NQC unveils Hinunangan, Gibusong markers to commemorate circumnavigation history

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY -- The National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) unveiled two Quincentennial historical markers in two separate sites in Hinunangan town in Southern Leyte and in Gibusong Island in Dinagat Islands on March 25 to commemorate the circumnavigation history.

Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) Undersecretary Anthony Gerard Gonzales represented the NQC in the unveiling of the historical marker in both sites which are  part of the marking of 34 sites of the Philippine route of the Magellan-Elcano expedition and the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the country.

This is in solidarity with the international project of tracing the route of the unprecedented achievement of humanity and science, which proved that the world is indeed round.

As the country marks its 10th day of the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations on March 25, Gonzales urged the Filipino people to ponder upon the contribution of these localities to the first-ever circumnavigation of the planet.

“In reading the history of the first circumnavigation of the world, it is necessary for one to familiarize himself/herself with Philippine geography. It helps one imagine well how interconnected what seems to be divided. And do not forget: water connects us more than dividing us,” Gonzales said.

The People of Hinunangan are fortunate, for the town was mentioned as early as 1521 through the story of the first circumnavigation of the world by Antonio Pigafetta, chronicler of the expedition, Gonzales said during the unveiling.

Along with Gibusong, Hinunangan guided the clueless Magellan-Elcano expedition in the Philippine waters, he added.  The expedition was clueless because these places were not present in the available maps in Europe back then, according to Gonzales.

“But don’t be confused—this deficiency of European maps is not tantamount to non-existence of the territories of our ancestors, like Gibusong and Hinunangan. It does not also follow that the unfamiliarity of Magellan to these places meant our ancestors were nothing but savages before 1521,” Gonzales added.

Gonzales pointed out that centuries before Magellan arrived the areas along Surigao Strait had a bustling civilization, which was concentrated in Butuan. This is confirmed by the Chinese annals and the priceless archaeological finds, such as the gold ornaments, as well as the ancient colossal sea craft called balangay.

He added that the Laguna Copperplate Inscription dated AD 900 is a proof that the Butuan-Surigao region had connections with Tondo, Manila and with Medang in today’s Java, Indonesia.

Hinunangan and Gibusong may belong to different political units now but they share common historic space with Butuan which we need to imagine when we revisit the world of our ancestors before the Spaniards, Gonzales noted.

Gonzales said history explains why two historical markers were unveiled on the same day. Magellan and his crew had been staying in Suluan and Homonhon, Guian, Eastern Samar, since they arrived in the area on March 16, 1521.

On May 27, the expedition continued its search for the Maluku Archipelago, then known as the Spice Islands.  “Because the area was not on their maps, they became dependent to Gibusong, which is visible from Suluan and Homonhon, which from there they tracked the southward route and followed the coastline of Hinunangan,” Gonzales said.

While they were traversing the Visayan waters heading towards northern Mindanao, their attention was caught by a fire in an island, on the evening of March 27, 1521.  When they approached this island named Limasawa, a whole new journey happened there between March 28 and April 4, 1521.

Technically, the expedition entrusted their fate to Gibusong and Hinunangan as they navigated the unfamiliar Surigao waters on March 25 to look for any clues on the location of Maluku was, Gonzales explained further. (Photos: OPAV/FB/Google files)