The local government of Navotas received an official replica of the 1734 Murillo Velarde Map from the President and CEO of Velarde Inc., Mel Velarde and Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication on Wednesday.
"This map helped us establish in the international court that Scarborough Shoal is ours. The shoal has been a traditional fishing ground of Filipinos, including my family, and we should not allow other countries to claim otherwise," Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco said.
"We hope that through this map, young generations of Filipinos will continue the fight to our rightful claim over Scarborough Shoal as well as the West Philippine Sea," he added.
The Murillo Velarde map is the first scientific map of the entire archipelago, and has been regarded as the "Mother of all Philippine maps.”
Velarde has donated replicas of the map to several government agencies, academic institutions, and private organizations as a part of a public awareness campaign on its significance to Philippine history and culture.
Meanwhile, Cong. John Reynald Tiangco also expressed his gratitude to Velarde for the replica map donation.
"I was pleasantly surprised to know that an artist from Navotas-Malabon engraved and printed the map. We are very proud that a Navoteño played a significant role in the creation of this historical document," he said.
Nicolas dela Cruz Bagay, who signed himself an "Indio Tagalo" on the map, was born in Tambobong, the old name of Malabon.