House of Dula Asked the City of Manila for a Lakan Dula Plaza

 

The Relevance of Lakan Dula of Tondo in the Philippine History

The Relevance of  Lakan Dula of Tondo in the Philippine History

Historian Henry Scott, a Philippine historian,  described Lakan Bunao Dula as the last Lord of Tondo. Lakan is his title, Bunao is his first name and Dula is his surname. Lakan means paramount ruler, meaning among rulers or datus in Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, he is recognized as the “paramount” or “respected head among heads”. Although at present, historians are still researching on how far is the influence of Lakan Dula as the paramount ruler, based on Laguna Copperplate, the influence  of Tondo goes as far as  Bicol Region. Based on Battle Bangkusay, the influence of Tondo goes as far as Bulacan, Pampanga and Cebu. Historians are still unsure what  Legaspi said to the Bisayans to make them go with them to Tondo to “support the kingdom against invaders”. Based on the theory of the divide and rule, it is probable that  the Bisayans were told by the Spaniards that the Kingdom of Tondo is being attacked by Muslims and it needs some help, so, the Bisayans went to Tondo to defend it. Bisayans, it seems, are not enemies of Tondo but they think that they go to the Battle of Bangkusay to help Lakan Dula. Based on the history of  “Sabwatan ng mga Ginoo”, the influence of Lakan Dula goes as far as Palawan. In the history of the Sultanate of Sulu and the History of Brunei, the influence of Tondo goes as far as Muslim Mindanao and in other countries Lakan Dula being related to Bolkiah Family of Brunei and Doyley noble family of the British Kingdom. Tondo, it seems, is the the facto pre hispanic emerging nation which we call the Philippines today. This theory is supported by the fact that when the Aguinaldo revolutionary government sent a letter of protest to Spain and the US against the Treaty of Paris, the letter mentioned that the legitimacy of the Philippine revolutionary government came from the historical sovereignty of the kingdom of Lakan Dula.   When Martin de Goiti, the founder of Manila  betrothed his relative to the Batang Dula, the eldest son and heir apparent of Lakan Dula, the link of the bloodline between the House of Dula and the Kingdom of Spain was the intended consequence. 

        Lakan Dula therefore is a wise and sophisticated last  lakan of the Kingdom of Tondo which has influence over Manila, Luzon, Bisayas and Mindanao and his diplomatic and blood link with royal houses of Brunei, Britain and Spain, made him the probable de facto head of the infant pre hispanic nation which we call the Philippines today. He is an institution respected by the Kingdom of Spain that is why their  approach with Tondo is not invasion but friendship or alliance. There is an article by an American journalist in the Malacanang archive that a descendant of Lakan Dula with the surname Gatdula who resides in N. Zamora Street in Tondo who is pointing to a peace covenant between Lakan Dula and Lagaspi. The document was supposed to have been kept in one of the monuments in Manila which was destroyed during the war. This could be a good subject of research by historians because this document could show the friendship between the Lakanate of Tondo and Spain which led to the expansion of the Philippine territories and eventually, the birth of the Philippine nation. Lakan Dula being a respected  institution by the Kingdom of Spain tempered down the abuse of the Spaniards against the natives “kasi papalag si Lakan Dula”.  This leads to tempering down the collection of taxes and eventually, the appointment of the datus  to the principalia ruling elite which even today are recognized in Europe as hidalgos or some sort of being part of hispanic royalties. The Kingdom of Spain however is secretly careful in dealing with the Kingdom of Tondo. Lepazpi, in his memoir in Mexico  manifested this when he said that Lakan Dula secretly sent his second son, Magat Salamat, the warlike son -- to join forces with the  natives of Hagonoy and Macabebe. During that era, rivalry for world power was between Britain and Spain. The Kingdom of Spain would have been worried about the fact that Ysmeria Doyley, the mother of Lakan Dula from where the Dula surname came replacing Bolkiah,  came from the aristocratic lineage of British Kingdom. This leads eventually to the silent friction in the Tondo - Spain friendship. This will be known in history as the diaspora of native aristocracy where the descendants of Lakan Dula are hidden in far strongholds of the kingdom of Tondo all over the country. Some of the descendants openly resisted the Spanish occupation in the later part of the Philippine history. All said, it seems that Lakan Dula nurtured the seed for a future Filipino nation and his descendants seem to be driven by the patriotic endeavors from generation to generation.

References:

Scott, William Henry. PREHISPANIC FILIPINO CONCEPTS OF LAND RIGHTS,

Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society

Vol. 22, No. 3 (September 1994), pp. 165-173 (9 pages)

Published By: University of San Carlos Publications

Piedad-Pugay,Chris Antonette THE BATTLE OF BANGKUSAY: A PARADIGM OF DEFIANCE AGAINST COLONIAL CONQUEST. https://nhcp.gov.ph/the-battle-of-bangkusay-a-paradigm-of-defiance-against-colonial-conquest/ retrieved  June 16, 2011

Cruz, Patrick. REVOLT OF THE LAKANS: 1587 -1588. https://www.academia.edu/35806716/REVOLT_OF_THE_LAKANS_1587_1588?auto=download retrieved June 16, 2021