The Lapulapu Memorial Shrine and Museum is a proposed museum and monument to

Lapulapu Lapulapu or Lapu-Lapu (ᜎᜉ̰-ᜎᜉ̰), whose name was first recorded as Çilapulapu, was a datu (chief) of Mactan in the Visayas in the Philippines. He is best known for the Battle of Mactan that happened at dawn on April 27, 1521, where ...

to be built at Mactan Shrine in

Lapu-Lapu City Lapu-Lapu City, officially the City of Lapu-Lapu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Lapu-Lapu; fil, Lungsod ng 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 populatio ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

History

As a preparation for the

2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP) 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 Mactan Shrine park in

was renovated. By September 2019, the initial plans for the shrine called for the replacement of the bronze statue of

with a larger monument depicting the

Battle of Mactan The Battle of Mactan ( ceb, Gubot sa Mactan; fil, Labanan sa Mactan; es, Batalla de Mactán) was a fierce clash fought in the archipelago of the Philippines on April 27, 1521. The warriors of Lapulapu, one of the Datus of Mactan, overpowered ...

; the bronze statue is planned to be reinstalled in a courtyard of a museum to be built within the area. At around this time a design competition for the monument which was supposed to be launched the following month was being planned. By 2020, the government abandoned plans to replace the existing Lapulapu statue. In July 2020, it was announced that the

National Quincentennial Committee The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP) 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 ...

(NQC) will have three flagship projects for the Quincentennial which includes the construction of the Lapulapu Memorial Shrine and Museum. The NQC launched the national monument design competition in September 2020 with the winning design announced in early 2021. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Lapulapu Memorial Shrine and Museum was held virtually due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Actual construction is planned for 2022 with the museum projected to open in 2023.

Architecture and design

Museum structure

The Lapulapu Memorial Shrine and Museum would be built along the shore of Barangay Mactan with the structure extending over water. The structure's roof is made to resemble a ''sakayan'', to signify the Philippines' "common maritime heritage". The left and right portions of the structure would host the museum's galleries and function rooms while the middle portion is an open hallway where the Lapulapu national monument would be placed.

National monument

The Lapulapu Memorial Shrine and Museum will house the Lapulapu National Monument. The design of the monument will be based on the winning entry of the Lapulapu National Monument Design Competition launched by the NQC in September 2020 entitled ''The Watch of Mactan''. ''The Watch of Mactan'' was a design by

Tarlac Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac ( pam, Lalawigan ning Tarlac; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Tarlac; ilo, Probinsia ti Tarlac; tgl, Lalawigan ng Tarlac; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. It ...

-based architect Rex Sicat Jr. which featured a sculpture of Lapulapu on top of a trapezoidal pedestal acting as a

sentry Sentry or The Sentry may refer to: Comics *Sentry (Kree) *Sentry (Curtis Elkins) * Sentry (Robert Reynolds) *Senator Ward (comics) or Sentry Vehicles *Sentry (AUV), an autonomous underwater vehicle used to measure deep-ocean data *E-3 Sentry AWAC ...

with sculptures of three warriors in a ''mangatang'' stance and figures of a mother and child at its base. The sculpture reportedly will be . However President Rodrigo Duterte made his stance known that Lapulapu's statue should be taller than

Magellan Monument Mactan Shrine, also known as Liberty Shrine, is a memorial park on the island of Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines. It hosts two monuments, namely the Magellan Monument, which is dedicated to Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and the ...

References

Proposed monuments and memorials Buildings and structures in Lapu-Lapu City Proposed museums Proposed buildings and structures in the Philippines {{Philippines-museum-stub