When the University of San Carlos (USC) Press conceptualized a Magellan Quincentennial book series as part of what should have been a worldwide celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Magellan expedition, it met some hitches: first, Magellan was a Portuguese who commanded a Spanish expedition, so Portugal did not seem keen on memorializing a wayward subject who worked for the rival country; second, Spain had learned from its experience of the 1992 commemoration of the Columbus expedition that there may be one event that opens many, sometimes conflicting, readings, so instead of heralding it as the triumphant 500th anniversary of the “Discovery of America,” they recognized the viewpoints of the “discovered” or the “colonized” lands and peoples and branded 1992 as the 500th anniversary of the encuentro de dos mundos (meeting of two worlds). In the Philippines, 1521 refers to the beginning of Spanish rule and the introduction of Christianity. A national organizing committee should be set up not just to coordinate events but to emphasize the Filipino viewpoint because in the Battle of Mactan, we should look beyond Magellan’s loss and underscore Lapu-Lapu’s victory.