Map affirms PH territorial rights

During a formal turnover ceremony Friday at Malacañang, the President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos received the original the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map, deemed a historic artifact and considered as the “mother of all Philippine maps.”

“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 remarks.

Acquired at a Sotheby’s auction in London by Filipino businessman Mel Velasco Velarde in 2014, the map was donated to the Philippine government with a provision requiring a formal turnover to the Chief Executive.

Mr. Marcos underscored the map’s historical and legal significance, noting its role as a key piece of evidence in asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights during the hearing of arbitration case under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 2013.

The map, produced during the Spanish colonial era by Jesuit Friar Pedro Murillo Velarde and Filipino artisans Francisco Suarez and Nicolas dela Cruz Bagay, became crucial in the 2016 Arbitral Award that reaffirmed the country’s maritime rights over portions of the South China Sea.

"It reminds us that history, when meticulously preserved, wields immense power to inform and to uphold the truth," the President said.

He urged Filipinos to carry forward the map’s legacy by upholding justice, truth, and unity.

“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,” he said.

The ceremony reaffirmed the Murillo Velarde Map’s place as an enduring symbol of the Philippines’ territorial sovereignty and cultural heritage. — Charles Dantes