Lapu-Lapu is a 2002 Filipino biographical adventure film showing the struggles of Lapu-Lapu who displayed true bravery in how he defended Mactan from Spanish colonization. The movie was released on 25 December 2002 in the Philippines.
Directed by William Mayo and a team of producers; Mark Lapid, William Mayo, Wilson Chua, Florante Castillo, Lito Marcos, and lead cast of actors; Lito Lapid (Lapu-Lapu), Dante Rivero (Magellan), and Vic Vargas (Raha Humabon).
Lapu-Lapu Movie Plot
Lapu-Lapu (as Lapulapu Dimantag), was regarded as the first Filipino native hero to resist imperial Spanish colonization who killed Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer (a mayor’s son), who organized the Spanish expedition.
Lapu-Lapu was also one of the two Datus of Mactan, the other being Datu Zula. He was first to arrive from “Borneo” (Sabah) and asked King Humabon to settle for a place to stay in Mactan, was offered the region of Mandawili (now Mandaue) to cultivate the land.
Lapu-Lapu refused to give tribute to the Spanish king. At midnight on April 27, 1521, Magellan led a force of around sixty Spaniards and about thirty war boats of Humabon’s warriors from Cebu. They arrived in Mactan three hours before dawn.
They faced around 1,500 warriors of Lapu-Lapu armed with iron swords, a two-handed large cutlass, and a light spear weapon that can be thrown. Magellan repeatedly offered not to attack them if Lapu-Lapu swore fealty to Rajah Humabon, obeyed the Spanish king, and paid tribute, which Lapu-Lapu rejected.
Magellan refused Humabon’s offer to fight alongside him against Lapu-Lapu so forty-nine of the heavily armored Spaniards (armed with lances, swords, crossbows, and muskets) slowly waded ashore to meet Lapu-Lapu’s forces. They even set fire to a few houses on the shore in an attempt to scare them. Instead, Lapu-Lapu’s warriors became enraged, furious, and charged the fight.
Then the warriors of Mactan rained arrows, iron-tipped bamboo lances, and stones on Magellan and his men, who noticed that the arrows were aimed at their legs because they had made the mistake of covering only their head and body with metal helmets and breastplates. Magellan, hit by a poisoned arrow on the leg, ordered a retreat.
However, he was recognized as the captain by the natives, that he became the focus of the attack. Outnumbered and encumbered by their armor, Magellan’s forces were quickly overwhelmed. Magellan and several of his men were killed.
“I bow to no King; I owe my allegiance only to my people.” uttered words of the chieftain of Mactan Island, (Lapu-Lapu), giving world fame to Filipino gallantry and heroism.
Lapu-Lapu Movie Cast
Lito Lapid, Dante Rivero, Joyce Jimenez, Vic Vargas, Mark Lapid, Roi Vinzon, Jeric Raval, Ian Veneracion, Jess Lapid Jr., Julio Diaz, Gloria Sevilla, Maria Isabel Lopez, Patrick Dela Rosa, Alma Soriano, Bob Soler, Conrad Poe, and many more.
Watch Lapu-Lapu Full Movie
See Also:
- Tony Bagyo Full Movie (1994)
- Kapitan Tumba Full Movie (1995)
- Scorpio Nights 2 Full Movie (1999)
- Mystified Full Movie (2019)
- Pansamantagal Full Movie (2019)
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