Town to lead celebration of 500 years of First Mass

TACLOBAN CITY – Tourists who are planning to visit Limasawa in Southern Leyte still have to wait after the municipal government issued an advisory temporary closing their place except to pilgrims.
Mayor Melchor Petracorta, who signed the advisory of the Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force (MIATF) last March 19, set the guidelines for those who can enter the town which is preparing for the 500 years anniversary of the First Mass celebration on March 31.
In its advisory, the MIATF decided that no privately owned motorcycle from the mainland are allowed to enter the town from March 20 to 31 to avoid traffic due to number of government vehicles that will be going and will be used in the municipality for the celebration.
The MIATF also prohibits the entry of tourists from March 22 to 31 except for pilgrims whose names are included in the master list approved by the provincial government.
The MIATF also prohibit pump boat that has no registration from Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to transport pilgrims to and from the municipality.
“All pump boat must dock at the ports in Triana and Magallanes to ensure that those who enters the town are monitored,” Petracorta said in the advisory.
The MIATF also prohibits fishermen and owners of small pump boats to sail from noontime of March 30 until 5:00 pm of March 31. Residents are also prohibited from travelling to the mainland on said days.
However, emergency and those with valid reason are exempted from the travel ban.
On March 31, the town will celebrate along with the entire Roman Catholic community in the country and in the world the first recorded Eastern Sunday Mass in Asia when the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan set foot in the island to celebrate the mass officiated by Father Pedro de Valderama.
This year is not only momentous as it is the quincentennial year for its commemoration but also due to the recent decision released by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines last February that Limasawa was indeed the site of the First Easter Sunday Mass ending the decades long dispute of identifying its original location being contested by Butuan City, Agusan Del Norte.
The decision is also supported by the Church Historian’s Association of the Philippines (CHAP) in a statement last week March 16, released in the event of the 500 year Quincentennial Commemoration for the First Circumnavigation of the globe.
To celebrate the First Easter Sunday Mass, the Diocese of Maasin had lined up several activities starting Monday (March 22) with the Diocesan Youth Day.
From March 23 to 30, novena masses are to be held in the historic island town where 20 pilgrims from each parishes under the Diocese are allowed to join.
On the 30th, the diocese will welcome the Señor Santo Niño de Cebu image that will arrive through Hilongos port and will have a vigil at the Maasin Cathedral.
On the 31th activities includes the enshrinement of the Señor Santo Niño de Limasawa at the Triana Parish headed by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles John Brown.
He will also lead the Eucharistic mass and will participate at the program and launching of the 500 YOC year-long activities at the Magallanes Shrine.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

GUIUAN, Eastern Samar – It was on March 16, 1521 when the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator working under Spanish flag, saw the island of Suluan, hungry and suffering from illnesses after three months of voyage.
None of them, however, did not set foot on this island and only stayed inside their ship.
But it was the residents of this small island who helped Magellan and his men by giving them food and provisions.
On Wednesday (March 17), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) unveiled a marker to commemorate said historical event, a beautiful gesture of humility and compassion toward fellowmen.
The unveiling of the marker kicked off of the year-long celebration of the Quincentennial Celebration of the Philippines.
“Let the Quincentennial remind all Filipinos that we are triumphant and compassionate people just like our ancestors recorded in 1521,” Rene Escalate, NHCP chairman, said.
Escalante added that opening the quincentennial celebration in Suluan aims to lay the foundation for future studies and to ignite interest of young historians and scholars.
At least 34 historical markers in relation to the quincentennial celebration were erected by the NHCP in Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao along the historic route of the first circumnavigation.
“We want our countrymen to appreciate this achievement of humanity as part of the history of a Filipino, part of what they have been taught in school back then in the beginning of Philippine history, “Escalante added.
That simple act of kindness of the early residents of Suluan would later result to a legacy that every resident of the island, and of Guiuan town to always remember and be proud of, according to Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan.
“We need to remember this lessons from 500 years ago or else this monument of humanity will remain as cold as the stone it is made of,” Mayor Kwan said.
“Because we are kindhearted people, we show courage to meet the foreigners who arrived in our land. We are proud of being friendly, and because of this friendliness, the early residents of Suluan are able to save lives of Magellan’s fleet who were able to tell and prove that the globe is round,”she added.
The marker in Suluan is one of the three markers erected by the NHCP in Guiuan for the Quincentennial commemoration.
Another marker is located in Homonhon Island where Magellan and his men stayed for several weeks, and in Calicoan Island that represents the enter island of Samar.
Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Sanchez in his message said that this event 500 years ago should always be remembered by all as it provided not only knowledge useful to navigation but also the paved way for a forging of friendship of two nations.
“That spirit of humanity, generosity, and kindness that define the people of the Philippines, especially Eastern Samar, this region. So with the same spirit, I would like to look forward and to look for the future and try to inspire us for the next 500 years,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez added that the present generation should know why this commemoration is being celebrated as it help shape the beginning of the common history between Spain and the Philippines.
“This should be known by the youth because it is the beginning of the interconnection in many fields, humanistic fields, spiritual, trade, navigation,” he said
“Everything that is happening now is interconnected to what had happened 500 years ago,”he added.
A certificate of transfer was signed between the NHCP to the local government unit of Guiuan and village of Suluan was held after the unveiling.
Coinciding with the unveiling of the marker and the event that happened 500 years ago was the arrival of Spanish Navy Training Ship Juan Sebastian Elcano that reenacted the first circumnavigation of the globe.
The ship arrived in the coast of Suluan from Guam around 10:00 on Wednesday (March 17).
In its arrival, an event was dubbed as “Encuentro” where Elcano was welcomed while anchoring by fishermen residents of Suluan with their fishing boat.
The event signified the welcoming gesture of Suluan people who were first to meet the Magellan’s fleet. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

In the wake of 500 years of Magellan landing

TACLOBAN CITY-The parish priest of Homonhon Island, off Guiuan town, Eastern Samar, has called on officials to include President Rodrigo Duterte to stop ‘desecrating the island.’
Fr. Christian Ofilan, parish priest of the St. John the Baptist Parish, was referring to the mining operations in Homonhon, the site of the landings of Portuguese-born Ferdinand Magellan 500 years ago which the country is commemorating.
“I would like to use my small voice to call on our government leaders, from the mayor of Guiuan to President Rodrigo Duterte, please stop desecrating our island, ”Ofilan said during his homily on Wednesday(March 17) as part of the Quincentennial celebration of the coming of Magellan and his fleet to the island.
On Thursday (March 18), President Duterte graced the event by leading in the unveiling of the quincentennial marker of the world’s first circumnavigation led by Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano on March 17,1521 located in Barangay Ngolos.
According to Fr. Ofilan, considering that Homonhon is where the first missionaries in the country has arrived 500 years ago, it is just right that its ‘blessedness and sacredness’ should be preserved and not desecrated.
“Our ancestors consider our island as sacred and blessed. But what we’ve done after 500 years? We have desecrated it.We lost its sacredness because of our irresponsibilities,” he said.
The island is rich with mineral deposits like nickel and chromite.
While at present, there is no active mining operations on the island, several mining companies have located in Homonhon.
Among these mining companies is Techiron Resources whose move to remove its ‘stockpile’ of chromite April of last year sparked protest from the villagers.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)