DE GUZMAN, Brian Allen T.

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

CBET-01-202A

CHAPTER 3: ONE PAST BUT MANY HISTORIES: CONTROVERSIES AND

CONFLICTING VIEWS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

LESSON 1: Site of the First Mass

In this day and age, 1521 was the year when

Philippine island was discovered and Christianity was first
introduced to the Filipinos by a Portuguese navigator named
Ferdinand Magellan. The First Catholic Mass in the
Philippines was held in the Southern Leyte led by Father
Pedro de Valderrama on Easter Sunday – March 31, 1521.
Further, the Holy First Mass marked the birth of Roman

Ferdinand Magellan Catholicism in the country at Southern Leyte particularly in

Source:https://www.history.com/t
opics/exploration/ferdinand-
Limasawa which is popularly known as the birthplace of the
magellan Church in the Philippines. However, despite the information
presented and interpreted by the historians, a controversy has taken place regarding
the site of the First Mass ever celebrated in the Philippines. There are some claims that
the First Catholic Mass was not in Limasawa rather it happened
in Butuan, Mindanao.

The subject of controversy is the identity of the island

which Antonio Pigafetta calls “Mazaua.” Antonio Pigafetta on his
journal tells us that the First Mass was held on Easter Sunday,
31st of March 1521 on the island called “Mazaua.” Moreover, two
native chief namely the Rajah of Mazaua and the Rajah of
Butuan attended the said mass. Additionally, there are two
conflicting claims regarding the identity of this island. First, claim
Father Pedro de Valderrama
where it points the little island of South Leyte which in the map is Source:https://www.alamy.com
/fray-pedro-de-valderrama-
called Limasawa. Second, the other rejects that claim and point 1550-1611-spanish-augustine-
religious-born-in-seville-libro-
de-desc-image212422970.html

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 the beach called Masao located in the mouth of Agusan River in Northern Mindanao
near the city of Butuan.

To start with the first evidence in Butuan; upon a Butuan tradition was almost
unbroken for three centuries – 17th, 18th, and 19th century. On the strength of the Butuan
Tradition and embodying it, a monument was erected in 1872 near the mouth of the
Agusan River to commemorate the site
of the first Philippine mass. The
monument was erected apparently by
the request of parish priest of Butuan,
who at that time was a Spanish friar. In
any case, the monument is a testimonial
to the Butuan tradition that remained
vigorous until 19th century, namely, that

Magellan and his expedition landed at Balangay Boats

Source: https://www.kularts-sf.org/blog/2019/7/4/boats-in-
Butuan and celebrated there the first philippine-life-culture-and-spirituality
mass ever in the Philippines. Further, scientist and historians have found 10 Balanghay
Boats which are 1600-year old and these boats were found at the Masao River in 1976.
They conclude that these boats were used as transportation of instruments used for
religious purposes. Another argument is that scientist and historians questioned the
credibility of the statement of Pigafetta; questioning what is the certainty that the
statement of Pigafetta regarding the first mass held in Limasawa was the first mass
occurred in the Philippines? Further evidences claiming that the first mass was held in
Butuan are; the name of place mentioned by Pigafetta; the route from Homonhon and
the latitude of position. Lastly, the geographical features of the place and under these
features include the bonfire, the balanghai, houses, abundance of gold and developed
settlement.

On the other hand, contradicts to the claim of other scientist and historian
pointing Butuan, Jaime de Veyra stated that the first mass was celebrated in Limasawa
not in Butuan. Also, historian Pablo Pastells stating by the footnote to Francisco Colin’s

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 Labor Evangelica that Magellan did not go to Butuan but from Limasawa to Cebu in
which James Robertson agreed with Pastells in a footnote that “Mazua” was actually
Limasawa. Furthermore, one of the eighteen survivors named Francisco Albo pilot of
Magellan’s flagship “Trinidad” who returned with Sebastian Elcano on the “Victoria”
began keeping his own log-book on the voyage out, while they were sailing southward
in the Atlantic along the coast of South America, off Brazil. In his log-book he did not
mention about the first mass but he writes that
they erected a cross on a mountain which
overlooked three islands the west and the
southwest. On top of that, the most complete
account of Magellan’s expedition was written
by Antonio Pigafetta entitled “First Voyage
around the World” in which in this book was
indicated Pigafetta’s testimony regarding the
route, and the evidence of Pigafetta’s Map. In
the authentic account it indicated that the port
The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan
Authored by: Antonio Pigafetta was not in Butuan but an island named Mazua
Source:https://archive.org/details/firstvoyageround00pi
ga/page/n5/mode/2up (Masawa). In support to this, Father Bernard
studied all the Pigafetta’s maps, which place is Mazua located at the southern tip of
Leyte; a check with modern maps will show that this jibes with Limasawa and not
Masao or Butuan.

The presented information above might lead us to confusion however it is

conclude that the First Catholic Mass was held in Limasawa, Southern Leyte. Moreover,
the Philippine Congress recognized the Limasawa, Southern Leyte of where the first
mass in the Philippines was held as a National Shrine under the Republic Act No. 2733
on June 19, 1960. Therefore, no matter how we think of where our faith started it will
never change the fact that our faith in one God is strong and vibrant. And due to the
introduction of Christianity and with the existent numbers of church in the Philippines it
is unquestionable that Filipinos are religious and devout to church.

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 Reference

Bernad, M. A. (n.d.). Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines:
A Reexaminationof the Evidence. Retrieved from
https://journals.ateneo.edu/ojs/index.php/budhi/article/view/582/579

Rone, JR. (2019, May 5). First Mass in the Philippines [Video]. Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX7ZBiQNqXg

Decilio, R. (2018, August 9). Site Of-First-Mass-In-The-Philippines History-1-4.

Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/chad4510/site-
offirstmassinthephilippines-history14

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