Panday pira biography of donald

FORGOTTEN FILIPINO HEROES: Panday Pira

by Antonio C. Antonio

October 30, 2014

When Filipinos talk about heroes, we seem to automatically refer to the following illustrious names: Dr. Jose Protacio Realonda Mercado-Rizal; Andres de Castro Bonifacio; Apolinario Maranan Mabini; Gen. Emilio Famy Aguinaldo, etc.  Our history books, more often than not, often refer to these names as Philippine heroes… leaving the impression that they are the only ones.  However, there really is a long line of heroes that accompany this patriotic group.  They are often referred to as the forgotten Filipino heroes.  Here is one of them.

“Panday Pira (1488 – 1576) was a Pampango blacksmith who is acknowledged as “The First Filipino Canon-maker”.  His name literally translates as “Blacksmith Pira”, panday being the Filipino word for blacksmith.

Panday Pira was a native of the southern islands of the Philippines.  He migrated