Diaz on why Lapulapu is absent in 'Magellan': Humabon did everything

After claiming that Lapulapu is a “myth,” Lav Diaz clarified his decision to exclude the national hero in his latest film, “Magellan,” choosing instead to center Rajah Humabon as one of the anchors of the perspective on Filipinos’ first contact with the Spaniards.

- By JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA

“Not to say wala si Lapulapu. But according to my research, it seems that we should reconsider Humabon’s place in our history,” Diaz was quoted during the September 6 premiere of the film in Taguig City. “My responsibility is just to examine it; this is what I found, and we talked about it. I am throwing it for dialogue. For discourse.”

The auteur filmmaker cited his seven years of research on Magellan and the events of the Battle of Mactan as the reason why the first Filipino hero does not exist, claiming that he was an invention of Humabon to discourage the Spaniards from converting more locals into Christianity.

In the same premiere, he further clarified his research process, which included library trips in Portugal, Spain, and New York.

“When you research for so long, you see things that other historians may not have seen. I read a lot, researched everything, and I could not find anything on Lapulapu. It seems closer to the truth that Humabon did everything.”

Playing Humabon is Diaz’s frequent collaborator, Ronnie Lazaro, who plays opposite the Mexican actor Gael García Bernal as the titular historical figure who is Portuguese in origin.

“Magellan” was picked by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) and Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to be the country’s entry for the 98th Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category.

FAP explained that “Magellan” was picked for its “aesthetic and technical excellence, embodiment of Filipino value and culture, international appeal, and the capability of the producer to mount an extensive campaign for the Academy shortlisting in December, and the nomination in February.”

Of the 37 films that the Philippines has submitted for consideration since 1953, none has been nominated, let alone shortlisted.