Lakandula

Over time, the Lakandula's name has come to be written in several ways. However, according to the firsthand account written in Spanish by Hernando Riquel, the royal notary who accompanied Miguel López de Legazpi, the Lord of Tondo specifically identified himself as "Sibunao Lacandola, lord of the town of Tondo" In its current Tagalog form, means "gentleman". Another common variation of the name is Gat Dula (alternatively spelled as a single word, Gatdula). Historically, the prefix Gat, a shortened version of the Tagalog honorific "Pamagat", meant "nobleman." Hence, Gatdula would literally read "Nobleman of the Palace", meaning essentially the same thing as the Kapampangan version, Lakandula. Alternatively, rather than a surname per se, Dula may have referred to a family group or clan, but there does not neem to be any historical evidence to support this postulation. Historian Jose N. Sevilla y Tolentino, theorized that "Dula" was not a personal name at all, but a local word that meant something akin to "Palace". While he may not have ruled from a literal palace, this would have indicated the Lakan's seat of power. As such, the "Lakandula" would have been the local language title for the "Lord of the Palace" and ruler of Tondo. Analogously, contemporary Rajah Ache was referred to as Rajah Matanda (Old Rajah), while Rajah Sulayman was sometimes referred to as Rajah Muda or Rajamora (Young Rajah). and Filipino historian and national artist for literature Nick Joaquin takes pains to point out that the term Lakan, not Rajah, was used by the rulers of Tondo. ==Life before the arrival of the Spaniards==

Little is known about the early life of Bunaw, Lakan Dula, before the arrival of Legazpi. According to National Artist Nick Joaquin "he is presumed to be of native birth," with mixed Sinaunang Tagalog (Dumagat) and Kapampangan ancestry. Joaquin adds that "He was said to be a descendant of King Balagtas." William Henry Scott notes that Augustinian Fray Martin de Rada Legaspi reported that the Tagalogs were "more traders than warriors", and elsewhere notes that Maynila's ships got their goods from Tondo and then dominated trade through the rest of the archipelago. People in other parts of the archipelago often referred to Maynila's boats as "Chinese" (Sina or Sinina) because they came bearing Chinese goods. ==Arrival of Legazpi, May 1571==

When Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived at Manila Bay in May 1571, the Lakandula was there to meet him. The two first met on May 17, the day after Legazpi's arrival on the bay, when Rajah Matanda and Lakandula boarded Legazpi's ship to discuss terms with him. Part of these discussions specified that the Spaniards would not land in Tondo, and would instead land in Manila, which had been burned to the ground the year before. Joaquin suggests that Lakandula would "have seen that Legaspi was being practical. Burned down and emptied, Maynila would be a better spot to fortify, being more strategic." On May 18, 1571, the native nobility of Luzon, Rajah Sulayman, Rajah Matanda, and Lakandula, acknowledged the sovereignty of Spain over the islands and proclaimed themselves to be vassals of Spain. On the following day, May 19, Legazpi landed in Manila and took ceremonial possession of the land in the presence of Soliman, Matanda, and Lakandula. To celebrate the event, the Spanish discharged Manila's artillery and arquebuses as part of the ceremony. ==The Battle of Bangkusay, June 1571==

When the Spaniards first came to Manila they were kindly accepted, but over time the natives understood that it had meant subservience to them. It was not long before Spanish power in Luzon was challenged. A first battle took place on May 24, 1570, where the natives were defeated. A month later, Tarik Sulayman of Macabebe attacked Manila, convincing Rajah Sulayman to join the battle against Legazpi. Macabebe and Sulayman's forces were defeated, and the Datu of Macabebe was killed in what history would record as the Battle of Bangkusay Channel. (The similarity of names has caused some confusion between these two leaders, but Tarik Sulayman and Rajah Sulayman were different individuals – one survived the battle, and the other did not.) Lakandula had refused to join Macabebe and Sulayman's coalition, but among the prisoners taken by the Spaniards after the battle were two of his nephews and a number of his officers. When questioned, they said that they had been on the scene only as observers, not as combatants. Legazpi let them go to demonstrate his confidence in Lakandula. Joaquin notes that this was a wise choice on Legazpi's part: "If he had been playing a double game before, Lakandula now became earnest in supporting the Spanish. It may be he who persuaded the fugitive Soliman to surrender and return to the good graces of Legazpi." ==Expedition to Pampanga and Bulacan, late 1571==

Later that year, Legazpi sent Martin de Goiti to spread Spanish rule to the peoples of what are now the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga, particularly the territories of Lubao with Macabebe, Guagua on September 14, 1571. One month later they conquered Calumpit and Malolos in November 14 of the same year. Legazpi conceded these settlements under Spanish rule. He sent Lakandula and Sulayman with him, because, as one account has it, "if so great a chief should go with him, when the Tagalogs and Pampangos saw that he had given obedience to His Majesty, they would give it also." The account continues: "Lacandola agreed to go, and served with two ships provided at his cost, and distinguished himself by performing much service for His Majesty, and went along so the said Pampangos would give him obedience, as in fact they did." These boats were joangas (karakoa), a type of seacraft capable of carrying 300 men each, which, as Dery points out, were common in Maritime Southeast Asia. ==Attack by Limahong, 1574==

Lakandula's close association with the Spaniards continued despite Legazpi's death on August 20, 1572, and his replacement as governor by Guido de Lavezares, who had been the colony's treasurer. The possession of the Islands was unsuccessfully disputed by a rival expedition under the command of Limahong, a Chinese pirate, who had been outlawed by the Celestial Emperor of China. Lakandula was on hand to help repel Limahong when he came to try and sack Manila in 1574. ==Death==

Mentions of Lakandula's death are few, but Scott indicates that he died in 1575, "three years after" Legazpi and Rajah Matanda, who both died in 1572. According to local oral histories, this site eventually became the site of the Sto Niño of Tondo Parish church. ==Documentary sources==

Primary documentary sources about Lakandula are sparse, so much so that there has been debate about the actual name of the Lakan. Dery identifies three types of sources regarding Lakandula: • direct accounts of Legazpi's 1571 conquest, and indirect references from other documents of the period; • a record group in the Philippine National Archives collectively referred to as the "Lacandola Documents" containing mostly 18th-century genealogical documents; and • folklore, which "suggests prior lineage where documentation definitively identifies only descendants". Direct accounts and references from period documents In his "Bibliographic Essay" at the end of his book Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society, William Henry Scott identifies the three accounts directly detailing the events of Lakandula's lifetime: • An account written by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi himself; • An account by royal notary Hernando Riquel who was part of Legazpi's expedition; and • a third account which is anonymous, but which Scott suggests is probably written by royal notary Hernando Riquel. Scott singles this third account out as particularly useful, because it includes careful observations of the islands and people contacted. Scott also identifies other accounts that do not directly refer to that occasion, but provide additional information about conditions at the time. These include two accounts of the Magellan voyage, reports from the attacks on Borneo in 1578–1579, letters to the king from royal auditor Melchor de Avalos, Reports by later Governors General, passing details in sworn testimony about Augustinian activities (the latter two recorded in Blair and Robertson), Correspondence of Augustinian Fray Martin de Rada, the Relacion accounts of Miguel de Loarca and Juan de Plasencia, and the Boxer Codex, which "can be dated to 1590 on internal evidence." ==Descendants==

Children His descendants are spread out all across the Kapampangan region during the Spanish colonial era. Later descendants In 1990, Filipino historian Luciano P. R. Santiago wrote an article for the Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society which details the identities and life stories of some of the descendants of Lakandula, mostly based on the "Lacandola Documents," a collection of legal documents held by the Philippine National Archives. Another Filipino historian, Luis Camara Dery, in his 2001 book "A History of the Inarticulate", notes that a purported 1539 document called the "Will of Fernando Malang Balagtas," which, although its exact provenance has been determined to be doubtful, corroborates the information from the Lacandola documents. The Lacandola of Arayat came from one of the grandchildren of Lakandula of Tondo named Dola, who is from San Luis, Pampanga. When Dola married, she insisted to use the surname Lacandola for her children to maintain connection with his grandfather from Tondo and partly, to hide from Spanish authorities.She was married to a Spanish mestizo surnamed Reyes. Eventually, the Reyes-Lacandola was married into a Macapagal. Dery, Scott, and Santiago recount that the privileges accorded to the descendants of Lakandula had been discontinued for a while in the aftermath of Lakandula's death, because some of the descendants came into conflict with the Spanish authorities. According to Dery, the Balagtas document recounts that these privileges were restored when a Juan Macapagal, who claimed to be a great grandson of Lakandula (through Dionisio Capulong's son Juan Gonzalo Capulong), aided the Spanish authorities in suppressing the 1660 Maniago revolt, the 1660-1661 Malong revolt, and the 1661 Almazan revolt, performing his role as Master-of-Camp and Datu of Arayat. In 1758, A Gremio de Lakandulas was created to safeguard the rights and privileges of the Kapampangan descendants of Lakandula as assured by the Spanish crown. During the British invasion of 1762–1764, the descendants of Lakandula, concentrated in the province of Pampanga, formed a company of volunteers to fight the British and were granted autonomy by Governor General Simon de Anda. Macapagal (rare variant: Makapagal) is a Filipino surname derived from the Kapampangan language. By Santiago's genealogical reckoning, prominent Lakandula descendants of the 20th century include the former Philippine Presidents Diosdado Macapagal and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, former Philippine Senate President Jovito Salonga, international stage celebrity Lea Salonga, pioneer Filipino industrialist Gonzalo Puyat, and former Philippine Senate President Gil Puyat. ==Legacy==

• The Order of Lakandula is one of the highest honors given by the Republic of the Philippines. It is an order of political and civic merit, awarded in memory of Lakandula's dedication to the responsibilities of leadership, prudence, fortitude, courage and resolve in the service of one's people. • The was the destroyer escort / frigate and is the only ex-USN Edsall-class destroyer escort that served the Philippine Navy. It was also the flagship of the Philippine Navy from 1981 to 1988. Struck from the Navy List in 1988, it was still in use as a stationary barracks ship in Subic Bay as of 1999. • A number of Lakandula elementary and secondary schools are named after Lakandula, notably in the City of Manila, and the Province of Pampanga, both closely associated with Banaw Lakandula. ==See also==