Name: RAMOS, ALYSSA ROSE B.

Score:___________
Schedule: M-F / 10:00-12:00 PM Date: JUNE 18, 2020

TASK 1: Write a 500 words argumentative essay about the First Mass in the
Philippines.

The very first historical Catholic mass in the Philippines happened on Easter
Sunday of March 31, 1521 administered by Father Pedro de Valderrama on the shore of
a town island known as Limasawa in Southern Leyte. Yet, according to Pigafetta's
record, Magellan went to Butuan and there held the principal mass based on the
wayfarer's gathering with the island's king. Truly, Magellan's course never included
Butuan as one of its goals. From the eastern piece of the Philippines, arriving at the
island of Homonhon, Magellan continued to Limasawa and immediately met two rulers,
in particular the datu of Limasawa and the datu of Butuan. That is, my perspective is
that there was a misconstruction of information concerning the first mass but several
claims have assumptions that it occurred in Limasawa, Southern Leyte.

According to the article of Ticzon (2016), on March 1521, the island's sovereign
ruler was Rajah Siaiu. At the point when Magellan and companions set foot on the
grounds of Limasawa, he became a close acquaintance with the Rajah along with his
sibling Rajah Kulambu who was from Butuan. This was the principal recorded blood
minimized among Filipinos and Spaniards then blessings were traded by the two
gatherings when the festival had finished. Also, the compositions of the past students of
history neglected to delineate the right course of Magellan's boats toward the
Philippines. Some reviews represented the passage of the boats from the southern
piece of the nation while the record of Antonio Pigafetta uncovered the passageway
from the eastern piece of the nation, from the heading of the Pacific district. (Alexander
and Blair, 2008).

Moreover, the record was established from the misconception of the gathering
between the three people. According to Pigafetta, Magellan met the datu of Limasawa,

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and another datu, the ruler of Butuan. This features the birthplace of the disarray that
Magellan in truth never went to Butuan because he and his men commanded the
principal mass on the island of Limasawa, along with the two datus before they
continued travelling to Cebu (Bernad, 2002). The article of Republic Act 11373 stated
the act that declares March 31 of every year as a special working holiday in the whole
province of Southern Leyte to honor the introduction of Roman Catholicism in the
country.

Despite the historical controversies and debate that had emerged between the
two places being the vicinity of the first mass in our country, there is several evidence
and authentication that it took place in Magallanes, Limasawa, formerly known as
“Mazaua” in Southern Leyte and as a result of the promulgated law, the government
declared a national shrine to commemorate the birth of Christianity in the Philippines.

REFERENCES

​ etrieved on June 18, 2020

Alexander, J. and Blair, R. (2008). “​The Philippine Islands” R
from
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=HKjtO92HokIC&redir_esc=y&hl=en​.

Bernad, M. (2002). ​“Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines:
A Reexaminationof the Evidence” ​Retrieved on June 18, 2020 from
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=HKjtO92HokIC&redir_esc=y&hl=e

Ticzon, C. (2006). “​1521:“The 1st mass in Limasawa” ​Retrieved on June 18, 2020 from
https://fb.com/pg/NewWorldHistory777Philippines/photos/?tab=album&album_id
=1211679642196749​.
Official Gazette of the Government (2020). ​“Republic Act No. 11373: ​AN ACT
DECLARING MARCH 31 OF EVERY YEAR A SPECIAL WORKING HOLIDAY
IN THE WHOLE PROVINCE OF SOUTHERN LEYTE, IN COMMEMORATION
OF THE FIRST MASS HELD IN LIMASAWA ISLAND, PROVINCE OF
SOUTHERN LEYTE, TO BE KNOWN AS THE “FIRST MASS DAY” Retrieved

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on June 18, 2020 from
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2019/08/22/republic-act-no-11373/​.