BBM receives original 1734 Murillo Velarde Phl map

To bolster public awareness on the Philippines' maritime entitlement, President Marcos asked Filipinos on Friday to draw inspiration from the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map, widely regarded as the "Mother of All Philippine Maps."

- By HELEN FLORES

The map played a pivotal role in strengthening the Philippines' territorial claims, serving as critical evidence in the landmark 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, which upheld the nation's rights over the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos and First Lady Liza Marcos received the original Murillo Velarde 1734 map from Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication and NOW Group chairman Mel Velasco Velarde during a ceremony at Malacañang.

Joining Velarde was former Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio, one of the proponents of the country's case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague, the Netherlands in 2012.