There was a considerable debate between those who supported Butuan and those who supported

Limasawa; the discussion started when the two sides argued over where the first mass took place
in the Philippines. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) formed a
panel and a team of pro-Butuan and pro-Limasawa researchers to find the answer to where the
first mass occurred here in the Philippines. René Escalante (2020) "The panel unanimously
agreed that the evidence 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."
The researchers looked for international and local evidence, such as documents, artifacts, and
sources, to prove their arguments and claims. Still, the pro-Butuan side presented their evidence,
and the panels found that it lacked evidence because it was not enough to prove that it happened
in Butuan, the first Easter mass in the Philippines. According to the evidence presented by both
the pro-Butuan and pro-Limasawa groups, the panels led by former Supreme Court Justice
Emilio Gancayco in 1995 and the historian Benito Legarda in 2008 concluded that the evidence
held by the Limasawa group was sufficient to prove that the first Easter mass in the Philippines
was in Limasawa.

References
Gabieta, A. V. (2020). Limasawa, not Butuan, affirmed as site of first Mass in PH.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1325039/limasawa-not-butuan-
affirmed-as-site-of-first-mass-in-ph
Regidor, A. (2021). Limasawa vs. Butuan: the first Easter Mass. https://upd.edu.ph/:
https://upd.edu.ph/limasawa-vs-butuan-the-first-easter-mass/