The mayor of Lapu-Lapu in Cebu is demanding an apology from rapper Ez Mil for a viral song lyric that besmirched the national hero the city was named after.
In his song "Panalo," Ez Mil rapped that Lapu-Lapu was beheaded in Mactan. It is historically inaccurate as Lapu-Lapu won the Battle of Mactan and repelled the forces of Ferdinand Magellan, who sought to colonize the Philippines for Spain.
Mismong ang atong Presidente nihatag og pasidungog ni Datu Lapulapu pinaagi sa pag-highlight sa ika-500 nga kasumaran sa Kadaugan sa Mactan karong Abril 27, 2021. Aduna na sab tay module nga gihimo nga naghatag og tukmang impormasyon kabahin sa atong bayani.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Mayor Junard "Ahong" Chan said Ez Mil insulted Lapu-Lapu and the people of the eponymous city.
In Cebuano, Chan said that President Duterte himself recognizes Datu Lapu-lapu's heroism, citing this year's 5th centenary celebration of the Battle of Mactan. The city also has modules that establish basic facts regarding the hero, he said.
According to him, if Ez Mil did not really recognize Datu Lapu-Lapu as a hero in the first place, then he shouldn't have written the song at all because all it did was offend and anger the people of Lapu-Lapu City.
However, he stressed that with his city's demand for an apology comes with the possibility of forgiving the rapper for his mistakes, should he admit his error.
Quoted on Cebu Daily News, Ez Mil said the controversial lyric was a "exaggerated" and a "ploy to drive traffic and talk."
Ez Mil also said he considered "rhyming patterns" when writing his lyrics. "Am I gonna close it out with absolute truth or am I gonna make people talk about it? It’s like me weighing off the options."
