it had been his name. All things considered, the most accurate way to style the historical person's name and title would be "Bunau, Lakan Dula" or "the Lakan of Tondo." "Lakan" instead of "Rajah" While he has been erroneously referred to as Rajah Lakandula, the terms "Rajah" and "Lakan" actually have practically the same meaning. In Tondo, the native Lakan title was used, making the use of both "Rajah" and "Lakandula" at the same time both redundant and erroneous. and Filipino historian and national artist for literature Nick Joaquin takes pains to point out that the term Lakan, not Rajah, was used by the rulers of Tondo. Life before the arrival of the Spanish Little is known about the early life of Banaw, Lakan Dula, before the arrival of Legazpi. According to National Artist Nick Joaquin "he is presumed to be of native birth," with mixed Tagalog and Kapampangan ancestry. Joaquin adds that "He was said to be a descendant of King Balagtas." Joaquin further speculates on the Lakan Dula's religious beliefs: "Tondo's Lakan Dula may have been unusual in being neither foreign nor Muslim. This was indicated by his use of the native term Lakan instead of the foreign [Muslim] title Rajah. Lakan dula can be presumed . . . to have been reared in the anito cults. One guess is that he converted to Islam, then changed his mind and returned to his native faith." Joaquin also expounds on the economic context of the Lakan Dula's reign over Tondo: "Tondo had replaced Namayan as the chief port of entry on Manila Bay. Tondo was right on the seaside. This was the advantage it had over Namayan, which was upriver inland. So the merchant ships that came into the bay preferred to unload their goods at the port of Tondo. And now it was the king of Tondo who was responsible for sending the merchandise upriver to the lakeside communities, there to be traded for local products. Tondo was thus the distributing center, or entrepot, on the delta... At the time of [the last] Lakan Dula [in the 1570s], Tondo was at the height of its career as an entrepot…." According to Scott (1982), when ships from China arrived at Manila Bay, the Lakan Dula would remove the sails and rudders of their ships until they paid him duties and anchorage fees, and then he would then buy up