Am I really a descendant of Lapu-Lapu?

I know many eyebrows are raised upon reading my claim to be a descendant of Lapu-Lapu, a native warrior-king who was the first Asian to resist foreign invasion in the 16th century.

Lapu-Lapu, believed also be a Muslim Imam (religious leader) from the Tausog tribe, led a bloody dawn battle on April 27, 1521 against the advancing Spanish colonizers subsequently killing their leader, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator in service of Spain whose fleet was the first to circumnavigate the world.

Actually, it used to be my childhood fantasy asking myself what if I am "apo ni Lapu-lapu?" (great, great grandson of Lapu-Lapu).  I always felt different from other kids.  I was already unique and always wanted to initiate new things.  It was but natural for me to lead others.

It was only two years ago when a second-degree cousin affirmed to me that our clan really descended from Lapu-Lapu.

This was reaffirmed by my 92-year-old aunt, youngest sister of my late father.

You see, our grandmother's surname was Mundo.  That alone is unique because in the Philippines, the surname Del Mundo is most common.  Not Mundo.

I can only theorize that when the second wave of Spanish colonizers came to our islands, the descendants of Lapu-Lapu sailed from Mactan island toward the northeastern tip of Cebu island and settled down in a fishing village.

To conceal their true identity in order to escape from the wrath of the avenging white colonizers, they then adopted the surname "Mundo" which is the Spanish word for the globe.

Remember, Magellan was the first to have circumnavigated the globe.

So by adopting "Mundo" as a surname, it would serve as a subliminal reminder to the descendants of Lapu-Lapu that their great forefather vanquished the one who first conquered the globe.