News & Updates
‘Mother of All Philippine Maps’ finds new home
On August 9, 2024, during the donation of the “Mother of All Philippine Maps,” Mel Velarde expressed, “I am profoundly honored to play a part in the return of one of our most invaluable cultural artifacts, a tribute to our enduring spirit and resilience.” “As my gift to the Filipino people, this 300-year-old 1734 Murillo Velarde Map is a declaration of my gratitude for the privilege of being a Filipino, blessed with a sovereign, democratic, and free homeland. Let this be a beacon of our shared history and an inspiration for generations to come,” Velarde added. Source: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/08/11/2377007/mother-all-philippine-maps-finds-new-home/amp Share this:TweetShare on...
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The South China Sea Dispute – An Update, Lecture Delivered on April 23, 2015 at a forum sponsored by the Bureau of Treasury and the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communications at the Ayuntamiento de Manila
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read moreRappler Talk: Mel Velarde on the meaning of the 1734 Murillo-Velarde map
By Bea Cupin, Rappler September 6, 2024 ‘The mother of all Philippine maps’ was for centuries locked away in a British castle, and Filipino businessman Mel Velarde paid a fortune to bring it home. MANILA, Philippines – More than a decade after businessman Mel Velarde heeded the call of retired justice Antonio Carpio to purchase a centuries-old map of the Philippines, the 1734 Murillo-Velarde map has finally found a permanent home in the National Library of the Philippines. Velarde, chair of Now Telecom and Now Corporation, bid on the map in 2012. Its starting price was P1 million but ballooned to P12 million during the Sotheby’s bid. He has no regrets. After all, the businessman told Rappler, it’s a “priceless” piece of history that proves Scarborough Shoal, then known as Panacot, was part of the Philippines islands as far back as 1734. But the businessman said it offers much more than that — it’s a detailed record of the richness of Filipino culture and society, and a reminder of how, through the centuries, the Filipino has always sought to carve out his own identity. Rappler sits down with Velarde ahead of the opening of the National Library of the Philippines’ permanent gallery, where the map will be on display. Source: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/interview-murillo-velarde-map-significance/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwY2xjawFHtYhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdwhZbRU3ihqGS5yTIObkleQp_gUczZuy5zCfKXKJgfFD5B1uzczbmAKbw_aem_BPoKsBbltukw4-WAZl0F_w Share this:TweetShare on...
read moreInterview of Mr. Mel V. Velarde about the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map on IBC TUTOK 13
By Matthew Pirante-Pérez, IBC TV 13 August 27, 2024 Source: https://www.facebook.com/ibctv13/videos/884302633746855 Share this:TweetShare on...
read moreLong journey home: ‘Mother of PH maps’ turned over to Nat’l Library
MANILA, Philippines — The “mother of all Philippine maps,” which played a key role in the country’s landmark arbitral victory over China, has found a permanent home at the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) and will soon be available for free public viewing. The original Murillo Velarde 1734 map—the first scientific map of the Philippines—will be featured in the NLP’s Permanent Gallery, which was inaugurated on Friday. Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1971550/long-journey-home-mother-of-ph-maps-turned-over-to-natl-library Share this:TweetShare on...
read moreNews reports featuring MVV’s August-September 2024 interviews
From West PH Sea to PH identity: The multi-faceted Murillo Velarde 1734 map By Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News August 28, 2024 The Murillo Velarde 1734 map and other cultural treasures will be available for public viewing, free of charge, at the National Library of the Philippines starting next month. Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News MANILA — After playing a role in the country’s historic arbitral win over China, businessman Mel Velasco Velarde believes the Murillo Velarde 1734 map carries a new meaning in this day and age. Dubbed as the “Mother of all Philippine Maps,” the Murillo Velarde map served as a key part of the country’s winning presentation at the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at The Hague in 2016. The map boosted the country’s claims against China, showing “Panacot” shoal now known as Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal. It also featured the Spratly Islands, once called “Los Bajos de Paragua.” “We had a problem with China which still lingers at this moment. Its role was more than the legal significance or legal aspect. It’s really our moral argument against our neighbor which uses historical evidence as their argument. Every time they talk about the nine dash line, we have to tell them we have the Velarde map as early as 1734,” Velarde told ABS-CBN News on Wednesday. “This map, as early as 1734 under Philip V, an official Spanish government document showing that the contested islands including the low tide rocks are owned by the Philippines and which was confirmed by the Treaty of Paris, Treaty of Washington and all the other maps which are all called the siblings of the mother of all Philippine maps even under the American government,” he added. The historic map is also known as the first scientific map of the Philippines. It was named after Spanish Jesuit Friar Pedro Murillo Velarde, who prepared the map with Filipinos Francisco Suarez and Nicolas dela Cruz Bagay. Beyond the crucial contribution of the map in the country’s maritime row with China, Velarde said it reflects the lives of Filipinos before the 18th century. The map defined in detail Philippine territory during 1734, depicting the country’s boundaries, mountains, bodies of water and more. Velarde, who also sits as Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication chairman, noted that the map showed Filipinos farming and a sense of community. “Beyond or even before late 18th century we had an idea of a nationhood that as you can see in the map the Filipinos had a clear understanding of what is right and wrong Filipinos or the native or the Indios were self-reliant,” he said. “Pedro Murillo Velarde, Nicolas Bagay and Francisco Suarez with all their indio teams collaborated to show here that we were self-sustaining, we were self-reliant, we have a community we knew what were morally permissible and impermissible. Murillo Velarde made sure that it is not just a map that shows the islands and rocks it’s also a reflection of the lives of the Filipinos, early Filipinos here,” Velarde added. In 2016, Velarde brought home the map years after acquiring it at an auction in London for over P12 million....
read moreInterview of Mr. Mel V. Velarde about the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map on Pulso ng Metro
By Lourdes Escaros, DZXL August 13, 2024 Source: https://www.youtube.com/embed/DQMW6Ghs0f0?start=5148&end=6180 Share this:TweetShare on...
read more300-year-old map used in securing PH’s arbitration victory against China set for public viewing
By ANC August 30, 2024 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRvVwQLLRcI&t=100s Share this:TweetShare on...
read moreAFCEA Pacific Northwest Chapter receives official replica of Murillo Velarde 1734 Map
On July 10, 2024, NOW Corporation Managing Director Kristian Pura presented an official replica of the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map to AFCEA Pacific Northwest Chapter President Col. David Stookey (Ret.) in Dupont, Washington. The first scientific map of the entire Philippine archipelago, the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map was presented among the pieces of evidence at The Hague during the Philippines’ pursuit of a fair resolution to its maritime dispute. The turnover of the map took place two days before the eighth anniversary of the Philippines’ historic victory at the South China Sea Arbitration on July 12. Share this:TweetShare on...
read moreAmplifying the True Narrative: West Philippine Sea Public Briefing
“The Netherlands strongly condemns all actions that are not aligned with UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award. Might does not make right. International law does. And so that is what will guide us.” This was emphasized by Her Excellency Marielle Geraedts, the Netherlands Ambassador to the Philippines, in her remarks during the event, “Amplifying the True Narrative: West Philippine Sea Public Briefing.” The briefing was organized by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Philippines on February 7, 2024 at Club Filipino, San Juan City. During the event, AIJC and NOW Group Chairman Mel Velarde shared the story behind his acquisition of the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map, which played a crucial role in the Philippines’ landmark victory at The Hague, where the country asserted its rights to Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea. Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio delivered a keynote lecture on the Philippine island territories in the West Philippine Sea, while Commodore Jay Tristan Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard, presented a report on the current threats and challenges in defending the country’s rights over these waters. Journalists Mara Cepeda of The Straits Times and Chino Gaston of GMA Network, together with host/moderator Roby Alampay of International Media Support, discussed the role of the press in debunking false narratives and amplifying the truth as they report on tensions and rights violations in the West Philippine Sea. At the end of the program, the Velarde family presented the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with an official replica of the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map. Over 40 participants from the diplomatic community, including Ambassadors and various members of the diplomatic corps, as well as some representatives from the media, joined the public briefing. First published on the AIJC website Share this:TweetShare on...
read moreAustrian Embassy Manila receives official replica of Murillo Velarde 1734 Map
An official replica of the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map was donated to the Austrian Embassy Manila by Chairman Mel Velasco Velarde of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) and the NOW Group. The Austrian Embassy is among the Embassies of the EU Member States to the Philippines that expressed its support for the peaceful resolution of disputes and the upholding of international law in the 2023 “Local EU Statement on the Anniversary of the Award rendered in the Arbitration between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China on the South China Sea.” Chairman Velarde and Ambassador Johann Brieger signed the Deed of Donation and Acceptance at the map turnover ceremony, which took place at the Austrian Embassy in the City of Taguig on July 15, 2024. Share this:TweetShare on...
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