essay about the site of the first mass in the philippines

500 years since first Mass in the Philippines

By Devin Watkins

On Easter Sunday in 1521, Father Pedro de Valderrama celebrated the first Catholic Mass in what is now the Philippines, specifically on the island of Limasawa in Southern Leyte.

The date was 31 March, and the Spanish priest was part of an expedition to the so-called “East Indies” led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

Father Valderrama set up an improvised altar, and officiated at the Mass, which was attended by his shipmates and a host of local tribal leaders and inhabitants. On that same Easter Sunday afternoon, Magellan ordered his men to plant a large wooden cross on the top of the hill overlooking the sea.

A few days later, the Magellan expedition moved on to the island of Cebu. On 14 April 1521, Fr. Valderrama baptized the local tribal leader and around 800 Visayan natives to form the first Catholic community.

Jubilee celebrations

These events marked the birth of Christianity in the Philippines. Now, 500 years later, the Catholic Church is celebrating this milestone with a year-long jubilee.

The fif th centenary celebrations officially kick off on Easter Sunday, 4 April.

Pilgrims who visit one of 500 “ Jubilee churches ” anytime until 22 April 2022 will have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence.

Gift of faith to share

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has dedicated the entire jubilee year to the theme “Gifted to Give”.

Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, the president of the Conference, has described the theme to Vatican Radio as encouraging Catholics to recognize the faith as “a gift from God.”

“Faith helps us to navigate through the journey of life,” he said, “and our faith is lived not only individually but also in the family and in the community.”

“With the awareness of being gifted,” he added, “comes the desire to share this faith.”

Archbishop Valles said the Church will spend the year helping Catholics to renew their appreciation of the faith, while realizing their mission to share it with others.

Pope’s encouragement for Filipinos

Though the jubilee officially starts on Sunday, Pope Francis anticipated it with Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on 14 March.

Speaking to Rome’s Filipino community , as well as to their compatriots around the globe, the Pope thanked them for their “discreet and hardworking presence” which he called a “testimony of faith.”

On this special 500 th anniversary, he said, Filipinos are called to “persevere in the work of evangelization.”

“The Christian proclamation that you have received needs constantly to be brought to others,” said Pope Francis. “The Gospel message of God’s closeness cries out to be expressed in love for our brothers and sisters.”

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Limasawa or Butuan? Debates continue on where first Mass was held

Fr. Marvin Mejia reads the historical account of the first baptism in the Philippines during a press conference for the activities for the quincentennial anniversary on the arrival of Christianity in the country this 2021. | Gerard Francisco

CEBU CITY, Philippines —— With the quincentennial celebration approaching, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) hopes the debates on the true location of the first Mass will finally be resolved.

Fr. Marvin Mejia, secretary-general of the CBCP, said the matter was still being looked into by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and the Association of Church Historians in the Philippines.

The first Mass and the first baptism are the two major historical ecclesiastical events that are given focus in the quincentennial celebrations sanctioned by the CBCP and the Archdiocese of Cebu.

Cebu is identified as the site of the first baptism with Rajah Humabon, Queen Juana and hundreds of their community members being the first converts, according to the accounts of Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of the Magellan-Elcano expedition.

The first baptism was on April 14, 1521.

According to Pigafetta, the first Mass was celebrated on March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday. Pigafetta referred to the venue as “Mazaua.”

Some say that the venue is the island of Limasawa in Leyte. Others, however, claim that Pigafetta was referring to Masao the community at the mouth of Agusan River adjacent to what is now the city of Butuan.

Nearing 500 years since the first Mass, debates continue whether it was held on Limasawa Island, in Agusan or somewhere else.

“As far as our history books, the first Mass is in Limasawa. But there are other places that are claiming that the first Mass was held in their locality. The historical commission somehow opens the discussion among experts and historians,” Mejia said.

Read more: Archdiocese of Cebu to highlight first baptism in 2021 quincentennial celebrations

Mejia attended the Archdiocese of Cebu’s press conference on Wednesday, November 13, which tackled about the plans of the Catholic church for the quincentennial celebration.

They announced that to commemorate the first baptism, 500 children with special needs would be baptized in the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City on April 14, 2021.

The first Mass, on the other hand, shall be celebrated across the country as it will be commemorated on the Easter of 2021 which falls on April 12.

This way, Mejia said, the first Mass would be well celebrated and commemorated by all churches regardless of where the true site would be.

“Even if the issue is not yet resolved, the celebration and the commemoration would still happen,” said Mejia.

He said that it would be up to the dioceses who were claiming to be the site of the first Mass if they would hold a big event for the Easter Mass./dbs

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Diorama 9: The First Mass in the Philippines, 1521

Ayala museum staff (historians, researchers, artists) and artisans from paete, laguna 1974 - 2011, ayala museum makati, philippines.

The First Mass in the Philippines1521In Suluan, south of Samar, a small boat with around nine men approached the stangers that had wandered into their waters. Used to having traders come to their shores, the people gave fish , a jar of palm wine (alak), bananas, and coconuts in exchange for the strangers’ red caps, mirrors, combs, bells, and other such items.These strangers were mostly Europeans who came under the Spanish flag. Their leader, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese seaman, had appeared in the Spanish court in 1518 with a strange proposal; to reach the wealth and spices of the east by sailing west. King Charles took to the project with lively interest and after a year’s preparations, 19 months at sea , series of mutinies, desertions, and battles with scurvy, Magellan with his half-starved crew dropped anchor at Suluan, after which they moved on to Limasawa where the ruler of Butuan, Rajah Kolambu, received them. On Easter Sunday, 31 March 1521, Fr. Pedro de Valederrama celebrated the first mass in the Philippines .The intensive Christianization process of the island would start only with the coming of the Legazpi expedition in 1565, which brought the first missionaries, the Agustinians. Missionaries from the other orders would follow: Franciscans (1578), Jesuits (1581), Dominicans (1587), and the Agustinian Recollects (1606).

• Title: Diorama 9: The First Mass in the Philippines, 1521
• Creator Nationality: Filipinos
• Creator Gender: Males
• Creator Death Place: unknown
• Creator Birth Place: unknown
• Date Created: 1974 - 2011
• Physical Dimensions: w1943.1 x h800.1 cm (Complete)
• Type: Diorama
• Rights: Ayala Museum, Ayala Museum
• External Link: www.ayalamuseum.com
• Provenance: Purchase (Commissioned work): Complete
• Medium: Mixed media installation (Diorama): Complete
• Creators: Ayala Museum Staff (Historians, Researchers, Artists) and Artisans from Paete, Laguna

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• First Mass in the Philippines

First Mass in the Philippines explained

The first documented Catholic Mass in the Philippines was held on March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday . It was conducted by Father Pedro de Valderrama of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition along the shores of what was referred to in the journals of Antonio Pigafetta as "Mazaua".

Today, this site is widely believed by many historians and the government to be Limasawa off the tip of Southern Leyte , [1] However, until at least the 19th century, the prevailing belief was that the first mass was held in Butuan. This belief is maintained by some, who assert that the first mass was instead held at Masao, Butuan . [2]

To end the conflict for the issue about the first mass, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) panel adapted the recommendation [3] and unanimously agreed that the evidence and arguments presented by the pro-Butuan advocates are not sufficient and convincing enough to warrant the repeal or reversal of the ruling on the case by the National Historical Institute (the NHCP's forerunner). It is further strengthened by the evidence that it was only after 22 years, in 1543—when a Spanish expedition led by Ruy López de Villalobos landed in Mindanao. [4]

Landing on Philippine shores

When Ferdinand Magellan and his European crew sailed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda for an expedition to search for spices, these explorers landed on the Philippines after their voyage from other proximate areas. On March 28, 1521, while at sea, they saw a bonfire which turned out to be Mazaua (believed to be today's Limasawa) where they anchored. [5]

Log of Francisco Alvo

On March 16, 1521, as they sailed in a westerly course from the Islas de los Ladrones, known today as the Mariana Islands , they saw land towards the northwest but they didn't land there due to shallow places and later found its name as Yunagan. On that same day, they went in a small island called Suluan which is a part of Samar and there they anchored. Leaving from those two islands, they sailed westward to an island of Gada where they took in a supply of wood and water from that island, they sailed towards west to a large island called Seilani (now Leyte). Along the coast of Seilani, they sailed southwards and turned southwest until they reached the island of Mazava. From there, they sailed northwards again towards the Island of Seilani and followed the coast of Seilani towards northwest and saw three small islands. They sailed westwards and saw three islets where they anchored for the night. In the morning, they sailed southwest. There, they entered canal between two island, one of which was called Sugbu (now called Cebu ) and the other was Matan (now called Mactan ). They sailed towards southwest on that canal then turned westward and anchored at the town of Sugbu wherein they stayed there for many days. [6]

Diary of Antonio Pigafetta

Antonio Pigafetta was a famous Italian traveler who studied navigation and known by the name of Antonio Lambardo or Francisco Antonio Pigafetta. He joined the Portuguese, Captain Ferdinand Magellan and his Spanish crew on their trip to Maluku Island. [7] Pigafetta has the most complete account of Magellan expedition entitled Primo viaggio intorno al mondo (First Voyage around the world). He was one of the eighteen survivors who returned to Spain aboard the "Victoria" and therefore considered as an eyewitness of the significant events happened on the first mass of which Magellan names it the Islands of Saint Lazarus that is later called the Philippine Archipelago. Pigafetta narrated on his account the events happened from March 16, 1521, when they first saw the Island of the Philippine group up to April 7, 1521, when the expedition landed on Cebu. On March 16, 1521, there was a "high land" named "Zamal" that was sighted by the Magellan's expedition which was some 300 leagues westward of the Ladrones Island. On March 17, 1521, they landed on "uninhabited island" or known as "Humunu" ( Homonhon ) which Pigafetta referred to as "Watering place of good signs" because the place is abundant in gold. Humunu lays right of Zamal at 10 degrees north latitude. They stayed there 8 days from March 17 to 25, 1521. On March 25, 1521, they left the island of Homonhon and change route towards west southwest, between four islands: namely, Cenalo, Hiunanghan, Ibusson, and Albarien. Afterwards, they sail westward towards Leyte , then followed the Leyte coast southward passing between the island of Ibusson on their port side and Hinunangan Bay on their starboard, and then continued southward, the returning westward to Mazaua. On March 28, 1521, there is an island lies on a latitude of 9 and 2/3 towards the arctic pole and in a longitude 100 and 62 degrees from the line of demarcation. It is named as Mazaua which is 25 leagues from the Acquada. On April 4, 1521, they left Mazaua bound for Cebu and guided by their King who sailed on his own boat. All throughout their route, it took them past five island namely: Ceylon, Bohol , Canighan, Baibai, and Gatighan. They sailed from Mazaua west by northwest into the Canigao channel, with Bohol island to port and Leyte and Canigao islands to starboard. Then they continue sailing northwards along the Leyte coast, past Baibai to Gatighan (it was 20 leagues from Mazaua and 15 leagues from Subu or Cebu. At Gatighan, they sailed westward to the three island of the Camotes group namely: Poro, Pasihan, and Ponson. From the Camotes Island they sailed southwestward towards "Zubu". On April 7 they entered the harbor of "Zubu" (Cebu). It takes them three days to negotiate the journey from Mazaua northwards to the Camotes Islands and then southwards to Cebu. That was the route of Magellan expedition as stated in the account of Pigafetta. In that route, the southernmost point reached before getting to Cebu was Mazaua, located at nine and two-thirds degrees North latitude.

Blood compact

The island's sovereign ruler was Rajah Kolambu. When Magellan and comrades set foot on the grounds of Mazaua, he befriended the Rajah together with his brother Rajah Siagu of Butuan. In those days, it was customary among the indigenous—and in most of southeast Asia—to seal friendship with a blood compact . On instigation of Magellan who had heard the Malayan term for it, casi casi , the new friends performed the ritual. This was the first recorded blood compact between Filipino s and Spaniard s. Gifts were exchanged by the two parties when the celebration had ended. [8] [9]

On March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday , Magellan ordered a Mass to be celebrated which was officiated by Father Pedro Valderrama, the Andalusian chaplain of the fleet, the only priest then. Conducted near the shores of the island, the First Holy Mass marked the birth of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines. Colambu and Siaiu were the first natives of the archipelago, which was not yet named " Philippines " until the expedition of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos in 1543, to attend the Mass among other native inhabitants. [10]

In the account of Pigafetta, Gomez noticed that he failed to mention some points of the journey where the masses were held, one example is when they were at the port of San Julian. Pigafetta mentioned about a mass held on Palm Sunday, April 1, 1520, during their voyage to the west but never mentioned about Easter Sunday. Same situation happened when the fleet arrived in the Philippines, Pigafetta only mentioned about the Easter Sunday Mass while he is silent on the Palm Sunday.

For further investigation, some points at Pigafetta's account was translated as follows:

As observed by Gomez, the instance wherein Pigafetta had written about the mass said it had two things in common; they are both held in the shores and there are Filipino natives present. Another passing evidence, a document found concerning the landing of Magellan's fleet in Suluan ''(Homonhon)'' and the treaty with the natives featured in a blog post in 2004. [11] It first came out in an article published in 1934 in Philippine Magazine featured by Percy Gil, and once again featured by Bambi Harper in her column at the Philippine Daily Inquirer back in 2004.

Planting of the cross

In the afternoon of the same day, Magellan instructed his comrades to plant a large wooden cross on the top of the hill overlooking the sea. Magellan's chronicler , Antonio Pigafetta, who recorded the event said: "After the cross was erected in position, each of us repeated a Pater Noster and an Ave Maria , and adored the cross; and the kings [Colambu and Siaiu] did the same." [12]

Magellan then took ownership of the islands where he had landed in the name of King Charles V which he had named earlier on March 16 Archipelago of Saint Lazarus because it was the day of the saint when the Armada reached the archipelago.

In the Account of Francisco Albo, he did not mention about the first mass in the Philippines but only the planting of the cross upon a mountain top from which could be seen three islands to the west and southwest, where they were told there was much gold. This also fits the southern end of Limasawa . It does not suits the coast of Butuan from which no islands could be seen to the south or the southwest, but only towards the north.

Proclamation of the national shrine

On June 19, 1960, Republic Act No. 2733, known as the "Limasawa Law", was enacted without executive approval on June 19, 1960. The legislative fiat declared "The site in Magallanes, Limasawa Island in the Province of Leyte, where the first Mass in the Philippines was held is hereby declared a national shrine to commemorate the birth of Christianity in the Philippines." [13] Magallanes is east of the island of Limasawa. In 1984 Imelda Marcos had a multi-million pesos Shrine of the First Holy Mass built, an edifice made of steel, bricks and polished concrete, and erected on top of a hill overlooking barangay Magallanes, Limasawa. A super typhoon completely wiped this out just a few months later. Another shrine was inaugurated in 2005. [14]

Limasawa celebrates the historic and religious coming of the Spaniards every March 31 with a cultural presentation and anniversary program dubbed as Sinugdan , meaning "beginning". [15]

Historical controversies

One contention is that the historical accuracy regarding the country's first Catholic mass celebration is not only to be settled based on location but also on when it exactly occurred. [16] The Mojares Panel addressed the debate by specifying that the historical occasion that occurred in Limasawa Island be known as the First Easter Sunday Mass, thereby distinguishing it from prior masses that were conducted by the Spaniards onboard their ships sailing through the sea surrounding Samar and the earlier mass supposedly held in Bolinao, Pangasinan, in 1324.

Odoric of Pordenone , an Italian and Franciscan friar and missionary explorer, is heartily believed by many Pangasinenses to have celebrated the first mass in Pangasinan in around 1324 that would have predated the mass held in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan . A marker in front of Bolinao Church states that the first Mass on Philippine soil was celebrated in Bolinao Bay in 1324 by a Franciscan missionary, Blessed Odorico. [17]

However, there is scholarly doubt that Odoric was ever at the Philippines. [18] Ultimately, the National Historical Institute led by its chair Ambeth Ocampo recognized the historical records of Limasawa in Southern Leyte as the venue of the first Mass, held on March 31, 1521. [19] [20]

A position paper submitted by the chancellor of the Diocese of Borongan to the NHCP stated that the Magellan expedition reached the shores of Homonhon on March 16, 1521, and remained for eight days, which coincided two Sundays and the Holy Week . The paper's assertion claimed that by deducing from the timing of their arrival and the liturgical calendar in use in 1521, there were no less than four masses, including the Palm Sunday mass on their last day on the island, held in Homonhon before the expedition made their voyage to Limasawa Island. [21] Historians, however, remained in disagreement whether the such religious celebrations, which were said to have been held as thanksgiving for the expedition's safe passage or to observe the beginning of Holy Week, did occur. [22]

Some Filipino historians have long contested the idea that Limasawa was the site of the first Catholic mass in the country. [23] Historian Sonia Zaide identified Masao (also Mazaua) in Butuan as the location of the first Christian mass. The basis of Zaide's claim is the diary of Antonio Pigafetta , chronicler of Magellan's voyage. In 1995, Agusan del Norte's 1st congressional district Representative Ching Plaza filed a bill in Congress contesting the Limasawa hypothesis and asserting that the "site of the first mass" was in Butuan. [24] The Congress of the Philippines referred the matter to the National Historical Institute for it to study the issue and recommend a historical finding. NHI chairman Dr. Samuel K. Tan reaffirmed Limasawa as the site of the first mass. [25]

It was until at least the 19th century that the prevailing belief among historians was that the first mass was held in Butuan. [26]

Government position

The National Historical Institute (NHI) first took action on the Limasawa–Butuan controversy in 1980 followed by the creation of two more panels in 1995 and 2008. The government has consistently concluded Limasawa as the site of the first Easter Sunday Mass in the country. Another panel led by prominent historian Resil B. Mojares was formed in 2018 by now National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to further review continued claims in favor of Butuan. The pro-Butuan group presented non-eyewitness accounts decades after the Mass as their proofs. Meanwhile, the pro-Limasawa group provided the panel coordinates of Mazaua given by the eyewitnesses, studies and projects that retraced the Magellan–Elcano expedition using modern navigational instruments, and the copies of Pigafetta's original accounts.

Ahead of the quincentennial celebration of the Christianization of the Philippines, the NHCP dismissed the Butuan claim due to insufficient evidences to change the government's current position and reaffirmed Limasawa as the site of the first Easter Sunday Mass in the country. [28] [29] The panel also endorsed the changes proposed by historian Rolando Borrinaga to recognize Triana instead of Magallanes as the specific site of the mass in Limasawa and Saub Point in Triana as the site of the cross planted by the Magellan expedition.

Potenciano R. Malvar, the chair of the Butuan Calagan Historical Cultural Foundation [30] and proponent of the Butuan claim, filed a lawsuit in response to the panel's conclusions alleging libel and falsification against the Mojares Panel and Borrinaga on March 18, 2021. [31] [32] The legal move was characterized by Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist John Nery as "dangerous nonsense" and a means to "weaponize the law against historical truth." [33]

Further reading

• Book: Halili, M.C. . Philippine History . Rex Bookstore, Inc. . 2004 . 978-971-23-3934-9 . 72–73 .

External links

• NHCP's Latest Ruling on the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass Controversy
• NHCP Board Resolution No. 2, s. 2020
• The Final Report of the Mojares Panel on the Butuan–Limasawa Controversy on the Location of the 1521 First Easter Sunday Mass in the Philippines

Notes and References

• News: Valencia . Linda B. . Limasawa: Site of the First Mass . Philippines News Agency . Ops.gov.ph . November 12, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071015033230/http://www.ops.gov.ph/pia/kalayaan/limasawa.htm . October 15, 2007.
• News: June 8, 2014 . Limasawa First Mass Not a 'Hoax' – Experts . en . CBCP News . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20160416024703/http://www.cbcpnews.com/cbcpnews/?p=36846 . April 16, 2016.
• News: Reyes . Ronald O. . August 20, 2020 . Controversy over Site of Celebration of Philippines' First Catholic Mass Resolved . en . Licas News . October 26, 2020.
• News: Mayol . Ador Vincent . Gabieta . Joey . August 21, 2020 . Limasawa, Not Butuan, Affirmed As Site of First Mass in PH . en . Inquirer.net .
• Web site: 2001 . A Short Philippine History Before the 1898 Revolution . November 12, 2007 . Newsletter of the District of Asia . Society of St Pius X - District of Asia . en.
• Bernad . Miguel . 2002 . Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A Reexamination of the Evidence . BUDHI: A Journal of Ideas and Culture . 5 . 146–154.
• Web site: https://www.slideshare.net/PennVillanueva/chapter-2content-and-contextual-analysis-of-selected-primary-sources-in-philippine-history\ . en . slideshare.net.
• Book: Agoncillo, Teodoro A. . Introduction to Filipino History . Garotech Publishing . 1974 . 971-10-2409-8 . Quezon City, Philippines . en.
• Book: Dioramas: A Visual History of the Philippines . 1985 . Ayala Museum . Mercado . Monina A. . Metro Manila, Philippines . en.
• Book: Agoncillo, Teodoro A. . Philippine History . 1962 . Inang Wika Publishing . Manila, Philippines . Teodoro Agoncillo.
• Web site: November 25, 2004 . Was the First Mass in Homonhon? . December 22, 2019 . mpq3.blogspot.com . en.
• Book: Pigfetta, Antonio . The Philippine Islands 1493–1898 . BiblioBazaar, LLC . 2008 . 978-1-4264-6706-6 . Helen . Emma . 129 . en . Robinson . James Alexander . 1525, historical reproduction republished 1905.,
• Web site: Republic Act No. 2733 – An Act to Declare the Site in Magallanes, Limasawa Island in the Province of Leyte, Where the First Mass in the Philippines Was Held as a National Shrine, to Provide for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Landmarks Thereat, and for Other Purposes . Supreme Court E-Library.
• News: Borrinaga . Rolando O. . April 14, 2007 . The Right Place for Disputed First Mass in Limasawa . en . Inquirer.net . dead . November 12, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090213142125/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=60362 . February 13, 2009.
• Web site: Southern Leyte Is Famous For... . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080212082527/http://www.tourism.gov.ph/explore_phil/place_details.asp?content=famousefor&province=47 . February 12, 2008 . November 15, 2007 . Wow Philippines . Tourism.gov.ph . en.
• Web site: Cyberbuddy . Buddy Gomez- . June 18, 2021 . That 'First Mass' in Philippines in proper context . June 19, 2021 . ABS-CBN News . en.
• Web site: Ocampo . Ambeth R. . December 25, 2012 . The First Christmas Tree in the Philippines . March 29, 2021 . Inquirer.net . en.
• "[T]hat the name of Luzon [Doldiin], which Mr. Romanet in his work Les voyages en Asie au XIV siecle, took for original in the work of Bl. Odoric de Pordenone is due to the natives and not to the foreigners; secondly, that for Odoric the so-called islands of Dondiin, comprise Ceylon, a part of Sonda, probably Berneo and the Island Hainan, but by no means the Philippine Islands. " – Cited by Isacio R. Rodriguez, "Bibliography on Legazpi and Urdaneta," Philippine Studies 13, n. 2 (1965), 296 – 297
• News: Fuertes . Yolanda . November 17, 2007 . Bolinao Stakes Claim to Mass Held in 1324 . en . Inquirer.net . dead . December 23, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141222191204/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20071117-101541/Bolinao_stakes_claim_to_Mass_held_in_1324 . December 22, 2014.
• News: Mascarinas . Erwin . April 3, 2012 . Was First Mass Held in Limasawa or Butuan? Church Urged to Help Settle Controversy . en . InterAksyon.com . dead . January 9, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150109130037/http://www.interaksyon.com/article/28550/first-catholic-mass-venue-limasawa-or-butuan-cbcp-urged-to-help-settle-controversy . January 9, 2015.
• Web site: Lagarde . Roy . December 20, 2020 . NHCP: Homonhon as site of 'first Mass' in PHL still an 'academic discussion' Roy Lagarde / CBCP News . June 19, 2021 . BusinessMirror . en-US.
• Web site: Canlas . Jomar . January 4, 2021 . Debate lingers 500 years after first Mass in PH . June 19, 2021 . The Manila Times . en.
• News: Serrano . Ben . April 2, 2006 . Butuan to Pursue Claim It Was Site of First Mass in RP, 485 Years Age . en . The Philippine Star .
• News: Serrano . Ben . April 4, 2006 . Butuan Reclaims Part as First Mass Venue . en . sunstar.com.ph . December 13, 2008.
• Book: Medina, Isagani . An Evaluation of the Controversy on the First Mass in the Philippines . National Historical Institute . 1981 . Manila . 31–35 . en . 0115-3927.
• Robles . Humberto E. . 1985 . The First Voyage Around the World: From Pigafetta to García Márquez . History of European Ideas . en . 6 . 4 . 385–404 . 10.1016/0191-6599(85)90082-8.

Confusion on meeting the king of Butuan

According to, the confusion originated on the misinterpretation of some of the 17th century historians such as Colin and Combes, often yielding incorrect representation of Magellan's voyage, which ultimately led to the misconception of the first mass being held at Butuan , rather than Limasawa . The writings of the previous historians failed to depict the correct route of Magellan's ships toward the Philippines . Some write-ups accounted for the entrance of the ships from the southern part of the country whereas the account of Antonio Pigafetta revealed the entrance from the eastern part of the country, from the direction of the Pacific region. [26]

• Web site: August 19, 2020 . Official Position of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on the Site of the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass . National Historical Commission of the Philippines . en.
• News: Lacuata . Rose Carmelle . August 20, 2020 . Limasawa, Not Butuan: Gov't Historians Affirm Site of 1521 Easter Sunday Mass in PH . en . ABS-CBN News .
• Web site: Orejas . Tonette . August 16, 2020 . Resolving debate on site of first Mass in PH . June 19, 2021 . INQUIRER.net . en.
• Web site: Lopez . Alexander . March 19, 2021 . Quest to name Butuan site of first Catholic mass takes legal turn . June 19, 2021 . www.pna.gov.ph . en.
• Web site: Serrano . Ben . Raps filed vs panel over 1st Philippine mass claim . June 19, 2021 . Philstar.com.
• Web site: Nery . John . June 15, 2021 . Weaponizing the law... against history . June 19, 2021 . INQUIRER.net . en.

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• No.3 6.1 (2002)

Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A Reexaminationof the Evidence

Miguel a. bernad.

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Of Sanskrit origin, the Tagalog word “budhi” is a global notion that symbolizes, rather than represents, at one and the same time, life, intuition, understanding, discernment, conscience, and will.

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How the Key Bridge Collapsed in Baltimore: Maps and Photos

By Weiyi Cai ,  Agnes Chang ,  Lauren Leatherby ,  Lazaro Gamio ,  Leanne Abraham and Scott Reinhard

On Tuesday, a major bridge in Baltimore collapsed into the water seconds after it was struck by a cargo ship, sending vehicles on the bridge into the river below. The ship lost power and issued a mayday call shortly before it hit the bridge.

The ship, a 948-foot-long cargo vessel called Dali, was about a half hour into its journey toward Colombo, Sri Lanka, when it hit a main pillar of the bridge. All crew members are safe, according to the ship’s owners.

Follow our live coverage .

A mayday call from the ship gave officials enough time to stop traffic at both ends of the bridge. The waters where the bridge collapsed are about 50 feet deep. By Tuesday morning, six construction workers who had been fixing potholes on the bridge remained missing as divers and other emergency workers on boats and helicopters continued to search for them. Two others had been rescued, and one was in the hospital.

Francis Scott

Patapsco River

The ship left the Port

of Baltimore around

1 a.m. on Tuesday.

Where impact occurred

Direction of the ship

The ship hit the

bridge at 1:28 a.m.

The ship hit the bridge at 1:28 a.m.

Where impact

Source: Spire Global

The New York Times; satellite image by Google Earth

The lights of the ship flickered on and off as it lost power in the minutes before the ship changed bearing and hit the bridge.

Ship approached from

the Port of Baltimore

Road repair crews

Ship changed heading

as it neared pillar

Ship hit pillar

Southern and central spans

of bridge began to collapse within

seconds of impact

Northern span began to

collapse seconds later

Within 30 seconds of impact,

the central part of bridge had

entirely collapsed.

Source: StreamTime Live via YouTube

Timestamps are from StreamTime Live video.

The New York Times

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was opened in 1977 and carried more than 12.4 million vehicles last year. The bridge was one of the three major ways to cross the Patapsco River and formed part of Baltimore’s beltway.

The Port of Baltimore is a major trade hub that handled a record amount of foreign cargo last year. It is an especially important destination — the nation’s largest by volume last year — for deliveries of cars and light trucks.

Ship impact

To Chesapeake Bay

Sources: Maryland Port Administration, OpenStreetMap, MarineTraffic

Note: Ship positions are as of 2:46 p.m. Eastern time.

Overall, Baltimore was the 17th biggest port in the United States in 2021, ranked by total tons, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The bridge collapse brought marine traffic there to a standstill, with seven cargo or tanker ships stranded in the harbor as of Tuesday afternoon.

Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency for Maryland and said that his office was in close communication with Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. transportation secretary. The White House issued a statement saying that President Biden had been briefed on the collapse.

Erin Schaff/The New York Times

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