via CNN Philippines, 18 March 2021: Some historical carvings are so old and significant that they become a form of historical rock art by themselves. In this case, a rock with what is believed to be carvings by Ferdinand Magellan and his crew has been vandalised.
Rocks believed to bear the carved initials of Ferdinand Magellan and other members of his expedition were vandalized in Homonhon Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar.
According to historian and UP professor Rolando Borrinaga, cement partially covered the rock with Magellan’s initials, while another rock with the initials of Martin de Ayamonte and Cristobal Rabelo bore the word “Calbayog.”
Borrinaga noticed the vandalism during a visit to the site where the rocks were located.
He said nothing could be done now for the vandalized rocks except to make a cast replica of the old inscriptions.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines is planning to install a new marker on the site.
In 1952, a marker was placed in the area but was later destroyed in the 1970s by treasure hunters who believed there was gold buried in the site.
