Lakan

The lakan was democratically selected by other ruling datus from among themselves to serve as their "pangulo" (head).[2] Writers such as William Henry Scott have suggested that this rank is equivalent to that of Rajah, and that different ethnic groups either used one term or the other, or used the two words interchangeably.[3][4] But other writers such as Nick Joaquin have suggested that the usage of the term "Rajah" specifically indicates leadership of a bayan or barangay which has extensive trade relations with Muslim traders.[2][5] Equivalent terms for this rank include the term "Sultan" among the most developed and complex Islamized principalities of Mindanao, and the term "Datu" as used by various polities in the Visayas and in some areas of Mindanao.[6]

The title Lakan can be spelled separately from a person's name (e.g. "Lakan Dula"), or can be incorporated into a singly spelled word (e.g. "Lakandula").

Rajah and Lakan: It is sometimes argued that since the words Rajah and Lakan mean more or less the same thing, the two should not be used together. Thus, popular reference to Rajah Lakan Dula are said to be the result of mistaking Lakan Dula to be the full proper name of the historic king.[4]

Users of the title Lakan that figure in 16th- and 17th-century Spanish colonial accounts of Philippine history include:

• Lakandula (later renamed and baptized as Don Carlos Lacandola), king of Tondo when the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in Luzon began.
• Lakan Tagkan, ruler of Namayan.
• Lambusan (Lakan Busan), a king in pre-colonial Mandaue.
• Lakan Usman, king of Bangsa Usman.

In present-day culture, the term is still occasionally used to mean "nobleman", but has mostly been adapted to other uses.

The name of Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, is traditionally attributed to the phrase may lakan diyan, or "the king [or head] resides there".[7]

In Filipino Martial Arts, Lakan denotes an equivalent to the black belt rank.[8] Also, beauty contests in the Philippines have taken to referring to the winner as "Lakambini", the female equivalent of Lakan. In such cases, the contestant's assigned escort can be referred to as a Lakan. More often, a male pageant winner is named a Lakan.[9]