The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) unveiled on Tuesday, March 16, the first of the 34 historical markers along the route of the first circumnavigation in the Philippines.
The Suluan Quincentennial Marker in Suluan Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar was unveiled to mark the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world on March 16, 1521.
The event also coincides with the arrival of the Spanish Navy training ship Juan Sebastian Elcano in Philippine waters. The vessel is named after the captain of the Armada de Maluco--also known as the Magellan-Elcano expedition--which completed the first circumnavigation of the world.
Personnel from the Philippine Navy, through BRP Apolinario Mabini, were scheduled to accompany Elcano to the Manicani waters in Guiuan for a fluvial parade also on Tuesday afternoon.
The Spanish ship is also expected to participate in the unveiling of the historical marker in Homonhon, also in Guiuan, on Wednesday, March 17, before it leaves for Cebu on March 20.
A total of 34 historical markers will be unveiled in the Visayas, Palawan, and Mindanao between March 16 to October 28 this year as part of the quincentennial celebrations.
The map of the Philippine itinerary of the first circumnavigation of the world can be viewed here https://bit.ly/3dHrnKF.