PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio turned over a copy of the 1875 Carta General del Archipelago Filipino map to the provincial government of Palawan as a historical document establishing Philippine sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal and Kalayaan Island Groups (KIG).
In his visit to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) forum in Palawan, Carpio said that after the Americans learned that the Philippine map attached to the Treaty of Paris was wrong, they immediately discarded it and adopted the 1875 Carta General del Archipelago Filipino map. Americans issued the first edition of the map in 1899.
However, the Philippines does not have the original print of the map, and it was never taught to Filipinos, he added.
“This was the map that Americans followed during the American regime, but we have forgotten about this map. We don’t have an original print of this map; it’s never taught to us. This is one of the maps that we should have in the National Library,” he said.
Carpio asserts that the Philippines holds the strongest title to its claims, supported by the 1875 Carta General del Archipelago Filipino map.
The Treaty of Washington in 1900 clarified that the Philippine territory includes all islands of the Philippine archipelago lying outside the lines of the Treaty of Paris between the United States and Spain.
“We have forgotten about the Treaty of Washington and why it was signed. This is very clear, and this is very important in our territorial dispute,” he said.
Aside from the 1875 Carta General del Archipelago Filipino map, the original copy of the 1734 Pedro Murillo Velarde map should also be in the National Library of the Philippines. Through the Pedro Murillo Velarde map, Spain claimed Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal as part of the Philippine territory.
Both maps are historical documents establishing the country’s sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal and KIG.
He emphasized that the amended Treaty of Paris lines through the Treaty of Washington is how it should be depicted to the world to correct misconceptions in Philippine history.
Palawan Governor Dennis Socrates believes that this effort is important in asserting and defending Filipinos’ rights over the country’s territory.
“Our resolve in asserting and defending our rights over the maritime zones and territory pertaining to the Philippines,”Socrates said.
The Treaty of Washington should not be omitted from the Philippine map, as it explains why Scarborough Shoal and Spratlys are included in the Philippine territory, Carpio added.
“Because today, the NAMRIA has circulated a proposed copy of the Philippines, you can see that they omitted the Treaty of Washington. If you don’t put the Treaty of Washington, how can we claim Scarborough Shoal, Spratlys, and even Cagayan Sulu and Sibutu? We have to put that,” he said. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
