The Philippine national government is commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Filipinos' first contact with the Spanish in 1521 from a Filipino-centric point of view in 2021.
The National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) was formed for this purpose in May 2018, when President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) No. 55.
President Duterte issued EO 103 on January 28, 2019 formalizing the intent for the commemorations to be "Filipino-centric" and expanded the membership and scope of the NQC.
The 2021 QCP is meant to commemorate three main events. The NQC has also released official names for the quincentennial for the three events.
500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines – Due to the arrival of the Spanish marking the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, which became the dominant religion in the country.
500th anniversary of the Philippine part in the first circumnavigation of the world – Commemorates the stopover of the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation in the Philippines. The NQC specifically advises against naming the event as the "arrival of Magellan" in the Philippines or the Western characterization of the event as the "discovery" of the Philippines.
500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan – Which commemorates the victory of Lapulapu in the Philippines in the Battle of Mactan. While the NQC recognizes that Lapulapu and his cotemporaries were not technically Filipinos, its position is that they are still worthy of recognition since modern-day Filipinos are their descendants. The NQC commemorates their "ideals, their sacrifices, their struggles" and holds them as a sources of inspirations.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 QCP will still be held albeit modified to comply with protocols imposed in response to the health crisis.
Discover how integrated the Filipinos are with the world since the achievement of mankind in circumnavigating the world for the first time in 1521.
The official promotional video of the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines, produced by the Department of Tourism - Philippines.
More information can be found on the official website.