Puyat to grace Victory at Mactan countdown today

LAPU-LAPU CITY – The 500-day countdown to the 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan starts today with simultaneous activities in the cities of Davao, Manila and Lapu-Lapu.

Today's event at the Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu will be graced by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Puyat in lieu of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"It will be a series of activities. There will be simultaneous events in Davao and Manila but the highlight will be in Lapu-Lapu. The battle took place here (Lapu-Lapu) and it is just right that this will be the ground zero," Dr. Rene Escalante, Chairperson of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and Vice Chairperson of the National Quincentennial Commission (NQC), said in a press conference yesterday at Crown Regency Hotel in Lapu-Lapu.

Escalante said the one-year countdown will start on April 27 next year, while the 100-day countdown will begin in January 17, 2021.

The actual 500-year commemoration will be on April 27, 2021 in Mactan Shrine.

The 500-day countdown will be highlighted by the simultaneous landmark lighting in 21 different cultural and heritage sites nationwide.

These landmarks include Peace and Unity Monument in Davao City; Rizal National

Monument in Manila; Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Taguig; Leyte Landing Site in Palo; Higinio Mendoza Monument in Puerto Princesa; Jose Abad Santos Monument in San Fernando, Pampanga; Dambana ng Kagitingan in Pilar, Bataan; Ayuntamiento de Manila in Intramuros, Manila; Balangiga Memorial in Balangiga, Eastern Samar; Gregorio del Pilar Shrine in Tirad Pas, Ilocos Sur; Sta. Barbara Church in Iloilo; Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite; Quince Martires Monument in Naga City; Bonifacio National Monument in Caloocan; Vigan UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vigan; Francisco Dagohoy Monument in Danao, Bohol; Kenan Aman Dangat in Basco, Batanes; Sultan Kudarat Monument in Cotabato City; Martyr of Bangkusay in Macabebe, Pampanga; Sheik Karimol Makhdum Mosque in Tawi-Tawi; and Agusan Gold Image Monument in Butuan City.

"These landmarks will remind us of our history and culture," said Eric Divinagracia, the event's creative co-director.

Divinagracia said today's event will be capped by a cultural show at the Hoops Dome where 25 groups from various places in the county will be performing.

Escalante revealed that the NHCP has tied up with the Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCCO).

"This is not just the event but we want to focus also on the person. We want to elevate the person so that when we hear the word Lapu-Lapu, we will remember the person and not the fish," said Escalante.

Lapu-Lapu Mayor Junard Chan said the city has done enough preparations to make the event successful.

"We are very honored that the highlight of the simultaneous events is in Lapu-Lapu. We are very excited and rest assured that the city will be very supportive," said Chan.