| Lakan Dula | |
|---|---|
| Lakan (King) of Tondo. | |
| Reign | 1558 – 1571 |
| Full name | Lakan Banao Dula |
| Titles | Lakan |
| Predecessor | Rajah Sulaiman I |
| Successor | Rajah Sulaiman III |
| Consort | Mutya |
| Offspring |
Batang Dula |
| Royal House | Kingdom of Tondo |
Lakan Banao Dula or Gat Banaw Dula (December 16, 1503[1] – March 21, 1589[2]), often referred to simply by his title Lakan Dula, and later baptised Lakan Carlos Dula, was the Lakan (paramount ruler) of the pre-colonial Philippine Kingdom of Tondo when the Spaniards first conquered the lands of the Pasig River delta in the 1570s.[3] Another common variation of the name is Gat Dula which at present times evolved into Gatdula.[4] He is sometimes erroneously referred to as Rajah Lakandula; the terms "Rajah" and "Lakan" have the same meaning therefore making the appellation redundant.[3]
Along with Rajah Matanda and Rajah Sulayman, he was one of three Rajahs who played significant roles in the Spanish conquest of the kingdoms of the Pasig River delta in the early 1570s.
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The title "Lakan" refers to a monarch and was the equivalent of "Rajah" or "King." [5][6] "Lakan", on the other hand, was a title specifically used for the monarchs of the Kingdom of Tondo.[5] Banaw was the personal name of the individual who was ruler of the Kingdom of Tondo at the time of the Spanish advent.
In (Kapampangan, the word Lakan means "lord" and the word dula means "palace", such that the title literally meant "Lord of the Palace."[7]
In the Gatdula variant of the name, the word or prefix Gat is a shortened version of the Tagalog honorific "Pamagat", which at the time meant "nobleman," such that the variant literally read "Nobleman of the Palace", which meant essentially the same thing as the Kapampangan version.[4]
With the term "Rajah" and "Lakan" meaning the same thing, the "Rajah Lakandula" variation of the title was also never used in the original sources pertaining to Lakan Dula[8], and Philippine historian and national artist for literature Nick Joaquin takes pains to point out that the term Lakan, not Rajah, was used by the rulers of the Kingdom of Tondo.[3]
One probable way to describe the historical Lakan Banaw Dula is through the 1665 notarized document written as an endorsement of his probable great-grandson, Don Juan Macapagal, Master-of-Camp and Datu of Arayat:[9]
Don Carlos Lacandola, his great-grandfather, was Lord and principal of the town of Tondo, and other surrounding towns, whose natives paid him tribute and vassalage and other recognition as their natural lord, and when ships from China came to this bay, they similarly paid him duties and anchorage fees, he removing their sails and rudder for this purpose, and taking their merchandise by paying half its value at the time and the other half the next year, without any other natives being able to buy anything from the sangleyes but only from the said Lacandola, from which much profit, which he ceded at the coming of the Spaniards to these Islands, they collecting the said tributes and duties for His Majesty.
This Carlos Lacandola however may or may not be Lakan Banaw Dula. This could be a subject of a further research.
Don Carlos Lacandola played a crucial role in pacifying the last independent Luzon states in what is now the province of Pampanga, namely Lubao and Betis. He further helped the Spaniards in defending their foothold in the archipelago from the invading forces of the Chinese pirate Limahong.
Lakan Dula was the most prolific of Luzon's ancient rulers. His descendants are spread out all across the Kapampangan Region during the Spanish colonial era.[9] He fathered at least five sons, namely Batang Dula, Don Dionisio Capulong, the Datu of Candaba, Don Phelipe Salonga, the Datu of Pulu, Magat Salamat, the Datu of Tondo and Don Martin Lakandula who entered the Agustinian order as a lay brother in 1590.[9] He had one daughter by the name of Doña Maria Poloin who married Don Alonso Talabos.
Lakan Dula's sons and nephews were after implicated in the Revolt of the Lakans of 1588, a conspiracy meant to overthrow Spanish that was spearheaded by the former ruling class of the defeated Luzon Empire. His son Magat Salamat was executed by the Spanish authorities while the rest were executed.
In 1587 Magat Salamat, one of the children of Lakan Dula, and Augustin de Legazpi, Lakan Dula's nephew, and the chiefs of the neighboring areas of Tondo, Pandacan, Marikina, Candaba, Navotas and Bulacan were executed for secretly conspiring to overthrow the Spanish colonizers. Stories were told that Magat Salamat's descendants settled in Hagonoy, Bulacan and many of his descendants spread from this area.David Dula y Goiti, a grandson of Lakan Dula with a Spanish mother escaped the persecution of the descendants of Lakan Dula by settling in Isla de Batag, Northern Samar and settled in the place now called Candawid (Kan David). Due to hatred for the Spaniards, he dropped the Goiti in his surname and adopted a new name David Dulay. He was eventually caught by the Guardia Civil based in Palapag and was executed together with seven followers. They were charged with planning to attack the Spanish detachment.[10]
Learning from this experience, his great grandson Don Juan Macapagal, Master-of-Camp and Datu of Arayat, aided the Spanish authorities in suppressing the 1660 Kapampangan Revolt of Don Francisco Maniago and the Pangasinan Revolt of Don Andres Malong, and the 1661 Ilocano Revolt. Because of his service to the Spanish crown, the Spanish authorities revived the special privileges offered by the Spanish crown to Lakan Dula and his descendants spread across the province of Pampanga.[9] A Gremio de Lakandulas was created in 1758 to safeguard the rights and privileges of the Kapampangan descendants of Lakan Dula.[9] During the British invasion of 1762-64, the descendants of Lakan Dula, now concentrated in the province of Pampanga, formed a company of volunteers to fight the British and were granted autonomy by Governor General Simon de Anda.[9]
Prominent Lakan Dula descendants of the 20th century include the former Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal, father of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Philippine Senate President Jovito Salonga, pioneer Filipino industrialist Gonzalo Puyat, former Philippine Senate President Gil Puyat and international stage celebrity Lea Salonga.[9]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rajah Sulaiman II |
Rajah of Tondo and Sabag 1558-1571 |
Succeeded by Rajah Sulaiman III |