The Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) and NOW Group chairman Mel Velarde honored members of the P-pop powerhouse SB19 by giving them official replicas of the historic 1734 Murillo-Velarde Map.
In an interview, Velarde lauded the five-member group for raising awareness about the Murillo-Velarde Map through SB19’s music video of its single “WHAT?”
“SB19, with their first music video that I saw, on ‘What?’, they ended the music video with the picture of the map. And we said, this group is more than just a music group,” Velarde told Manila Standard at the sidelines of the turnover ceremony yesterday at the National Library of the Philippines (NLP).
“They are a patriotic, talented, young group of artists who have the right insight, the right discipline, the right perspective. They value history, which is somehow a lesson for all the youth—looking at the past and providing a discernment to our young generation who may find history not exciting,” he added.
The Murillo-Velarde Map, often called the “mother of all Philippine maps,” is the earliest known historical document to depict Scarborough Shoal (also known as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal) as part of the country’s territory during the Spanish colonial period.
The map was drawn by Filipino cartographers Francisco Suarez and Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay under the supervision of Spanish Jesuit Pedro Murillo Velarde.
Velarde purchased the original map at a London auction in 2012 and later donated it to the Philippine government. The map was recently put on permanent display at the NLP.
The AIJC, NLP, and the Velarde family launched the “Mapa Natin, Kwento Natin” campaign to raise awareness of the map’s significance in shaping the nation’s identity and protecting its territorial rights.
During their acceptance speech, John Paulo ‘Pablo’ Nase, Josh Cullen Santos, Stellvester ‘Stell’ Ajero, Felip Jhon ‘Ken’ Suson, and Justin De Dios, who compose SB19, expressed their gratitude for being the recipients of the 1734 map.
“The 1734 Murillo-Velarde Map is more than just a map because we believe that this is a symbol of our past, a proof of our present, and a guideline of our future,” said Stell.
“We continue to encourage our fellow Filipino artists to embrace our culture and history as every creation becomes a part of the historical map that will guide future generations,” Josh added.
The Murillo-Velarde Map was presented as evidence by the Philippines in the 2013 arbitration case against China over the West Philippine Sea at the Hague, in the Netherlands.
