Sarangani town puts marker where Magellan’s surviving crew dropped anchor 500 years ago

GLAN, SARANGANI PROVINCE – A historical marker will be installed here on a hill overlooking Nanga cove of Purok Mabuhay in the coastal village of Batulaki where the surviving crew of Magellan, by then led by Sebastian El Cano, dropped anchor on October 26, 1521.

In a detailed account of the voyage, Antonio Pigafetta, a Venetian scholar and explorer, wrote that the remaining crew of the expedition formerly led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, dropped anchor at “Biraham Batulach,” known today as Barangay Batulaki, to seek temporary sanctuary from a raging storm.

El Cano already took over the leadership of the expedition after Magellan was killed four months earlier in the battle of Mactan. The crew was on its way to Moluccas, also known as the Spice Islands, and part of their trip to circumnavigate the world.

After taking shelter from the shore, the expedition left Batulaki the following day to continue with their journey.

The installation of the historical landmark here would be part of the commemoration to mark the 500th year of the first circumnavigation of the world.

Pigafetta who served as Magellan’s assistant 500 years ago in the voyage bankrolled by King Charles I of Spain had kept an accurate journal of their entire trip, including the battle of Mactan, where Magellan was killed on April 27, 1521.

Of approximately 240 men who set out three years earlier with Magellan, only 18, including Pigafetta, survived and made the trip back to Spain in 1522.

Known to be the first men to circumnavigate the world, their feat will be remembered as countries mark the 500th year of the world’s first circumnavigation this year.

As the Philippines joins countries like Portugal and Spain in the commemoration, President Rodrigo Duterte created the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) to organize the celebration.

Aside from Batulaki, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has identified 32 other sites in the country, where historical markers will be unveiled and erected.

In a letter to the Glan Mayor Vivien B. Yap, NHCP chair and NQC executive director Rene Escalante outlined the role of the local government in the celebration, including the provision of a 30-square meter lot with at least five-meter buffer zone around the marker, funding and site development, among others.

Christopher S. Talangin, chair of the Batulaki village, told the Inquirer that the Ramirez family, one of the oldest residents of the area, donated a 300-square meter lot at the vantage point overlooking Nanga cove.

“The Ramirez family donated not just 30 square meter but 300 square meter of their property,” Talangin said. “They already executed a deed of donation in favor of the government.”

Talangin has also asked the municipal government to open a road that would lead to the site, which is less than a kilometer from the national highway.

“In a week’s time, I expect the road to be finished,” he said. “We’ve done our part, now it’s up to the municipal government to open the road and develop the site,” Talangin said.

Joseph Hulguin, consultant and the one tasked by the mayor to monitor the project, told the Inquirer local funds had been set aside and legislative measures had already been passed designating a portion of the Ramirez property as site for the Quincentennial Marker of the first circumnavigation of the world in this part of the country.

“Full preparations are being done to ensure the successful installation of the historical marker. It’s a great honor for this town to be part of this historic event,” Hulguin said. Among the activities lined up for the celebration this year are the 500th year of the Mactan victory on April 27; the first circumnavigation of the world on March 16 to Oct. 29; and the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines on April 14.

JPV