Mactan is a densely populated island located a few kilometers (~1 mile) east of
Cebu Island in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. The island is part of
Cebu province and it is divided into the city of
Lapu-Lapu and the municipality of
Cordova.
The island is separated from Cebu by the
Mactan Channel which is presently crossed by three bridges: the
Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), the
Mactan–Mandaue Bridge, and the
Marcelo Fernan Bridge. The island covers some and has a population of 527,071 as of 2020, making it the nation's most densely populated island. Along with
Olango Island Group, the isles are administered by a city and a municipality covering .
Mactan–Cebu International Airport is located on the island.
Etymology
The modern name Mactan descended from an earlier form, ''Manctan''. However, evidence of this earlier form is scant as, even as early as the 17th century, the island was already named Mactan. This form is attested in the original copy of the
Philippine Declaration of Independence, where
Lapu-Lapu was mentioned as the king of "''Manktan''". This is supported by oral histories, which claim that the name Mactan evolved from the name ''Mangatang''.
The name means "pirate" (lit. "those who lie in wait"), and was acquired during a period where the island's population would prey on passing trade ships on the way to the harbors of
Sugbu. The ancient name of the island in precolonial times is Opong, which became the name of the Spanish settlement of Opon (renamed to
Lapu-Lapu in 1961).
History
The island was already a thriving settlement before it was colonized by Spain in the 16th century. It was a strong ally of the Lakanate of Lawan, a prosperous kingdom in Samar. Datu Hadi Iberein ruled the Lakanate of Lawan. He was described by historian William Henry Scott as a "Samar datu by the name of Iberein was rowed out to a Spanish vessel anchored in his harbor in 1543 by oarsmen collared in gold; while wearing on his own person earrings and chains."
Portuguese explorer
Ferdinand Magellan arrived on the island in 1521 and became involved in warfare among the kingdoms only to be killed in
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
by the warriors of
Datu Lapu-Lapu, the sovereign in the island. However, oral tradition also dictates that the island where the
Battle of Mactan might have taken place is
Poro Island in the northeast instead. The oral tradition is backed by recent archaeological evidence of such a battle taking place in Poro island during the 16th century.
By 1730, the Catholic
Augustinian friars established the town of Opon. It was later renamed as the
city of Lapu-Lapu by means of the Republic Act 3134, signed by Pres. Carlos P. Garcia on June 17, 1961. Congressman Manuel A. Zosa, the representative of the Sixth District of Cebu, sponsored the Bill converting the former municipality of Opon into the present day City of Lapu-Lapu.
Economy
Apart from the airport, today the island is known for its industrial factories, which are some of the most successful industrial ventures in the Philippines. Many of them are located at the Mactan
Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), an industrial tax-free zone opened in 1979 that includes over 35 business ventures, about 50 percent of which are Japanese-owned.
Also important to the island is its high-class tourism industry and the production of furniture, as well as guitars, ukuleles and other musical instruments.
On April 27, 2024, Marcos with
Junard Chan, led the
capsule-laying for
Megaworld Corporation's PHP1.5-billion Mactan Expo Center project.
Tourist attractions
Being one of the major tourist islands of Cebu, Mactan Island boasts of a diverse collection of tourist spots and attractions. Being a
coral island.
Gallery
File:Tropical-area-mactan-philippines.jpg, A view from a resort in Mactan where the sun is directly overhead at noon.
File:Crab in a sea anemone.jpg, A crab in a sea anemone in Mactan
File:Mactan-beach.jpg, Mactan beach
File:Arothron stellatus ballooned.jpg, An '' Arothron stellatus'' in Mactan
File:Cephea cephea jellyfish.jpg, A '' Cephea'' jellyfish at Mactan
References
External links
*
Mactan International AirportLapu-Lapu City Government*
{{Coord, 10, 18, N, 123, 58, E, type:isle_scale:100000, display=title
Islands of Cebu
Beaches of the Philippines
Coral islands
Lapu-Lapu City