The Embassy of the Philippines in Beirut, Lebanon has received an official replica of the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map, the first scientific map of the entire Philippine archipelago.
Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) and NOW Group Chairman Mel V. Velarde turned over the replica of the map, referred to as the “Mother of All Philippine Maps,” to Third Secretary and Vice Consul Glaiza M. Quarteros on August 11.
Velarde acquired the map from a Sotheby’s auction in London in 2014 and donated it to the Philippine government in 2017 through a Deed of Donation.
The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon now holds an official replica of the ancient map that was presented among the pieces of evidence before The Hague in the Netherlands, where the Philippines—under the leadership of the late former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio—sought a fair and unbiased resolution to the maritime dispute.
During the turnover, Velarde expressed his gratitude to the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon for requesting the replica, which the Embassy intends to display in its showroom at the Embassy’s new Chancery in Beirut to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Philippines’ historic victory at the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at The Hague.
Velarde hopes that more Embassies will be able to help increase awareness about the significance of the map in Philippine history.
Velarde and Vice Consul Quarteros signed the Deed of Donation and Acceptance during the turnover.
They were joined by AIJC Trustee and NOW Corporation Vice Chairman Francis Xavier L. Manglapus and AIJC Research, Policy, and Advocacy (RPA) Director Therese San Diego Torres, who signed as witnesses.
