Rappler 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.
