieftain of the island, on the early morning hours of April 27, 1521. Magellan, a Portuguese-born commander serving the Spanish Empire who led an expedition that ultimately circumnavigated the world for the first time, commanded a small Spanish contingent in an effort to subdue Mactan led by Lapulapu under the Spanish crown. The sheer number of Lapulapu's forces, compounded with issues on the location and armor, ultimately resulted in a disastrous defeat to the Europeans and the death of Magellan. Surviving members of Magellan's crew continued the expedition under the command of Juan Sebastian de Elcano, who completed the journey in September 1522.
Lapulapu or Lapu-Lapu, whose name was first recorded as Çilapulapu, was a datu (chief) of Mactan, an island now part of the Philippines. Lapulapu is known for the 1521 Battle of Mactan where he and his men defeated Spanish forces led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his native allies Rajah Humabon and Datu Zula. Magellan's death in battle ended his voyage of circumnavigation and delayed the Spanish occupation of the islands by over forty years until the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi in 1564.
Lapu-Lapu City, officially the City of Lapu-Lapu, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 497,604.
Rizal Park, Luneta, also known as Luneta Park or simply Luneta, is a historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an area of 58 hectares. The site on where the park is situated was originally known as Bagumbayan during the Spanish colonial period. It is adjacent to the historic Walled City of Intramuros.
Metropolitan Cebu, or simply Metro Cebu,, is the main urban center of the province of Cebu in the Philippines. Metro Cebu is located along the central eastern portion of the island including the nearby island of Mactan. It accounts for 19.9 percent of the land area and 61.5 percent of the population of the entire province of Cebu.
This is a list of current and former national capital cities in the Philippines, which includes during the time of the Spanish colonization, the First Philippine Republic, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the Second Republic of the Philippines, the Third Republic of the Philippines, the Fourth Republic of the Philippines and the current Fifth Republic of the Philippines.
The Rizal Monument is a memorial in Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines built to commemorate the executed Filipino nationalist, José Rizal. The monument consists of a standing bronze sculpture of Rizal, with an obelisk, set on a stone base within which his remains are interred, holding his 2 famous novels "El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere". A plaque on the pedestal's front reads: "To the memory of José Rizal, patriot and martyr, executed on Bagumbayan Field December 30 1896. This monument is dedicated by the people of the Philippine Islands."
Anastacio Tanchanco Caedo was a Filipino sculptor. His style of sculpture was classical realist in the tradition of his mentor, Guillermo Tolentino.
The Centennial Tower, also known as Luneta Tower, was a proposed mixed-use observation tower initially proposed to be located in Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines. It was later proposed to be built in Pasig amidst backlash over the original planned site. It was planned to be a memorial to the 100th anniversary of Philippine Independence.
Historical markers are installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and its predecessor agencies in the Philippines and places abroad that signify important and historic events, persons, structures, and institutions. The commemorative plaques are permanent signs installed by the NHCP in publicly visible locations on buildings, monuments, or in special locations. The NHCP also allows local municipalities and cities to install markers of figures and events of local significance, although these markers are barred from using the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.
Mangubat (Mang-gubat) ; is a Hispanic Filipino surname of Mactan Island origin which means " TO WAGE WAR " in Cebuano language.
In the Philippines, a freedom park is a centrally located public space where political gatherings, rallies and demonstrations may be held without the need of prior permission from government authorities. Similar to free speech zones in the United States, the existence of freedom parks are based on the premise that the government may regulate the time, place and manner of assemblies, without prejudice to the nature of expression being expressed in those assemblies.
The Rizal Monument in Calamba is a monument built to commemorate the sesquicentennial (150th) birth anniversary of Dr. José Rizal, the Philippines' unofficial national hero and the greatest son of Calamba. It is a 6.7 metres (22 ft) statue sculpted by Jonas Roces and is located at The Plaza, a 6.7-hectare (17-acre) park in front of the Calamba City Hall Complex along Bacnotan Road in the barangay of Real. President Benigno Aquino III led the unveiling of the monument on June 19, 2011. The monument was cited as the tallest Rizal monument in the world before former Laguna Governor Jeorge 'E.R.' Ejercito Estregan inaugurated a 26 feet bronze Rizal Monument sculpted by Toym Imao, son of National Artist for Sculpture Abdulmari Asia Imao in Santa Cruz, Laguna, for the 2014 Palarong Pambansa hosted by the province.
The Agrifina Circle, officially the Teodoro F. Valencia Circle, is a traffic circle within the eastern portion of Rizal Park in Manila, the Philippines. It has a diameter of 42 meters (138 ft).
The National Museum Complex in Manila refers to the main or central museums of the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila, most of which are within the grounds of the Rizal Park.
Mactan Shrine, also known as Liberty Shrine, is a memorial park on the island of Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines. It hosts two monuments, namely the Magellan Monument, which is dedicated to Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and the Lapu Lapu Monument, a bronze statue which commemorates Lapu Lapu, a native leader who defeated Spanish soldiers led by Magellan in the 1521 Battle of Mactan.
The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines is a series of observances organized to mark the 500th anniversary of various events in the Philippines, notably the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, the role of the country in the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation, and the victory of Lapulapu in the Battle of Mactan.
The Lapulapu Memorial Shrine and Museum is a proposed museum and monument to Lapulapu to be built at Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines.
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