29/03/2021
Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) unveiled a new postage stamp that features the “Mother of all Philippine Maps.” 🗺 🇵🇭
The first scientific map of the Philippines, the “Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Yslas Filipinas Manila 1734,” also known as the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map, was prepared by Spanish Jesuit cartographer Father Pedro Murillo Velarde together with two Filipinos--engraver Francisco Suarez and artist Nicolas dela Cruz Bagay.
It was acquired by Mel Velasco Velarde, Chairman of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) and the NOW Group, through a Sotheby’s auction in London in 2014. Velarde donated the map to the Philippine government through a deed of donation.
The launch of the stamp was held at the Philippine Postal Corporation Building in Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila.
The Murillo Velarde 1734 Map stamp was presented to the Velarde family during the ceremony. Accepting the plaque were Velarde, Vivian F. Salinas, and their 3-month-old baby, Victor Chriscien S. Velarde.
The Murillo Velarde 1734 Map shows the entire Philippine archipelago. It is flanked by two pasted-on side-panels with 12 engravings—intricate illustrations of the early Filipino people and their way of life during the 18th century.
The map was cited as evidence in the maritime case at the UN Arbitral Tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It may be used as a visual representation of the country’s sovereign territorial rights.
On March 16, the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) unveiled a new postage stamp that features the “Mother of all Philippine Maps.”The first scientific ...
