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Cultural Note - Philippine history is rooted in resistance!

Did you know that the first official Filipino hero was a Visayan chief who successfully resisted Spanish colonialism?

Lapu-Lapu was one of two datus (chiefs) from the island of Mactan in the Visayas (southern) region of the Philippines. He is famous for defending the island of Mactan from Spanish colonizers led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

While other tribes were welcoming of Catholicism and Spanish colonizers, Lapu-Lapu refused to pay tribute to the Spanish crown--even when the other datu of Mactan capitulated.

Raja Humabon, a tribal leader who had been quarraling with Lapu-Lapu at the time, convinced Magellan to attack the island of Mactan for Lapu-Lapu's defiance.

In 1521, Magellan and his men attack Mactan and lose to Lapu-Lapu's warriors. This victory delays the colonization of the Philippines for more than 40 years.

Another gift idea for your pamangkids, especially those growing up abroad: “Flip your Story!”

This is a large set of story cards covering various Filipino words to help stoke imaginations young and old. I illustrated 54 story cards for the set, which also comes with game ideas, Tagalog vocab audio, a drawstring bag, and an activity book.

Get it at Fil-Am Learners:

Mickey and friends celebrate Filipino American History Month and share a chicken adobo recipe