2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines
The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP) is a series of observances organized to mark the 500th anniversary of various events in the Philippines, notably the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, the role of the country in the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation, and the victory of Lapulapu in the Battle of Mactan. Background. The Philippine national government aims to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Filipinos' first contact with the Spanish in 1521 from a Filipino-centric point of view in 2021. The National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) was formed for this purpose  in May 2018, when President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) No. 55. President Duterte issued EO 103 on January 28, 2019, formalizing the intent for the commemorations to be "Filipino-centric" and expanded the membership and scope of the NQC. The 2021 QCP is meant to commemorate three main events. The NQC has also released official names for the quincentennial for the three events. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has involvement in events related to the quincentennial related to the Christianity in the Philippines. Bishop Pablo Virgilio David representing the CBCP, reject the notion that celebrating  the 500th anniversary of the introduction of the Philippines as also celebrating the Spanish colonization of the islands citing continued prevalence of the religion long after colonization and asserts that Filipino ancestors were "intelligent enough" to accept what is good and reject what is evil among the introductions made by the Spanish in the Philippines. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 QCP will still be held albeit modified to comply with protocols imposed in response to the health crisis. Although about 50 projects related to the quincentennial were either canceled or indefinitely postponed. Marketing. Branding. The logo for the 2021  QCP was adopted on August 14, 2019. The theme for the event is "Victory and Humanity". A brand manual has been released which tackles branding guidelines for the event which is intended to serve as a reference for participating local government units. In official communications in relation to the event, the NQC refers to Lapulapu as "Lapulapu" without the hyphen, which is the preferred spelling for the native leader by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. The main basis for the spelling choice was Antonio Pigafetta's chronicle of the Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation which referred to the Mactan leader  as "Cilapulapu" where "Ci" is believed to be the local honorific "Si" derived from the Indic honorific "Sri". Music. An official soundtrack was released for the event called the "Limandaan: The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines" which contains nine Original Pilipino Music (OPM) songs including "Bagani" the main theme song of the occasion. The soundtrack was encouraged to be played in public spaces by the government as part of the observances for the commemorations. Other. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Philippines' central bank, released a commemorative banknote and medal featuring Lapu Lapu. Competitions. Art competition. The Quincentennial Art  Competition was launched in July 2020. The competition was made open to Philippine-based Filipino citizens of at least 18-years of age. The competition had four categories with separate themes. A grand winner and two winners of minor awards will be conferred for each of the four themes. Monument competition. The Lapulapu Monument Design Competition was launched by the NHCP on September 14, 2020, to determine the design of a Lapulapu monument to be erected as the centerpiece of the Lapulapu Memorial Shrine and Museum. The shrine and museum structure itself will be built along the shore of the  Mactan Shrine and the monument itself will be distinct from the existing bronze statue of Lapulapu. The winner of the competition was "The Watch of Mactan" by Tarlac-based architecture firm Sicat Design Services with Rex B. Sicat Jr. as its principal proponent.