It’s Lapulapu, not Lapu-Lapu when referring to a hero, according to an Executive Order (EO) 152 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
In his EO 152, Duterte said 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 Philippines history, which is foundational to the formation of national identity.”
EO 152 amended all references to the name Lapu-Lapu in EO 17 (series of 2017) and 55 (series of 2018). The name will now be written as “Lapulapu.”
It states that the name Lapulapu “is understood to refer to the Filipino hero who bravely and victoriously fought in the Battle of Mactan 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 hearby amended to read as ‘Lapulapu,’” the Palace directive read.
It further said that “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 152 clarified, however, that the official names of places, such as Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu, should be respected, with the name having been established by statute.
The EO also noted that the earlier rendering in the Latin alphabet of the name of the Mactan hero is “Cilapulapu,” with “Ci” apparently being an honorific title from which heroes Jose Rizal and Juan Luna derived their own references to him as “Si Lapulapu.”
This was how Philippine revolutionary period heroes such as Dr. Jose Rizal and Juan Luna derived their own references to him as “Si Lapulapu.”