Thought Paper: Concluding the First Easter Mass in the Philippines

Shiela Mei Aquino, Beah Faye Arcilla,

Carl Christian Caduhada, Francine Mae Jandayran, Marco Jose Ravina

“History is the truth, and there are no versions to the truth.” Popularized in the 2017 Eugene
Dominggo movie ang Babae sa Septic Tank 3 this line rose to popularity and conventional use
in light of historical distortion, revisionists efforts, and propagandist movements. With polyhistory
in question, we challenge this with the belief that history is a collocation of the various accounts
of the past. Polyhistory in question is manifested in the confirmation and establishment of the
site for the First Easter Mass in the Philippines. Given the historical, political, social, economic,
and international value of the event, certainty of the essence. Although Antonio Pigafetta
provided first-hand accounts in 1521 upon their arrival in the country with Magellan’s fleet, it is
unclear as to where the site exactly lies.

Approaching this issue, authoritative historical research gave way to the establishment of the
Mojares Panel as an authoritative body of academicians.Positions paper proposed by Dr.
Potenciano Malvar and Mr. Gabriel Atega were used as the baseline of the argument for the
Butuan claim, while Leyte-based historian Rolando Borrinaga’s paper was used to assert the
stance of Limasawa. The parameters of the review circled on the abovementioned papers
where the scope shall be limited to the site of the 1521 Easter Mass. In addition, the Mojares
Panel took in consideration and triangulated with the reviews provided by Supreme Court
Justice Emilio Gancayco in 1995 and Dr. Benito Legarda Jr. in 2008.

Pigafetta’s manuscripts were of importance as The Ambrosia Codex, The Yale-Beinecke Codex,
Manuscript 5650 (BNP), and Manuscript 23224 (BNP) were used as primary sources of
information pertaining to the event. Archival documents and rare books both in physical and
digital format were also used. These documents were able to provide information on the subject
through first-hand witnesses and accounts. To further validate these academic writings, a
cross-reference to the descriptions provided and to the physical and topographical features of
the presumed sites in Baug, Magallanes, Agusan del Norte for the Butuan account and Brgy.
Magallanes and Brgy. Triana, Limasawa Island, Leyte for the Limasawa account were inspected
and scrutinized. To develop an exact and scholarly approach to the geographical validation of
the information presented in Pigafetta’s accounts, the coordinates he provided were also used
as guides. Evident in this laborious and intricate academic process, other evidence such as
narrative details, land formations, and archeological characteristics were taken in consideration.

Through the above mentioned procedure, it generated the guided conclusion that the First
Easter Mass in the Philippines took place in Limasawa Island in 1521. Authoritative historical
research, as well as consistency in the evidence and documents available to validate the claim,
the panel was able to assert their claim. The geographical description, the analysis of the
directions, the revision of the maps and the references to the island of Mazaua between 1521
and 1565 that identified with Limasawa, stood as the strongest evidence to the conclusion made
by the Mojares Panel.