Cebu, Philippines: ‘First Around the World’ Protagonist & Art Road

Who was the first person to circumnavigate the world? If you go to Fort San Pedro in the center of Cebu City, Philippines, you can meet characters who appear in ‘Magellan’s Around the World’.

● Enrique, Magellan’s interpreter

Fort San Pedro, built by the Spanish governor in 1565 to defend the coast of Cebu, later became a base for the Philippine independence movement, was used as a barracks and school during the American rule, and was used as a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp and hospital during World War II.

The face of Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) is engraved on the arched stone gate passage of the fortress. Magellan, a Portuguese man, departed from Cadiz, Spain with five ships on September 20, 1519, with the support of the Spanish Royal Palace.

Their goal was to pioneer a new route to the Spice Islands of eastern Indonesia. Magellan sailed west across the Atlantic and discovered a narrow strait at the bottom of South America in November 1520. They succeeded in passing the so-called ‘Strait of Magellan’ in 38 days, braving the extreme cold, currents, and waves around Antarctica. Magellan, who was impressed by the calm sea he encountered immediately after crossing the strait in a difficult way, named it Pacific Ocean, meaning peaceful sea.

Magellan arrived in Cebu after passing through Guam in 1521, preached Christianity to 800 residents, including the local royal family, erected a cross, and celebrated the first mass.

In the octagonal chapel in front of the Santo Nino Cathedral, not far from Fort San Pedro, stands the ‘Magellan’s Cross‘ that has survived for 500 years. The ceiling mural depicts Magellan erecting a cross on the beach of Cebu. It is from this wooden cross that the Philippines has become the largest Catholic country in Asia today.

There is a Cebu History Museum in the courtyard of Fort San Pedro, which is filled with palm trees and trees blooming various flowers. Portraits of key figures in Cebu during Magellan’s world tour are the main exhibits.

The first main characters are King and Queen Raja Humabon of Cebu, who formed a friendship with Magellan and accepted Christianity. Magellan gave the queen the ‘Santo Nino (Baby Jesus)’ statue as a baptism gift. Santo Niño is the patron saint of the Philippines and is enshrined in churches, homes, and stores throughout the Philippines.

Another main character is General Lapu-Lapu, who was the sultan of Mactan, a small island next to Cebu. Magellan looked down on the Mactan Island chieftain so much. On April 27, 1521, Magellan crossed to Mactan Island on three longboats with about 60 of his men. However, while engaging in close combat with over 1,500 warriors led by Lapu-Lapu, Magellan suddenly dies. He died in vain on the mudflats of Mactan Island at the age of 41, unable to complete his trip around the world.

Lapu-Lapu, the largest city on Mactan Island, was named after a chieftain who fought against Magellan. A statue of the chieftain was also erected. The irony is that Filipinos who worship Lapu-Lapu also worship Magellan. The person who brought about Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines.

Lastly, the most controversial figure among the portraits at the Cebu History Museum is Magellan’s interpreter. His name is Enrique of Malacca. Magellan served in the Portuguese navy at the age of 25 before embarking on a circumnavigation of the world. He contributed greatly by participating in the 1511 battle to conquer Malacca, a city-state on the southern coast of the Malay Peninsula. The Strait of Malacca around Singapore is still a strategic and transportation hub responsible for 20% of the world’s maritime transportation, including crude oil and gas transportation.

At that time, Magellan bought a young slave, who was Enrique of Malacca. Magellan took Enrique to Portugal and educated him. When he set out on a trip around the world in 1519, he took him with him as an interpreter. When Magellan died in Cebu in 1521, Enrique remained in the Philippines, saying, “I will go home.”

Magellan died in Cebu, but the Spanish expeditionary force, captained by Juan Sebastian Elcano, returned to Cádiz, Spain after three years. This round-the-world journey changed human history. It actually confirmed the theory that the Earth is round, and proved that the date changes when you go around the Earth, and that the entire world is connected by one ocean and you can go anywhere by boat. Afterwards, the era of full-scale exploration began.

However, Magellan’s fleet succeeded in circumnavigating the world, but did Magellan individually succeed in circumnavigating the world? In Spain, Elcano, who returned as a captain after Magellan’s death, is said to be the first person to circumnavigate the world. However, in Southeast Asia, it is claimed that Enrique of Malacca, an interpreter, was the first person to travel around the world. This is because he became Magellan’s slave in Malacca, went around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa to Europe, and then went around the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to the Philippines. If Enrique returns to his hometown of Malacca, he will become the first person to successfully circumnavigate the world and return to his starting point before the Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation is completed.

● Enjoy Cebu City

Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located in Lapu-Lapu, Mactan Island, Cebu, is a beautiful airport that won the World’s Best Airport award at the 2019 World Architecture Festival.

The wave-shaped roof made of thousands of small wooden ribs and the wooden arch structure that looks like an overturned ship are eye-catching.

Sculptures symbolizing the meeting between Magellan’s world-touring expedition and the people of Cebu are installed throughout the airport.

From the airport, cross the Cebu-Cordoba Express Bridge (CCLEX) connecting Cebu and Mactan Island and arrive at NUSTAR Resort, the largest resort in Cebu City, in about 30 minutes. CCLEX is an 8.9km road crossing the Mactan Strait and is the longest maritime bridge in the Philippines.

Nustar Resort is organically connected with hotels, casinos, luxury shopping malls, restaurants, movie theaters, performance halls, and conventions. It is an ‘all in one’ hotel exclusive resort that offers not only lodging, but also entertainment and work in one place.

Nustar Resort rooms are comprised of three buildings. The central 5-star Philly Hotel and NuStar Resort Tower are currently in operation, and the 4-star business-MICE-focused hotel Grand Summit is scheduled to open in 2027.

Although the three hotels have different brand identities, they share all facilities, so guests can enjoy the entire resort as if they were living in the same area.

Upon entering the resort lobby, the interior that combines Philippine tradition and modern sensibility catches your eye. The handcrafted glass work ‘Coral Dream’ created by Czech artist Petra Sositakova is displayed on the lounge ceiling. This sculpture reminds me of the colorful corals I saw while scuba diving in the waters of Mactan Island and Bohol Island. Hotel general manager Roel Constantino introduced, “The motto of our service is to provide a special experience filled with warmth and consideration through true Filipino hospitality.”

The 4th floor infinity pool offers a panoramic view of the sea and city skyline. The lounge-type outdoor swimming pool on the 5th floor has two large circular pools. This is a pool where you can enjoy the refreshing view of the Cebu-Cordoba Bridge while lying on a sunbed. The Executive Club Lounge on the 23rd floor is exclusively for hotel guests, where they can enjoy free afternoon tea and evening cocktails.

Nustar Mall has a concentration of luxury brand stores and a premier cinema theater equipped with a Dolby Digital Surround system. ‘Break 100’, an indoor entertainment space, is popular among family travelers. There is content you can enjoy actively, such as screen golf, baseball, basketball, soccer, shooting simulators, and racing drives. There are gourmet restaurants such as ‘Mott 32’, a Hong Kong-style Peking duck restaurant, traditional Filipino restaurant ‘FINA’, Italian restaurant ‘Il Primo’, and Korean restaurant ‘Yeonhwa’. At Il Primo, you can taste barracuda fish, a fearsome predator in the tropical sea.

Cebu is a city that stands out for its topography created by the contact between the sea and the mountains. The place where you can enjoy the widest view of its beauty is Alta Vista Golf and Country Club. This club, located on a hill south of Cebu City, is famous for its panoramic view of the Cebu coast and Mactan Island. The golf course designed by world-renowned golfer Gary Player is designed to allow you to enjoy a challenging round with a combination of narrow fairways and curved terrain. The clubhouse terrace, located 150 meters above sea level, is a famous spot where you can enjoy panoramic views of Cebu city and the sea. Even if you don’t play golf, this is a viewing point worth stopping by.

The Casa Gorordo Museum in the Parian district is a space that recreates upper-class life in the Philippines in the mid-19th century. You can vividly feel Cebu’s past through furniture and household items from the time, such as wooden balconies, ventilation windows, silverware and tea cups, statues and accessories.

The house of the Juan Gorordo family, who became the first Filipino Catholic bishop in Cebu, was restored and opened as a museum in 1980. At the coffee shop’s outdoor table in a separate room, you can spend leisurely time while appreciating the green lawn and scenery of the mansion.

Text and photos Cebu (Philippines) = Reporter Jeon Seung-hoon raphy@donga.com

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