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CEBU CITY, Philippines ? Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao said handling a sword was the most difficult part in playing the role of Lapu-Lapu during the reenactment of the Battle of Mactan on Sunday.
Lapu-Lapu police estimated the crowd to have reached 100,000, the biggest so far for the annual event.
?Ang espada dili man gud sumbag (Wielding a sword is not like boxing),? said Pacquiao, who is left-handed.
?Natagalan gani ko ug patay kang Magellan (It took me some time to kill Magellan),? he said.
Pacquiao played Lapu-Lapu in the reenactment, the chieftain from Mactan who battled with, and eventually killed, navigator Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.
Actor Dennis Trillo played the role of Magellan.
But Pacquiao said he and his wife Jinky, who played Lapu-Lapu?s wife Bulakna, had fun being part of the Kadaugan festival.
He said it was an experience they will be proud of and will never forget in their entire life.
Although the boxing champ arrived in Lapu-Lapu City a few days before the festival, he was not able to practice at the Liberty Shrine where the statue of Lapu-Lapu and the Magellan obelisk are found.
The couple was briefed the night before the staging of the reenactment, making it both a rehearsal and actual performance in one on Sunday.
Other than his difficulty with the sword, Pacquiao, who had on a blue bahag with a matching headband during the presentation, said he did not have any other difficulties in the reenactment.
The Pacquiaos, along with cast members portraying the ?native warriors,? were positioned on a colorfully designed platform looking out into the waters waiting for Magellan and his troops.
Magellan and his armored Spaniard soldiers emerged from the mangroves minutes before the battle began.
The clanging of weapons signaled the start of the fight with Lapu-Lapu battling Magellan, and eventually killing him.
Jinky, wearing a sky blue Malay-inspired native dress with intricate tribal design, appeared exhausted after the presentation but still managed to smile and pose beside Paquiao, who was crowded with fans asking for pictures with the internationally acclaimed boxing champ.
Sunday?s temperature in Cebu has an estimated high of 32 degrees Celsius.
Hundreds of people, mostly Pacquiao fans, local and foreign tourists, crowded the shores of Barangay Mactan to witness the annual reenactment.
Lapu-Lapu City acting Police chief, Superintendent Louie Oppus estimated the crowd size at 100,000, the biggest so far for the annual event.
Oppus said only one cell phone snatching incident was reported.
The suspect, he said, was arrested while the drama was ongoing at the shoreline.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza said that it was one of the most successful staging of the Kadaugan sa Mactan.
?The crowd shows that it was very successful,? Radaza said in an interview.
While officials bragged about crowd control, some visitors, mainly from Metro Cebu, struggled to get a good view because of the big crowd. The spectators? area was cordoned and couldn?t accommodate all of them.
Visitors had to walk from the junction of Maribago Road in Barangay Mactan near the mayor?s house to reach the Mactan Shrine due to road closure and rerouting.
Only VIPs with special passes were allowed to enter with their vehicles.
One of the Kadaugan commissioners, Ahmed Cuizon, said these complaints were expected because of space limitations.
Organizers proposed to have more bleachers placed along the shore.
About an hour after the play ended, the crowd swelled near the VIP cottage where Pacquiao was having lunch with local and national officials. Spectators who weren?t able to get a glimpse of the fight scene tried their luck at the cottage.
