143. HUMABON / HAMABAR / HUMABAD
In my numerous
trips to the Queen City of the South, I never fail to revisit historical spots
and monuments. With this year’s celebration of the Quincentennial of
Christianity in the Philippines (1521-2021), I scribbled a number of historical
articles and researches to commemorate this once in a lifetime celebration.
As I strolled around the city center of Cebu, I stumbled, for the first time, on the monument of Rajah Humabon at the plaza also named after this pre-Spanish period chieftain. Humabon is also identified as Hamabar and Humabad in other historical manuscripts.
I reached the fenced Plaza Humabar located across the Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu in Mabini Street and since the gates were closed, I jumped over the railing to have a clearer face to face interaction with the giant figure sitting statue of Humabon.
Three historical markers greeted me in the compound all giving a short profile of Humabon. The marker at the entrance reads: “Plaza Hamabar. Hamabar was one of the names of Rajah Humabon, the leader of Cebu, a flourishing trading post and settlement. Sugbo's Rajah Humabon was also known as Humabad. He was the Chieftain of Cebu when the Armada de Molucca headed by explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in Cebu in 1521. The chronicler of that expedition, Antonio Pigafetta, described him as a short and fat man who had his face painted with fire in diverse patterns. ‘We found the king of Zzubu at his palace, seated on the ground on a mat of palms, with many people. He was naked except for a linen cloth covering his private parts, and round his head a very loose cloth, embroidered with silk. Round his neck he had a very heavy and rich chain, and his ears two gold rings hung with precious stones,’ read a translation of Pigafetta's writings. Humabon was named Carlos after the Spanish king when he was baptized together with his subjects into the Catholic faith by Magellan.”
The second is a stainless steel marker mounted at the base of the great statue and it reads: PLAZA HAMABAR/HUMABON REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES CITY OF CEBU Rajah Humabon was the first chieftain in the archipelago to embrace Christianity. He was regarded as the wisest and bravest man on the island of Cebu. Days after Ferdinand Magellan arrived in Cebu on Sunday April 07, 1521, Rajah Humabon made a Blood Compact with him as a symbol of their new found friendship. Captivated by its noble teachings, Rajah Humabon was converted to Christianity on Sunday morning, April 14, 1521. His wife and her retinue followed in the afternoon, they and about 800 other Cebuanos were baptized that day. Humabon was given the name Carlos in honor of King Carlos V of Spain while his wife was christened Queen Juana, after the mother of King Carlos. In remembrance of the occasion, Magellan gave Queen Juana as image of the child Jesus as a gift, while a large cross was erected to mark the baptismal site.
Another Humabon marker, the third and last, made of marble located at the base of the obelisk which is also made of the same rock and probably is the oldest of the three reads: “REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES. CITY OF CEBU. RAJAH HUMABON was the first Filipino Chieftain to embrace Christianity regarded as the wisest and bravest man in the island. When Ferdinand Magellan landed on honoring Humabar Cebu on Sunday, April 07, 1521, Rajah Humabon made a Blood Compact with Magellan as a symbol of their newfound friendship. Captivated by its noble teachings, Rajah Humabon was converted to Christianity. On Sunday morning, April 14, 1521 Humabon and his wife, Humamai, and about 800 Cebuanos were baptized. Humabon was given the name Carlos in honor of King Charles I of Spain and his wife Queen Juana after King Charles mother. In remembrance of the occasion, Magellan gave Queen Juana an image of the child Jesus as a gift, while a large cross was erected to mark the baptismal site.”
Searching the net reveals some more data on the rajah. Articles from historian Ambeth Ocampo, Jorge Mojarro and Marivir Montebon showed that there is no official record of the origins of Rajah Humabon prior to the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521). According to tradition, Humabon was the son of Sri Bantug, and the grandson of Sri Lumay. His ancestor, Sri Lumay, was a native from Sumatra (now an island of Indonesia) who established the Rajahnate of Cebu, and sired at least four known sons, namely Alho, Ukob, Parang the Limp, and Bantug (father of Humabon).
Sri Alho ruled a land known as Sialo which included the present-day towns of Carcar and Santander in the southern region of Cebu island province. Sri Ukob ruled a kingdom known as Nahalin in the north which included the present-day towns of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, Danao, Carmen and Bantayan. He died in battle, fighting with the tribal group known as magalos (literally destroyers of peace) from Mindanao. A third brother was Sri Parang the Limp, but could not rule because of his physical infirmity. Sri Bantug, the youngest, ruled a kingdom known as Singhapala (a variation of the Sanskrit Singha-Pura which means City of the Lion, which is also the root of Singapore), in a region which is now part of Cebu City, who later died of disease and was succeeded by his son Sri Hamabar (Humabon). Because of his frailty, Sri Parang handed Bantug's throne to Bantug's son Humabon as regent, and Humabon became the rajah of Cebu.
The meeting between Rajah Humabon and Enrique of Malacca (1595-1522), the slave accompanying Magellan's voyage, was documented by Antonio Pigafetta (1491-1534). Historical accounts disclosed that Rajah Humabon was among the first indigenous converted to Catholicism after he, his wives, and his subjects were baptized by the expedition's priest. On April 14, 1521, Humabon was christened “Carlos” in honor of King Charles V (1500-1558) of Spain, the Holy Roman Emperor (note that the marker mention Charles I), while his chief consort, Hara Humamay was given the name “Juana”, after Charles' mother, Joanna of Castile (1779-1855). According to Pigafetta, it was Humabon who had requested Magellan to kill his rival, Lapu Lapu, the datu or chieftain of nearby Mactan Island.
After the death of Magellan at the Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521 and the consequent failure of the Spanish to defeat Lapu Lapu, Humabon and his warriors plotted to poison the remaining Spanish soldiers in Cebu during a feast. Several men were killed, including the remaining leaders of the expedition, Duarte Barbosa (1480-1521) and Juan Rodríguez Serrano. According to Pigafetta, Serrano, begging to be saved from the Cebuano tribesmen, allegedly referred to Enrique (Magellan's slave) as having instigated the massacre by claiming to Humabon that the Europeans planned to take over the rajahnate.
Humabon may have conspired with the European invaders and submitted to western rule but his legacy to the Filipino people was when he led the natives to embrace Christianity which we all cherish today. The story of Humabon was also the start when the scattered archipelago in the South China Sea became to be known as a single territory now known as The Philippines.
Pope Francis himself presided over the Eucharistic Celebration on March 14, 2021, at Saint Peter’s Basilica on the occasion of the Quincentennial and homilied: “Your joy is evident in your people. We see it in your eyes, your faces, your songs, and your prayers. I want to thank you for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian community. The beautiful experiences of families in Rome and throughout the world, your discreet and hardworking presence became a testimony of faith.” If Humabon was still around, surely he would be proud of leading the acceptance of our dear Christian faith.
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