Duterte EO: It’s Lapulapu, not Lapu-Lapu

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday issued Executive Order 152 directing the public and private sector to refer to the first Filipino hero as Lapulapu instead of Lapu-Lapu. 

The EO 152 cited that the earliest rendering in the Latin alphabet of the name of the hero of Mactan is "Cilapulapu," with "Ci" apparently being an honorific title from which founding heroes Jose Rizal and Juan Luna derived their own references to him as "Si Lapulapu."

"The name Lapulapu is understood to refer to the Filipino hero who bravely and victoriously fought in the Battle of Mactan [against the Spaniard colonizers] in the 16th century. Thus, all references to the name "Lapu-Lapu" in  EO No. 17, as amended, and EO No. 55, as amended, are hereby amended to read as Lapulapu," the EO read.

"Adopting a common rendering of the name of Lapulapu, so as to conform to earlier references, will aid in the education of our youth about Philippine history which is foundational to the formation of national identity," EO 152 added.

As a result, EO 152 says all government  agencies  and  instrumentalities, including government-owned or -controlled corporations, and state universities and colleges, are hereby directed, and local government units, non-government organizations, civil society groups, and the private sector "are hereby enjoined to adopt Lapulapu when referring to the name of the first Filipino hero."

The EO, however, also stated that places named Lapu-Lapu such as Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu will retain the Lapu-Lapu reference since these are established by statute. — Llanesca T. Panti/RSJ, GMA News