REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

State Universities and Colleges

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Module 3
Readings in Philippine History

Name: Nomer H. Alavata Course/Year & Section: BSA-1A

Address: Alaguisoc, Jordan, Guimaras Contact Number: 09152711802
Instructor’s Name:Wenmar Labra Deadline Period: _________________________

Chapter 3: Philippine History: Spaces for Conflict and Controversies

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the chapter, the students must be able to:

1. To scrutinize Philippine historical events using primary sources;

2. To recognize the multiplicity of interpretations that can be read from a historical text;

3. To demonstrate the ability to formulate arguments in favour or against a particular issue using primary
sources.

One of the major problems when it comes in the making of Philippine history is that we have limited
sources. Though many historians are trying to conduct investigations to fill the gaps that we have in our own
history, there are still unanswered questions right now which leads to contentious historical issues. What makes
Philippine history more complex is the mere fact that it is still facing various controversies because of the
conflicting claims and perspectives of different sources especially primary sources.

In this chapter, four historiographical controversies in the Philippines will be analyzed based on the
primary sources presented in each lesson. Thus, a sense of critical thinking should be utilized by the learners in
order to grasp ones ideas and apply what they have learned from the previous lessons regarding internal and
external criticisms of such sources.

Lesson 8: Where did the First Catholic Mass Take Place in the Philippines?

Learning Objectives:

1. To identify the conflicting views about the site of the first Catholic mass

2. To examine the role of each source and how does it influence ones view

3. To formulate arguments to support a position using primary and secondary sources

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Activate
Look and examine the image below. Afterwards, write your idea (in three [3] to five [5] sentences only) on what this
image represents as regards to the history of the Philippines.

Acquire
Historical Context

It is known that majority of the native Filipinos during pre-colonial period were once practicing paganism as
part of their religious system before embracing Christianity that was introduced by the Spanish colonizers. This
is considered as one of the major influences brought by the Spaniards in the Philippines during the 16th century.

As part of being Christians, it is understandable that the Spaniards conducted a mass when they were here in
the Philippines. However, multiple claims emerge through time, thus creating confusions and conflict in our
history. Until today, historians and scholars have been in a constant discourse to come up with a historical truth
regarding this unresolved issue.

Accounts said that first Catholic mass was celebrated on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1521. The mass was
officiated by Friar Pedro Valderrama together with Ferdinand Magellan and other Spaniards. In this first case
study, two primary sources will be used as a basis to ascertain the location of the first mass. First, is the account
of a Spaniard named Francisco Albo. He was also one of the eyewitnesses of the first mass and one of the
survivors of the Magellan Expedition. The other one was the account of Antonio Pigafetta, the official
chronicler of Ferdinand Magellan. Like Albo, Pigaffeta was one of the 18 survivors of the bMagellan
Expedition.

Also, this lesson will only focus on two possible sites where the first mass might happened. First is in
Limasawa located at the tip of Southern Leyte. The other one is the Masao, Butuan in Agusan del Sur. There are
also accounts claiming that the first mass happened in Pangasinan and Surigao. However, Limasawa and
Butuan were the most argued sites of this historical event compared to other mentioned areas above.

In 1872, a monument was established in Butuan (now Magallanes) for the purpose of recognizing the landing
there of Magellan and the first Catholic Mass. In this monument, there’s an inscription that says:

To the Immortal Magellan: the People of Butuan with their Parish Priest and the Spaniards
resident therein, to commemorate his arrival and the celebration of the First Mass on this site on
the 8th of April 1521. Erected in 1872, under the District Governor Jose Ma. Carvallo.

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The monument was erected apparently at the instigation of the parish priest of Butuan, who at the time
was a Spanish friar of the Order of Augustinian Recollects. The date given for the first mass (8 April 1521) may
be an obvious error, or it may be a clumsy and anachronistic attempt to translate the original date in terms of the
Gregorian calendar. In any case, that monument is a testimonial to the tradition that remained vigorous until the
end of the 19th century, namely, that Magellan and his expedition landed at Butuan and celebrated there the first
mass ever offered on Philippine soil.

Some Filipino historians have long contested the idea that Limasawa was the site of the first Catholic
Mass in the country. Historian Sonia Zaide identified Masao (also Mazaua) in Butuan as the location of the first
Christian mass. 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.

On the other hand, the National Historical Institute (NHI) and Congress declared that the “First Mass” in
the Philippines took place in Limasawa Island in Southern Leyte through RA 2733 enacted in 1960.

Primary Source: Albo’s Log

Source: Candelaria, J. & Alporha, V. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Manila, Philippines: REX Book
Store.

1. On the 16th of March (1521) as they sailed in a westerly course from Ladrones, they saw land towards
the northwest; but owing to many shallow places they did not approach it. They found later that its name
was Yunagan.
2. They went instead the same day southwards to another small island names Suluan, and there they
anchored. There they saw some canoes but these fled at the Spaniard’s approach. This island was at 9
and two-thirds degrees North latitude.
3. Departing from those two islands, they sailed westward to an uninhabited island of “Gada” where they
took in a supply of wood and water. The sea around that island was free from shallows. (Albo does not
give the latitude of this island, but from Pigafetta’s testimony, this seems to be the “Acquada” or
Homonhon, at 10 degrees North latitude.)
4. From that island they sailed westwards towards a large island names Seilani that was inhabited and was
known to have gold. (Seilani—or, as Pigafetta calls it, “Ceylon”—was the island of Leyte.
5. Sailing southwards along the coast of that large island of Seilani, they turned southwest to a small island
called “Mazava.” That island is also at a latitude of 9 and two-thirds degreed North.
6. The people of that island of Mazava were very good. There the Spaniards planted a cross upon a
mountain-top, and from there they were shown three islands to the west and southwest, where they were
told there was much gold. “They showed us how the gold was gathered, which came in small pieces like
beans and lentils.”
7. From Mazava they sailed northwards again towards Seilani. They followed the coast of Seilani in a
northwesterly direction, ascending up to 10 degrees of latitude where they saw three small islands.
8. From there they sailed westwards some ten leagues, and there they saw three islets, where they dropped
anchor for the night. In the morning they sailed southwest some 12 leagues, down to a latitude of 10 and
one-third degree. There they entered a channel between two islands, one of which was called “Matan”
and the other “Subu.”
9. They sailed down that channel and then turned westward and anchored at the town (la villa) of Subu
where they stayed many days and obtained provisions and entered into a peace-pact with the local king.
10. The town of Subu was on an east-west direction with the islands of Suluan and Mazava. But between

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Mazava and Subu, there were so many shallows that the boats could not go westward directly but has to
go (as they did) in a round-about way.

Primary Source: Pigafetta’s Testimony on the Route of Magellan’s Expedition

Source: Candelaria, J. & Alporha, V. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Manila, Philippines: REX Book
Store.

1. Saturday, 16 March 1521—Magellan’s expedition sighted a “high land” named “Zamal” which was
some 300 leagues westward of Ladrones (now the Marianas) Islands.
2. Sunday, March 17—“The following day” after sighting Zamal Island, thay landed on “another island
which was uninhabited” and which lay “to the right” of the above-mentioned island of “Zamal.”(To the
“right” here would mean on their starboard going southy or southwest.) There they set up two tents for
the sick members of the crew and had a sow killed for them. The name of this island was “Humunu”
(Homonhon). This island was located at 10 degrees North latitude.
3. On that same day (Sunday, March 17), Magellan named the entire archipelago the “Islands of Saint
Lazarus,” the reason being that it was Sunday in the Lenten Season when the Gospel assigned for the
mass and the liturgical Office was the eleventh chapter of St. John, which tells of the raising of Lazarus
from the dead.
4. Monday, March 18—In the afternoon of their second day on that island, they saw a boat coming towards
them with nine men in it. An exchange of gifts was effected. Magellan asked for food supplies, and the
men went away, promising to bring rice and other supplies in “four days”.
5. There were two springs of water on that island of Homonhon. Also they saw there some indications that
there was gold in these islands. Consequently Magellan renamed the island and called it the “Watering
Place of Good Omen” (Acquada la di bouni segnialli).
6. Friday, March 22—At noon the natives returned. This time they were in two boats, and they brought
food supplies.
7. Magellan’s expedition stayed eight days at Homonhon: from Sunday, March 17, to the Monday of the
following week, March 25.
8. Monday, March 25—In the afternoon, the expedition weighed anchor and left the island of Homonhon.
In the ecclesiastical calendar, this day (March 25) was the feast-day of the Incarnation, also called the
feast of the Annunciation and therefore “Our Lady’s Day.” On this day, as they were about to weigh
anchor, an accident happened to Pigafetta: he fell into the water but was rescued. He attributed his
narrow escape from death as grace obtained through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on her
feast-day.
9. The route taken by the expedition after leaving Homonhon was “toward the west southwest, between
four islands: namely, Cenalo, Hiunanghan, Ibusson and Albarien.” Very probably, “Cenalo” is a
misspelling in the Italian manuscript for what Pigafetta in his map calls “Ceilon” and Albo calls
“Seilani”: namely the island of Leyte. “Hiunanghan” (a misspelling of Hinunangan) seemed to Pigafetta
to be a separate island, but is actually on the mainland of Leyte (i.e., “Ceylon”). On the other hand,
Hibuson (Pigafetta’s Ibusson) is an island east of Leyte’s southern tip.
Thus, it is easy to see what Pigafetta meant by sailing “toward the west southwest” past those islands.
They left Homonhon sailing westwards towards Leyte, then followed the Leyte coast southward, passing
between the island of Hibuson on their portside and Hiunangan Bay on their starboard, and then
continued southward, then turning westward to “Mazaua.”

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10. Thursday, March 28—In the morning of Holy Thursday, March 28, they anchored off an island where
the previous night they had seen a light or bonfire. That island “lies in a latitude of nine and two-thirds
towards the Arctic Pole (i.e., North) and in a longitude of one hundred and sixty-two degrees from the
line of demarcation. It is twenty-five leagues from the Acquada, and is called Mazaua.
11. They remained seven days on Mazaua Island.
12. Thursday, April 14—They left Mazaua, bound for Cebu. They were guided thither by the king of
Mazaua who sailed his own boat. Their route took them past five “islands” namely: Ceylon, Bohol,
Canighan, Baibai, and Gatighan.
13. At Gatighan, they sailed westward to the three islands of the Camotes Group, namely, Poro, Pasihan and
Ponson. Here the Spanish ships stopped to allow the king of Mazaua to catch up with them, since the
Spanish ships were much faster than the native balanghai—a thing that excited the admiration of the
king of Mazaua.
14. From the Camotes Islands they sailed southwards towards “Zubu.”
15. Sunday, April 7—At noon they entered the harbour of “Zubu” (Cebu). It had taken them three days to
negotiate the journey from Mazaua northwards to the Camotes Islands and then southwards to Cebu.

Primary Source: Pigafetta and Seven Days in Mazaua

Source: Candelaria, J. & Alporha, V. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Manila, Philippines: REX Book
Store.

1. Thursday, March 28—In the morning they anchored near an island where they had seen a light the night
before a small boat (baloto) came with eight natives, to whom Magellan threw some trinkets as presents.
The natives paddled away, but two hours later two larger boats (balanghai) came, in one of which the
native king sat under an awning of mats. At Magellan’s invitation some of the natives went up the
Spanish ship, but the native king remained seated in his boat. An exchange of gifts was effected. In the
afternoon that day, the Spanish ships weighed anchor and came closer to shore, anchoring near the
native king’s village. This Thursday, March 28, was Thursday in Holy Week, i.e., Holy Thursday.
2. Friday, March 29—“Next day, Holy Friday,” Magellan sent his slave interpreter ashore in a small boat
to ask the king if he could provide the expedition with food supplies, and t6o say that they had come as
friends and not as enemies. In reply the king himself came in a boat with six or eight men, and this time
went up Magellan’s ship and the two men embraced. Another exchange of gifts was made. The native
king and his companions returned ashore, bringing with them two members of Magellan’s expedition as
gusts for the night. One of the two was Pigafetta.
3. Saturday, March 30-- Pigafetta and his companion had spent the previous evening feasting and drinking
with the native king and his son. Pigafetta deplored the fact that, although it was Good Friday, they had
to eat meat. The following morning (Saturday) Pigafetta and his companion took leave of their hosts and
returned to the ships.
4. Sunday, March 31—“Early in the morning of Sunday, the last of March and Easter day,” Magellan sent
the priest ashore with some men to prepare for the Mass. Later in the morning Magellan landed with
some fifty men and Mass was celebrated, after which a cross was venerated. Magellan and the Spaniards
returned to the ship for the noon-day meal, but in the afternoon they returned ashore to plant the cross on
the summit of the highest hill. In attendance both at the Mass and at the planting of the cross were the
king of Mazaua and the king of Butuan.
5. Sunday, March 31—On that same afternoon, while on the summit of the highest hill, Magellan asked the
two kings which ports he should go in order to obtain more abundant supplies of food than were
available in that island. They replied that there were three ports to choose from: Ceylon, Zubu, and
Calagan. Of the three, Zubu was the port with the most trade. Magellan then said that he wished to go to
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Zubu and depart the following morning. He asked for someone to guide him thither. The kings replied
that the pilots would be available “any time.” But later that evening the king of Mazaua changed his
mind and said that he would himself conduct Magellan to Zubu but that he would first have to bring the
harvest in. He asked Magellan to send him men to help with the harvest.
6. Monay, April 1—Magellan sent men ashore to help with the harvest, but no work was done that day
because the two kings were sleeping off their drinking bout the night before.
7. Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3—Work on the harvest during the “next two days,” i.e.,
Tuesday and Wednesday, the 2nd and 3rd of April.

Two Sites of the First Mass

1. Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte. The most famous is Limasawa, an island town in Southern Leyte,
which the Philippine government recognized as the actual site of the first mass. Limasawa Island was
also known by the powerful Roman Catholic Church as the site of the first mass landed by Magellan
with his crew. The Spanish Embassy also acknowledged Limasawa as a landing site for Magellan and
that it also dispatched the Galleon of Andalusia for five days to Maasin City and about three hours to
Limasawa. Limasawa has been recognized by the Embassy of Portugal in Metro Manila as the
“Mazaua,” written by Pigafetta on which Magellan and his soldiers observed the first mass in Easter or
introduced the people of the island to Christianity.

“The Treaty of Tordesillas om June 7, 1494, virtually divided he unknown world

between Spain and Portugal with the approval of the Holy See. Did you know that
Magellan, in a previous expedition, had [landed] in the Moluccas, just south of
Mindanao? In those days, Portugal had something that the Spanish didn’t have:
cartographic maps of the so-called Spice
Islands. Therefore, since he was a Portuguese, it is safe to assume that Magellan
used Portuguese cartographic maps during his expedition that brought him to Cebu
on March 16, 1521 (this is a wrong date).”

“With the Treaty of Tordesillas, Prof. De Sousa said the Philippine archipelago fell
under the jurisdiction of Portugal… but Magellan made his claim for the King of
Spain who paid for his expedition. Thus in 1750, Spain and Portugal signed the
Treaty of Madrid whereby the Portuguese exchanged the Philippines for the South
Frontier of Brazil, which gave Portugal control of Rio de la Plata. Again this is
something we’ve never read in our history books. History tells us that Spain sold the
Philippines to the United States for a measly sum of $20 million, but we never knew
about this exchange deal between Spain and Portugal for Brazil!”

“Talking about rewriting history, we all know about the claim made by some
Butuanons that a place called Mazaua was allegedly the site of the first Holy mass
instead of Limasawa Island off Southern Leyte. Well. Prof. De Sousa has another
insight on this, which I’m sure puts an end to this endless debate and enrich our pre-
Spanish history. It turned out that the ill-fated Magellan expedition ended Spanish
exploration of these islands. But Portuguese navigators like João de Barros, Gaspar
Correia, Diogo do Couto, Francisco de Castro, and Antonio Galvão have been
exploring Mindanao from 1520 to 1565 until the Spaniards resumed its conquest of
the Philippines through another expedition led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.”

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2. Masao or Mazaua in Butuan City, Agusan Del Norte. The next popular one is Mazaua in Butuan City,
the capital of Agusan del Norte in Northern Mindanao. The Butuanons and their supporters advocate that
Magellan and his men landed in Mazaua for the reason that it has the anchorage, rice fields, gold,
antique “balanghai” and other artifacts which they unearthed in scattered areas in Butuan City.
In the so-called ‘Magellan’s Harbor’ in Butuan, the real harbour for the cargo and passenger
ships traveling to and departing from Butuan City is actually in Nasipit, which is 25 kilometers west of
Mazaua. Mazaua or Butuan City’s offshore is too shallow for ship navigation!
If Mazaua had the abundant rice fields, other food supplies, and water at the time when Magellan
and his troops landed and held the ‘First Mass’ or observed Easter Sunday, how come Magellan and his
fellow sailors sought for a more significant island? Mazaua was and is attached to Mindanao, the second
largest island in the entire Philippines.
Since the pro-Mazaua supporters emphatically claimed that Magellan and his fellow sailors held the
‘First Mass’ or observed Easter Sunday in their ‘island of plenty.’ But what happened to the abundant
foods, drinks, and other supplies in Mazaua and their next neighbour, the ‘King of Butuan’? why did the
two rajahs of ‘Mazzaua’ and Butuan volunteer as pilots to Magellan to obtain provisions in Cebu, which
is much smaller than Mindanao?
The pro-Butuan proponents claimed that Magellan and his troops landed in Mazaua, Butuan City
because Pigafettawrote in his book about the small gift items made of gold supposedly from Butuan
which Rajah Kulambu gave to Magellan. Well then, if gold was such a big deal in Butuan, Magellan and
his sailors could have sailed easily to Surigao, Mindanao while they were still sailing off the eastern
coast of Panaon Island. They had seen Surigao which was and is in northeast Mindanao before night-
time because Mindanao is the second biggest island in the entire Philippines. Surigao was known to
have gold at that time and up to the present day. Magellan and his men in 3 ships did not search for
spices only. They searched for anything or things of value to bring home and hand them over to the
King of Spain. Furthermore, the pro-Butuan supporters claimed that the antique ‘balanghai’ that some
of them found under the ground in Masao or Mazaua is one proof that Magellan was in Mazaua.
Salazar (2015) refers to the writings of de Jesus wrote a lengthy article entitles, ‘Mazaua: Magellan’s
Lost Harbor.’ The government of Butuan City, Mindanao, commissioned him to do the extensive
research in the Mazaua landfall issue. He concluded that Magellan and his troops landed in Mazaua,
Butuan City, Philippines. He wrote:

“For most Philippines, two events define the meaning of Mazaua, Easter mass and
the plantation of a big cross on top of the highest hill. In a huge sea lined with
mighty waves of Islam, Buddhism, Hindu, and other beliefs. The Philippines is the
isolated rock of Christianity. 83% of its people are Catholics, 9% Protestants.
Therefore, Mazaua is an icon for a highly religious people, a major event. This
aspect of a signal event has unfortunately served to distortion the way the event is
seen in world geography and Renaissance navigation.”

Before Magellan and his explorers crossed the Pacific Ocean from South America, the so-called experts
on Mazaua Butuan denied or ignored the ‘unwritten history’ of the Portuguese colonization of
Mindanao. They ignored and pretended that they were not aware that Portuguese sailors like João de
Barros, Gaspar Correia, Diogo de Couto, Francisco de Castro and Antonio Galvão were exploring
Mindanao from 1520 to 1565. The Portuguese was at least one year ahead of the expedition of Magellan
to the Philippines.
The Roman Catholic Portuguese sailors were more likely to have held the ‘First Mass’ in the South of
the Philippines before Magellan’s explorers landed in March 1521. Thus, the proponents of the pro-
Butuan were entitled to assume, but not historically documented, the ‘first mass’ in Mindanao before
Portugal had exchanged the entire Philippines with Spain for Brazils. Butuan was called Butan or
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Butuão on a Portuguese map from about 1535 to 1538. Spain didn’t even know that there was Butuan.
Therefore, Magellan and his fellow explorers did not sail south to Mazaua, Butuan in Mindanao while
carrying the Spanish King Charles V. A year before Magellan and his troops arrived in Southern Leyte,
the Portuguese navigators who navigated east from Portugal to Mindanao via Indonesia occupied
Mindanao Island. The Mazauan, Butuan indigenous people have mistreated the Portuguese from
Portugal as the Portuguese explorers of Magellan from Spain.
Using the primary sources available, Jesuit priest Miguel A. Bernad in his work Butuan or Limasawa:
The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A Reexamination of Evidence (1981) lays down the
argument that in the Pigafetta account, a crucial aspect of Butuan was not mentioned—the river. Butuan
is a riverine settlement, situated on the Agusan River. The beach of Masao is in the delta of said river. It
is a curious omission in the account of the river, which makes part of a distinct characteristic of
Butuan’s geography that seemed to be too important to be missed.
It must be pointed out that later on, after Magellan’s death, the survivors of his expedition went to
Mindanao, and seemingly went to Butuan. In this instance, Pigafetta vividly describes a trip in a river.
But note that this account already happened after Magellan’s death.

Assess

A. Evaluative Essay

1. Who are the two primary sources of the historical event that was discussed? Can you consider those
sources reliable? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. After reading the accounts of Albo and Pigafetta, are there any similarities and differences between the
two? If yes or no, support your answer.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Is it significant in the Philippine history to know where the site of the first Catholic mass was? Yes or
no? Elaborate your answer.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

B.

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Research more about the case of the first Catholics mass in the Philippines and consult the arguments of
secondary sources regarding this controversy. After reading, enumerate at least five (5) arguments with its
explanation(s) in each of the following probable sites of the first mass that support such claims. Also, cite the
source of the arguments you are going to provide.

Limasawa Arguments Butuan Arguments

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.

Apply
Below is an article published recently as regards to the First Catholic Mass in the Philippines. Read and
examine the article and make a position paper after which presents your arguable opinions regarding the issue
tackled. Write it on a short bond paper with a maximum of two (2) pages only. You can use the arguments and
the views given by some of the historians or scholars to support yours. Also, you can debunk the arguments
presented by the other side by finding loopholes. Make sure to cite your sources.

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NHCPAFFIRMSLIMASAWA ISLAND AS SITE OF

FIRSTCATHOLIC MASS IN COUNTRY
THE
By
Published Aug 20, 2020 6:00:27 AM

PHOTO COURTESY
: OFFICIALGAZETTEPH/TWITTER

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August

– The National
20) Historical Commission of the
Philippines (NHCP) sustained findings that the Limasawa Island in Southern Leyte as the site of the
1521Easter Sunday Mass, the first Catholic mass in the country.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the NHCP Board of Commissioners signed Resolution No. 2
last July 15 adopting the report submitted by the investigating panel on the issue surrounding the
1521 Easter Sunday Mass in the Philippines.

The panel was formed in November 2018 after several institutions, such as the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines, made requests in authenticating the site of the 1521 Easter Sunday
Mass.

The requests were made in time for the 500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in the
country in 2021.

"The panel recommended that Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte, be sustained as the site of the
1521 Easter Sunday Mass," the commission concluded on their findings.

Some proponents insisted Butuan City in Agusan del Norte as the real site of the first Catholic
mass in the country, as evidenced by a monument erected in 1872 in Magallanes town
commemorating the said religious event that happened there.

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After making trips in Butuan and Limasawa as part of their research, the NHCP panel found no
sufficient evidence that the capital of Agusan del Norte hosted the first Catholic mass in the
country.

"The panel unanimously agreed that the evidences and arguments presented by the pro-Butuan
advocates are not sufficient and convincing enough to warrant the repeal or reversal of the ruling
on the case by the NHI (National Historical Institute)," the NHCP panel said, citing the previous
rulings made by the commission's forerunner National Historical Institute in 1995 and 2008
affirming Limasawa as the true site of the first Catholic mass in the country.

The NHCP panel examined the Italian and French version of Italian chronicler Antonio Pigafetta’s
accounts in the Magellan-Elcano expedition, which showed the coordinates of the 1521 Easter
Sunday Mass are closer to Limasawa.

The national historical commission also studied the 1895 journal articles of historians Trinidad
Pardo de Tavera and Pablo Pastells, SJ, which revisited Pigafetta’s accounts and emphasized that
Limasawa, not Butuan, as the site of the first Catholic mass in the country.

The 1971 expedition of naval historian Samuel Eliot Morison and Colombian historian Mauricio
Obregon and the accounts of Spanish naval engineer Ignacio Fernandez Vial and merchant marine
captain Jose Luis Ugarte retraced the Magellan-Elcano voyage and concluded that Limasawa is
the site of the first Catholic mass in the country, the NHCP found out in its study.

The country’s first Catholic mass was officiated by Fr. Pedro Valderrama on March 31, 1521, upon
orders of Portugese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The Limasawa mass marked the birth of Roman
Catholicism in the country, which remains as the nation's dominant religion in the country up to
present.

References:

Candelaria, J. & Alporha, V. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Manila, Philippines: REX Book Store.
Torres, J. (2018). BATIS: Sources in Philippine History. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.

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