<Tr> <Th> Reign </Th> <Td> fl. 1521 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> </Th> <Td> Lapu - Lapu </Td> </Tr> <P> Lapu - Lapu (Baybayin: ᜎᜉᜓᜎᜉᜓ, Abecedario: Lápú - Lápú) (fl. 1521) was a ruler of Mactan in the Visayas . Modern Philippine society regards him as the first Filipino hero because he was the first native to resist Imperial Spanish colonization . He is best known for the Battle of Mactan that happened at dawn on April 27, 1521, where he and his soldiers defeated Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan . The battle ended up in the killing of Magellan and the end of his expedition and it delayed the Spanish occupation of the islands by over forty years until the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi in 1564 . Monuments to Lapu - Lapu have been built in Cebu and Manila, while the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection use his image as part of their official seals . </P> <P> Besides being a rival of Rajah Humabon of neighbouring Cebu, very little is known about the life of Lapu - Lapu . The only existing documents about his life are those written by Antonio Pigafetta . His name, origins, religion and fate are still a matter of controversy . </P>

Who was the first hero of the philippines