For four centuries after the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan 1521 Butuan was the site of First Easter Sunday Mass. This was based from Father Pedro Chirino’s “Relacion de las Islas Filipinas” were he reported Lent, Flagellation and Catechism, were being celebrated among the people in Butuan in 1595. The Records of Father Francisco Collins and Father Combes during the middle of the Seventeenth (17th) Century up to the late nineteenth (19th) Century, by Father Saturnino Urios Easter also recorded where Easter Mass was also celebrated.
It was only in the late 1895 when Father Pablo Pastel’s and Pedro de Tavera’s “Rediscovery” stated that “Magellan No Poco Butuan”. Both Father Tavera and Father Pastel were not truthful as they were not aware of role played by Magellan and Pigafetta’s 9 2/3 on the island Mazaua. I presented the same during the Cebu Forum in 2018, which was not sealed and judged by the Mojares Panel Members as, “based on conjectures from ideas derived from secondary sources…” This is now a sealed document which I personally obtained from the Torre da Tombo Museum in Lisbon Portugal.
We obtained this vital sealed document in SPANISH from the Archives at the Torre da Tombo, in Lisbon Portugal. This letter exposed where the actual island Ferdinand Magellan went to in 1521.
The Command of King Charles shown in this picture is the April 19, 1519 Command of King Charles to Magellan shown in front of the 1734 Father Murillo Velarde Map being held by Dr. Potenciano R. Malvar.
The King:
Fernando de Magallamsand RuyFaleiro, knights of the Order of St. James, our captains-general of the fleet, which we command to be equipped to go to discover, and the other separate captains of the said fleet, and pilots, masters, quarter-masters, and seamen of the said fleet: In as much as I know for certain, according to the much information which I have obtained from person who have seen it by experience, that there are spices in the island of Maluco; and chiefly, you are going to seek them with his said fleet, and my will is that you should straightway follow the voyage to the said islands in the form of guise which I have said and commanded to you, the said Ferdinand de Magallams; moreover I command you all and each one of you that in the navigation of the said voyage you follow the opinion and determination of the said Ferdinand de Magallams, in order that first and foremost, before any other part, you should go to the said islands of Maluco, without there being any shortcoming in this, because thus it is fitting for our service, and after this done, the rest that may be convenient may be sought for according to what you have been commanded, and one and all neither do nor let them do anything else in anywise, under pain of losing their goods and their persons, at our discretion, Done in Barcelona, nineteenth day of April, year of the one thousand five hundred and nineteen.
I, the King
By order of the King,
FRcoDE LOS COVOS.
________________________________________________________
| Meaning:Guise – refers to an outward appearance that conceals the true nature of someone.Someone or Something – extract valuable information from you so they can rob you under the guise of protecting you. |
HOW MAGELLAN CONCEALED THOSE ISLANDS OF SPICE?
- The Pigafetta Maps
MAP OF VISAYAS AND MINDANAO
To conceal where the islands of Spice were, Magellan had this Map of Mindanao inverted where the East was made West and the North the South. From this Mindanao Map, Butuan was South West, while the island Mazaua was North East of the Visayas islands.
This is the actual/true geographical land form of both Visayas and Mindanao.
THERE WAS AN ISLAND NEARBY. MASAUA AND THE ISLAND OF SPICE – BUTUAN WERE ON THE SAME 9˚ LATITUDE.
- From Pigafetta’ own account on March 29, 1521. Magellan was at Masaua the Domain of Raia Siaui where the boat “TRINIDAD” was anchored.
“Then he (Magellan) led the King to the deck of the ship, that is located above the stern,… He told the King through the interpreter how he had found the strait in order to voyage THITHER (Blair-Robertson), and many moons… whereat the King was astonished.”
THITHER means there. Magellan must have been pointing at the that other island where they disembarked that early Thursday on March 28, 1521.
- Captain Hernando de la Torre account – Legaspi Expedition 1565
“That on Masagua there was a town located to the East with a port for ships on the western side of the island, Father Urdaneta and the ship master took the direct route to where the town should be and the ships sailed towards this port.”
From the following narrations by Pigafetta and Capt. Hernando de la Torre, both were referring to two islands which were nearby. In 1521 up to the mid-18th Century, Masao was still an island separate from Butuan which ultimately fused with mainland Butuan during the succeeding centuries due to natural causes of flooding and earthquakes.
- Pigafetta’s 9 2/3 and the coordinates of the other five (5) Sailors
These three sailors were in the Trinidad with Magellan. The log of Pigafetta of Masaua was 9 2/3 latitude, it was similar with Albo’s 9 2/3 latitude but it was not Masaua, this was the coordinates of San Lazarus islands, and Albo also logged the 9 1/3 latitude where the cross was planted. The third in the ship with Magellan was Gines de Mafra who logged Masaua at 9˚ latitude.
In the ship Victoria was Andres de San Martin, who logs Mazaba at 9˚ latitude. The Genoese Pilot logged Mazaba at 9˚ latitude with Butuan 12 leguas North, Genoese Pilot even distanced the Spice island to the North, almost the same coordinates asPigafetta’s 9 2/3 and Sebastian Elcano showed the route of the voyage was to the Butuan Masaua Bay. From the foregoing logs of the six (6) sailors, they did not have the same coordinates? As Pigafetta narrated on March 28, 1521, “In the afternoon we went in ships (and anchored) near the dwelling of the King”. Why not just one coordinate for the six (6) sailors, was there a purpose?
Yes, there was. There was an intention to guise (conceal) the islands of Spice using the island Mazaua. Magellan was implementing the April 19, 1519 Command of King Charles to Magellan, “my will is that you should straightway follow the voyage to the said islands in the form of guise which I said and command you.”THIS ECCLESIASTICAL EDICT BY FATHER DOMINGO DE SALAZAR THE FIRST BISHOP OF MANILA PERSONALLY CHOSEN BY KING PHILIP AND APPOINTED BY POPE GREGORY IN 1581, AFFIRMED THAT THE FIRST EASTER SUNDAY MASS IN MARCH 31, 1521 WAS HELD AT “PRIMERA MISA EL CAPELLA CO SU BUTUAN”. THIS ECCLESIASTICAL EDICT HAVE NOT BEEN ANNULED/OVERTURN BY POPE IN THE PAST FOUR (4) CENTURIES.
(Special newspaper supplement published in 1926 brought to Manila from Madrid by Loriga and Gallarza)
FROM THE ARCHIBISPADO DE MANILA ARCHIVES
(ARCILLA, SJ: 1998, page 88)
The “Bernardo de la Torre account” upon my incisive investigation was admitted by the Limasawa Proponent “no source, never had one”. This admission rendered as “void ad initio” the decision of the Mojares Panel to declare Limasawa as the site of the First Easter Sunday Mass. Should the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) withdraw such Limasawa declaration?
