Most Filipinos would remember that the Murillo-Velarde 1734 Map or Mapa de

las Yslas Philipinas was used as a significant document for the Philippines to win
exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea (in the South China Sea) in the
International tribunal for the Law of the Sea in 2016. Indeed, the map bears the Panatag
or Scarborough Shoal. But as a historical artifact, there are other points that Filipinos
need to be aware of about the map.
Filipino ancestors were the ones sent to survey designated areas all over the
Philippines. They are to be commended for the high geographic detail presentation of
mountains, rivers, coasts and bays useful for navigation as crafted in the map, Mapa de
las Yslas Philipinas, by Jesuit Father Pedro Murillo Velarde in 1734. Lay-outs of
localities and their features were illustrated with exactness also. The artistry that was
shown by one of the earliest native Filipino artists, Nicolas dela Cruz Bagay through his
assistance to Father Murillo-Velarde as an engraver of the map will be remembered in
Philippine history as part of the legacy of the map.
The map which was made in the Philippines is regarded worldwide. It is the first
scientific map that brought inspiration to other well-known cartographers like Alex
Dalrymple in 1788; George Lowitz in 1750, Jacques Bellin in 1752, Robert Carr in 1794,
and Jean de la Harpe. This Philippine map was regarded as the Mother of all Philippine
Maps.
The map as a visual artifact speaks a thousand words. Filipinos only needed to
be informed of its other valuable contributions other than a document that was used to
win a territorial dispute case over China.