Quincentennial activities aim to commemorate PHL’s part in world’s first circumnavigation

Although it’s just the first few days of the year, the following weeks and months will be eventful as preparations are being made for the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines.

According to the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC), the year-long event celebrates the Philippines’ part in the world’s first circumnavigation.

The celebration marks several historically significant events, including the 500th anniversaries of the victory in Mactan and the start of Christianity in the country.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, NQC said it called the event the 500th anniversary of “the Philippine part in the first circumnavigation of the world” instead of “the contentious phrase ‘discovery of the Philippines’ and the ‘arrival of Magellan’” because our country had a flourishing civilization way before the arrival of the Portuguese explorer in 1521.

Among the events lined up are the biggest LED-lighted rosary show at Rizal Park, Manila, for frontliners on Jan. 6, and the declaration of Liberty Shrine in Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City, as the site of the permanent display of the Philippine flag on Jan. 17.

The commemoration will also include the launch of the Php 5,000 commemorative banknote and medal on Jan. 18.

Meanwhile, multiple historical markers would be unveiled in several locations in the country, from Cebu to Eastern Samar, that were part of the world’s first circumnavigation.

Another grand event marking the celebration is the April opening of the Metropolitan Theater in Manila 25 years after its closure in 1996.

More information on the events are available on NQC’s Facebook page. – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News