Butuan historians ask CBCP to resolve first mass controversy in city’s favor

By Erwin Mascariñas
-
April 4, 2012 7:51 am
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BUTUAN CITY (MediaNews/03 April) – Decades after the debate on where the first Catholic mass in the archipelago
took place has remained unresolved, local historians yesterday said they have new data and evidences to prove
that the “honor” belongs to the city.
They said they are hoping that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) would finally declare that
the first mass was held in Mazaua, a place in Butuan now called Masao, not in Limasawa Island in Leyte as stated in
history books.

View First Mass in a larger map

Speaking before the mass marking the 491st anniversary of the event on Saturday, March 31, local historian and
president of the Butuan City Heritage Society Greg Hontiveros said they are confident their new data and
evidences can now convince critics and skeptics.
In an interview yesterday, Honteviros said “it took us a long time to finalize our research and gather more evidence.
We felt the confidence, we finally completed the quest in finding the truth about this issue. It was a huge effort,
long process and time that we took to have the position of Butuan.”
He said the CBCP has already requested an inquiry and a resolution to investigate the first mass controversy since
the event is very symbolic and important to the church.
Accounts said that on March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday, Friar Pedro Valderrama celebrated mass together with
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his men. With the Spaniards were the ruler of Mazaua Rajah Siaiu
and his brother Rajah Colambu, the ruler of Butuan. Afterwards they planted a cross on the highest hill and stayed
in the area for seven days and helped in the rice harvest for two days together with more than a hundred of the
Rajah’s men.
“When they arrived on Good Friday, they were harvesting rice for two days, that means to say, the place where
they went was the Mazaua, not in Limasawa but somewhere in Mindanao. Because they harvested for two days,
what can you harvest in Limasawa when there was nothing [there]?” said Father Joesilo Amalla, curator of Butuan
Diocesan Liturgical Museum.
“More than a hundred of people helped in the harvest, meaning it was a huge agricultural area. I’ve been to
Limasawa a lot of times. They have said that the rice harvested came from the surrounding island, and they said
they have harvested in the island itself. So, their claim is wrong,” Amalla added.
He pointed out that one important evidence is the Yale Codex, which according to Magellan scholars, is more
impressive than the Ambrosiana Codex used in the past to justify both claims.
He said the document is now in the hands of Yale University while the other two French manuscripts are in Paris, in
the French National Library.
The priest said they included the other versions of Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of Magellan’s voyage, because
there are subtle indicators that can be used.
Amalla also presented the manuscript for a soon-to-be-published book titled The Anthology of the First Mass
Controversy in the Philippines which he hopes would shed light on the CBCP inquiry.
On March 31, 1998, the National Historical Institute chose to adopt the finding of the Gancayco Panel which
dismissed the Ginés de Mafra account as fake and forthwith unilaterally reverted the discussion to pre-de Mafra
context which was back to whether the site of the first mass was Limasawa, the isle without anchorage, or Butuan,
which is not an isle.
The NHI reaffirmed its previous pronouncements that Limasawa is Magellan’s port. (Erwin
Mascarinas/MindaNews)
Butuan to pursue claim it was site of First Mass in RP 485 years ago

- Ben Serrano () - April 2, 2006 - 12:00am

BUTUAN CITY — The event that marked the birth of Christianity in the Philippines 485 years ago is still under dispute,
with this city renewing its claim that the historic first Mass celebrated by Spanish colonizers was held here and not in
Limasawa, Leyte.

Local executives and Church officials as well as historians here said they have new scientific evidence to substantiate
the re-filing of a petition before the National Historical Institute (NHI) asserting that Butuan City — particularly
Mazzaua Island, now Barangay Pinamangculan — was the official site of the first Mass on Easter Sunday in 1521.

Among the pieces of evidence are 10 1,600-year-old Balahanghai boats believed to have been used for trade and to
transport people for worship services.

"We waited for more scientific evidences to strongly substantiate the Mazzaua claim until geomorphologists and
archeologists came up with official reports that indeed Mazzaua Island was the site of the first Mass," Fr. Joesilo Amalia,
trustee of the Butuan City Cultural and Historical Foundation Inc. and curator of the Butuan Diocese Museum told The
STAR yesterday.

A law was passed by Congress on June 19, l960, or Republic Act No. 2733, declared the site of Magallanes on Limasawa
Island as the national shrine to commemorate the first Mass ever held in the country that gave birth to Christianity in
this now predominantly Catholic nation.

But the Butuan City Cultural and Historical Foundation Inc., (BCHFI) with the backing of the Butuan City government
in the early 1980s up to the ’90s, contested the declaration. This prompted the government in 1994 to form the
Gancayco Commission headed by then Supreme Court Associate Justice Emilio Gancayco.

In 1996, the commission penned a resolution in favor of the Limasawa Island claim. However, the BCHFI said the NHI
board failed to concur with the Gancayco findings.

"This prompted BCHFI to continuously raise our protest," Amalia said.

Two weeks ago, NHI chairman Ambeth Ocampo, who visited the Butuan City Regional Museum here, told BCHFI
officials that the NHI is keen on resurrecting the Mazzaua "First Mass" claim.

BCHFI officials are set to meet today with local officials, historians and Church leaders at the Butuan City Regional
Museum to discuss the contents of the BCHFI position paper to be submitted to NHI, Amalia said.

New proof

According to BCHFI, it has gathered 28 new pieces of scientific evidence and comparisons between the two islands —
Mazzaua and Limasawa — to substantiate Butuan’s claim, including the recovery of 10 Balahanghai boats which were
accidentally dug up near Masao River in 1976. A shrine was built for the ancient boats which were used by natives in
Butuan for sea travel even before the Spaniards came.
The Philippine government has endorsed the Balanghai Shrine to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a "World Historical and Cultural Heritage Site" because of its contribution to
ancient culture and history.
According to Amalia, once UNESCO recognizes the Balanghai Shrine, it will put Butuan City on the world map as a
"historical and cultural heritage site."
Amalia said they are hoping the NHI will listen this time, pointing out that the claim for the site of the First Mass must
be substantiated by scientific proof, not just by passing a law which, he insisted, had no scientific basis.
Amalia officiated a Mass yesterday commemorating the 485th Anniversary of the First Mass at the site with local
government officials headed by City Mayor Democrito Plaza, Church leaders and other officials.
In his homily, Amalia urged Butuanons to unite in support of their claim, saying the distinction of having hosted the
first Mass not only is a symbol of the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines, but also a symbol of its spiritual value
to the people.
The First Mass in The Philippines was held in
Butuan not in Limasawa
#TheLoopholesInOurHistory Uncategorized account he didn’t mention the first Mass but
October 2, 2018 2 Minutes only the planting of the cross upon a mountain
top from which could be seen three islands to the
west and southwest unlike Pigafetta he mention
in his account that the first Mass is held in
Butuan on Easter Sunday, March 31. Pigafetta
also seen as a is a credible source because his
work was instantly became classic that
prominent in the west like William Shakespeare,
Michel de Montaigne, and Giambattista Vico
Where is the first Mass in the Philippines really
referred to the book in their interpretation of the
held? Some historian says that it is in Limasawa new world. The chronicle of Pigafetta was one
on the southern tip of Leyte and some says it is
of the most cited documents by historians who
held in Masao, Butuan. At this very moment this wished to study the pre-colonial Philippines.
issue is being contested by this people from
these two different places claiming that the first
Therefore, the researchers conclude that the first
Mass is held in their place.
mass was held in Masao, Butuan and not in
Limasawa Leyte; because according to
The researchers search for the facts and
(Republic Act No. 2733) the law as well as the
evidences that may lead on where it is the first
government declare that the first mass is really
Mass truly held. The data show in the table is the held in Masao, Butuan. Even though there is also
evidences that the researchers gathered in this
a law declare Limasawa as the place were the
case study about where is the first Mass really
first Mass held there’s a possibility that they
held? The researcher analyse the only two
only want to detour us to the truth that Butuan is
primary sources that historians refer in
the real place where it is held because there’s a
identifying the site of the first Mass. One is the lot of evidences that leads to the conclusion that
log kept by Francisco Albo, a pilot of one of the first Mass was held in Masao, Butuan. That’s
Magellan’s ship, Trinidad. He was one of the 18 why the researchers recommended that the
survivors who returned with Sebastian Elcano on
future researchers should conduct a further
the ship Victoria after they circumnavigated the
research and find additional information to
world. The other, and the more complete, was strengthen this claim.
the account of Antonio Pigafetta, Primo viaggio
intorno al mondo (First Voyage around the
Click me:
World). Pigafetta, like Albo, was a member of
the Magellan expedition and an eyewitness of
the events, particularly, of the first Mass. http://www.mindanews.com/top-
After analysing the primary sources from stories/2012/04/butuan-historians-ask-cbcp-to-
Pigafetta and Albo’s account, and some of the resolve-first-mass-controversy-in-citys-favor/
secondary sources that the researchers used as
related studies from the historians conducted
research to support our claims regarding to the
first Mass. The researcher leads to a conclusion
that Antonio Pigafetta’s account is more firm
than Albo because Pigafetta’s account is more
complete and supported by evidences including
the date of event and also the location. In Albo’s
First Mass in the Philippines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
First Mass in the Philippines
A detail of Carlos V. Francisco's First Mass in the
Philippines painting
Date 31 March 1521 (Easter Sunday)
Uncertain. Possibly Mazaua, Southern Leyte or On March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday, Magellan
Location
Masao, Caraga, Mindanao
The first Catholic Mass in the Philippines was
held on March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday. It was
said by Father Pedro de Valderrama along the
shores of what was referred to in the journals of
Antonio Pigafetta as "Mazaua".
Today, this site is widely believed by many to be
Limasawa at the tip of Southern Leyte,[1] though
this is contested by some who assert that the
[2]
first mass was instead held at Masao, Butuan.
Landing on Philippine shores
When Ferdinand Magellan and his European
crew sailed from San Lucar de Barrameda for an
expedition to search for spices, these explorers
landed on the Philippines after their voyage
from other proximate areas. On March 28, 1521,
while at sea, they saw a bonfire which turned
out to be Mazaua (believed to be today's
Limasawa) where they anchored.[3]
Blood compact
The island's sovereign ruler was Rajah Kolambu.
When Magellan and comrades set foot on the
grounds of Mazaua, he befriended the Rajah
together with his brother Rajah Siagu of Butuan.
In those days, it was customary among the
indigenous—and in most of southeast Asia—to
seal friendship with a blood compact. On
instigation of Magellan who had heard the
Malayan term for it, casi casi, the new friends
performed the ritual. This was the first recorded
blood compact between Filipinos and Spaniards.
Gifts were exchanged by the two parties when
the celebration had ended.[4][5]
First Mass
ordered a Mass to be celebrated which was
officiated by Father Pedro Valderrama, the
Andalusion chaplain of the fleet, the only priest
then. Conducted near the shores of the island,
the First Holy Mass marked the birth of Roman
Catholicism in the Philippines. Colambu and
Siaiu were the first natives of the archipelago,
which was not yet named "Philippines" until the
expedition of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos in 1543,
to attend the Mass among other native
inhabitants.[4][6]
Planting of the cross
In the afternoon of the same day, Magellan
instructed his comrades to plant a large wooden
cross on the top of the hill overlooking the
sea.[7] Magellan's chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta,
who recorded the event said:
"After the cross was erected in position, each of
us repeated a Pater Noster and an Ave Maria,
and adored the cross; and the kings [Colambu
and Siaiu] did the same."[8]
Magellan then took ownership of the islands
where he had landed in the name of King
Charles V which he had named earlier on March
16 Archipelago of Saint Lazarus because it was
the day of the saint when the Armada reached
the archipelago.[4][6]
Proclamation of the national shrine
On June 19, 1960, Republic Act No. 2733, called
the Limasawa Law, was enacted without
Executive approval on June 19, 1960.[9] The
legislative fiat declared The site in Magallanes,
Limasawa Island in the Province of Leyte, where
the first Mass in the Philippines was held is
hereby declared a national shrine to
commemorate the birth of Christianity in the
Philippines.[10] Magallanes is east of the island of
Limasawa. In 1984 Imelda Marcos had a multi-
million pesos Shrine of the First Holy Mass built,
an edifice made of steel, bricks and polished
concrete, and erected on top of a hill
overlooking barangay Magallanes, Limasawa. A
super typhoon completely wiped this out just a
few months later. Another shrine was
inaugurated in 2005.[11]
Limasawa celebrates the historic and religious
coming of the Spaniards every March 31 with a
cultural presentation and anniversary program
dubbed as Sinugdan, meaning "beginning.".[12]
Yet this has no reference at all to a Catholic
mass being held on March 31, 1521.
Historical controversies
Masao
Some Filipino historians have long contested
the idea that Limasawa was the site of the first
Catholic mass in the country.[13] Historian Sonia
Zaide identified Masao (also Mazaua) in Butuan
as the location of the first Christian mass.[7] The
basis of Zaide's claim is the diary of Antonio
Pigafetta, chronicler of Magellan's voyage. In
1995 then Congresswoman Ching Plaza of
Agusan del Norte-Butuan City filed a bill in
Congress contesting the Limasawa hypothesis
and asserting the "site of the first mass" was
Butuan.[14] The Philippine Congress referred the
matter to the National Historical Institute for it
to study the issue and recommend a historical
finding. Then NHI chair Dr. Samuel K. Tan
reaffirmed Limasawa as the site of the first
mass.[15]
Bolinao
Odoric of Pordenone, an Italian and Franciscan
friar and missionary explorer, is heartily
believed by many Pangasinenses to have
celebrated the first mass in Pangasinan in
around 1324 that would have predated the
mass held in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan. A
marker in front of Bolinao Church states that
the first Mass on Philippine soil was celebrated
in Bolinao Bay in 1324 by a Franciscan
missionary, Blessed Odorico.
However, there is scholarly doubt that Odoric
was ever at the Philippines.[16] Ultimately, the
National Historical Institute led by its chair
Ambeth Ocampo recognized the historical
records of Limasawa in Southern Leyte as the
venue of the first Mass, held on March 31,
1521.[17][18]