President Marcos receives original 1734 Murillo Velarde Philippine map
Credit to Author: Helen Flores| Date: Sat, 7 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — To bolster public awareness on the Philippines’ maritime entitlement, President Marcos asked Filipinos on Friday to draw inspiration from the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map, widely regarded as the “Mother of All Philippine Maps.”
The map played a pivotal role in strengthening the Philippines’ territorial claims, serving as critical evidence in the landmark 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, which upheld the nation’s rights over the West Philippine Sea.
Marcos and First Lady Liza Marcos received the original Murillo Velarde 1734 map from Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication and NOW Group chairman Mel Velasco Velarde during a ceremony at Malacañang.
Joining Velarde was former Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio, one of the proponents of the country’s case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague, the Netherlands in 2012.
The Murillo Velarde 1734 map was produced by Spanish Jesuit Friar Pedro Murillo Velarde with the help of two Filipino artisans, Francisco Suarez who drew the map and Nicolas dela Cruz Bagay who engraved it.
“Let us not only admire the artistry of the masterpiece presented to us today, but also draw inspiration from its enduring message: the call to protect and to assert what is rightfully ours, with resolve and with integrity,” the President said in his message.?
“Together, we hold the pen to write the next chapters of our nation’s history – chapters that uphold the principles of justice, truth and unity. Let us ensure that the legacy of the Murillo Velarde map continues to guide us in our journey as a nation, steadfast in our identity and resolute in our aspirations,” he added.
The map was acquired by Velarde in 2014 at an auction in Sotheby’s in London, and subsequently donated to the Philippine government.?It is considered to be the first scientific map of the Philippine archipelago.
According to the President, the Murillo Velarde map is an important gift from the country’s past that defined its territory.
“It is now our duty to carry its legacy forward to future generations,” he continued.
The historic artifact was among more than 270 maps submitted by the Philippines to the Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 2012.
The July 12, 2016 arbitral award affirmed that the Philippines has sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea and nullified China’s expansive claims in the resource-rich South China Sea.
“It reminds us that when history – when meticulously preserved, wields immense power to inform and to uphold the truth,” Marcos said.
Friday’s event at the Palace fulfilled a provision of the Deed of Donation for the Murillo Velarde 1734 map, which states that a formal turnover should be made to the President of the Republic.