300 -yr old map to boost Manila’s case

The Philippine government will be submitting to the United Nations Tribunal on the Law of the Sea in The Hague this week an almost 300-year-old map of the Philippines showing the disputed Scarborough Shoal being part of Philippine territory as far back as three centuries ago.

The map debunks the so-called nine-dash-line China has been using as proof of its claim over the South China Sea. It also locates Scarborough Shoal, then known as “Panacot,” also called “Panatag” by Filipinos, off the shores of Luzon, then known as Nueva Castilla. Scarborough Shoal has been a source of conflict between the Philippines and China.

The Jesuit priest Pedro Murillo Velarde had the map published in Manila in 1734. It surfaced in 2012 among the possessions of a British lord, who put it up for auction at Sotheby’s in London, where Filipino businessman Mel Velarde bid and got it for £170,500 ($266,869.46 or P12,014,463.09).

The first certified true copy of the map has been reserved for Malacañang. Velarde will personally present it to President Benigno Aquino 3rd on June 12, the anniversary of Philippine independence.

How Velarde, president and chief executive officer of Information Technology-based Now Corporation, acquired the map that had lain among the treasures of one of England’s most prominent families for more than 200 years is like something out of the movies. In fact, the wizard Harry Potter even makes a cameo appearance in the story.

Velarde is yet to find out if he is related to the Jesuit priest, although a possible connection was one of the motives for his pursuit of the artifact.

He said Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, a long-time friend, suggested to him sometime in October last year to bid for the Murillo Velarde map. Velarde recalled that Carpio’s convincing line was: “You know, man, you’re a Velarde.”

Carpio, who has been conducting lectures debunking China’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea, calls the Murillo Velarde map the “Mother of all Philippine maps.”

Local public and private museums declined to take part in the Sotheby’s bid. The National Museum was interested but didn’t have the money, so the plan was for Velarde to buy the map and sell it later to the National Museum.

The Murillo Velarde map measures 1,120 mm by 1,200 mm. The Sotheby’s catalog carried a description of the map by Filipino historian and biographer Carlos Quirino: “Murillo Velarde’s map of the Philippines is a landmark in the depiction of the islands, and the first scientific map of the Philippines. It is flanked by two pasted-on side-panels with twelve engravings, eight depicting native costumed figures, a map of Guajam (Guam) and three city or harbor maps, notably Manila.”

The map was among 80 heirlooms that the current Duke of Northumberland, Ralph George Algernon Percy, decided to auction off after a devastating flood hit Northumberland County in April 2012.

Newspaper reports said heavy rains had “caused a culvert on the Duke of Northumberland’s land to collapse. Many residents were evacuated and some homes demolished after the foundations were damaged.”

Although the Duke’s estate did not own all the affected homes, he provided urgent help for his neighbors. The flood left him with a £12 million bill for repairs, hence the need to auction off his family’s collection.

As a bit of trivia, the Duke owns the vast Alnwick Castle, which has been featured as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the first two Harry Potter films.

Sotheby held the first auction on July 9, 2014 and the second on Novenber 4, 2014, both in London.

It was in the November auction that the Murillo Velarde map, called Carta Hydrographia y chorogphica de las Ylas Filipinas, Manila 1734, was included under Lot 183.

The Murillo Velarde map names two Filipinos as responsible for the map–Francisco Suarez who drew it and Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay who engraved it.

Historian Ambeth Ocampo wrote in his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “The Murillo Velarde map of 1734 is quite rare, with [fewer] than 50 known copies to exist in the entire universe.”

Velarde registered to participate in the auction through an agent. He had participated in auctions in person before but his acquisition of the map last November was his first bid by phone.

The Sotheby’s auction took place at 9 p.m, Manila time while Velarde was in a Resorts World steakhouse for his mother’s 78th birthday dinner.

Velarde described the bidding, which lasted only for three to four minutes, as “furious.”

He was on the phone before Sotheby’s put Lot 183 on the auction block, and noted that in other lots, it was over after two to three bids.

Bidding for the map started at £30,000. He started to bid through his agent, thinking that he could go as high as £80,000.

Velarde said he could hear “30,000 pounds,… 40,000 pounds… 50,000 pounds. Fifty-five, sixty.” He said, “It seemed like so many were bidding.”

When the bidding reached £80,000, Velarde said he paused for a few seconds to decide whether to stop. The exchange rate was P68 to £1. He knew that the National Museum could allot only P5 million to buy rare items.

Then images of the Chinese occupying the contested islands in the Spratlys came to mind, according to him, and he decided to proceed.

“Pansariling away na, nagiging personal na sa akin [It became a personal crusade],” Velarde said. He eventually paid more than double the amount he thought he was willing to part with: £170,500.

When you buy a car, he said, you have something to compare it with. Not in the case of an old map. But Velarde also thought of the possible implications later, knowing that there is a pending case before the UN International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea against China. “You need some evidence.”

Velarde said he is thankful the auction was not held in Shanghai or Macau, where the map could have attracted Chinese bidders and the price would have been much higher.

Now that Velarde owns the map, the National Museum has informed him it has no funds to buy the map this year, and that there was some uncertainty about funds next year. Velarde decided to donate the map instead.

Why is he doing it?
“In a true-to-life movie, there’s a part for everybody. There’s a bully in the neighborhood. He already took over our land. We have soldiers in the Spratlys. Naka-standby lang sila [They’re just on standby there],” Velarde said.

“Then, this map is owned by a Duke in a Harry Potter castle. It’s like you wanting to play your part in the movie,” he added.

Velarde said he hopes to meet with the Duke of Northumberland someday. His children want to come along, not really for the Duke, who comes from a 700-year-old English aristocracy and is the fourth-largest landowner in the United Kingdom. They are excited to see the room where Harry Potter had his first flying lessons.

VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”

source:  Manila Times

PH, Japan agree to exchange defense materiel

TOKYO – Sharing the concern for threats to regional peace and stability, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed on Thursday a joint declaration enhancing the two countries’ strategic partnership, agreeing to begin talks to exchange defense materiel, undertake more joint training exercises and ensure “maritime safety and security in the disputed South China Sea.

The two leaders signed the Tokyo declaration at the end of bilateral talks here early Thursday evening, following wide-ranging bilateral talks at the Akasaka Palace here.

The five-page declaration, which bolstered the strategic partnership the two nations first signed in 2011, also covered stronger “collaboration for economic growth” in the Asia-Pacific, and the pursuit of “enduring peace” in Mindanao.

A major part of the pact covers stronger defense ties between the two countries, including the “initiation of negotiations to conclude an agreement on the transfer of defense equipment and technology.”

Coming at a time when Japan has started rethinking its pacifist policy in the face of growing regional threats, the joint declaration also provided for the “expansion of bilateral and multilateral trainings and exercises for capacity building in areas including those covered by the memo on defense coopertion and exchange.”

In his remarks at a joint press conference, Abe issued an unequivocal condemnation of China’s reclamation activities in the South China Sea, part of which is being claimed by the Philippines.

“We once again confirm that we share serious concern about the large-scale land reclamation, and that we oppose attempts to unilaterally change the status quo,” said Abe.

He also again expressed support for the arbitration case the Philippines had initiated against China, to compel the military power to back off its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

“We also agreed to thoroughly uphold the principle of the rule of law, and I once again conveyed our support for the utilization of the arbitration procedures by the Philippines,” he added.

Indirectly referring to China, meanwhile, President Aquino asserted the two nations’ commitment to urging other countries “to act responsibly” given “security challenges that confront both our nations.”

“We believe this can be done through finding just and peaceful solutions to our territorial disputes and maritime concerns by upholding the rule of law, towards creating a secure and stable environment that serves as the bedrock of our collective progress,” said Mr. Aquino.

In the Tokyo declaration, the Philippines and Japan reaffirmed “their strong commitment to ensuring maritime safety and security, including in the South China Sea, which is a vital element for peace and prosperity of the region including both countries.

It also reiterated the commitment of both sides to advocate freedom of navigation.

“Both countries reiterate their resolve to contribute to peace and stability in the international community…. Maintaining open and stable seas is essential in ensuring regional stability and is an imperative issue which both countries, as maritime nations,” the declaration read.

Amid continuing Chinese incursions in disputed waters, the declaration issued a common call for coastal states to “refrain from unilateral actions that would cause permanent physical change to the maritime environment in areas pending final delimitation.”

The two sides also underscored “the importance of [the] peaceful settlement of maritime disputes based on international law,” such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Philippines is invoking the same treaty in urging China to stop its incursions in the South China Sea, resting the thrust of its arbitration case on this international law.

source:  PH Daily Inquirer

US Navy visits: Do we expect more of these?

I guess what US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said during military ceremonies in Hawaii when he spoke with Secretary Voltaire Gazmin is no longer lip service as far as their commitment to the Philippines is concerned, with the US preparing to take on a more active role in ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. At the high-level international security meeting dubbed the “Shangri-La Dialogue” in Singapore, Carter called for “an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation by all claimants” and that America will “oppose any further militarization of disputed features.” 

According to Carter, the US is complementing India’s “Act East” policy and leveraging on America’s alliances and partnerships to seek new avenues of cooperation. The US Defense Secretary is visiting India to sign the 2015 US-India Defense Framework that covers everything from maritime security to aircraft carrier and jet engine technology cooperation, underscoring the seriousness of the United States in boosting alliances and strengthening its “trilateral network” in the Asia Pacific region.

The presence in Subic of the US Navy missile cruiser USS Shiloh – forward deployed to Yokosuka in Japan and on patrol at the US 7th Fleet’s area of operations that include security support in the Indo-Asia Pacific region – is part of “routine port call,” according to Commanding Officer Capt. Kurush Morris, who said he is looking forward to getting back into their “routine of visits.” Which means we can expect more of these port calls from US Navy vessels on a rotational basis within the next year.

So far, the Philippines is still waiting for the Supreme Court to issue its ruling on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), but hopes are high that the decision will be favorable as it will enable the US to expand its presence in the country, not to mention allow the joint use of facilities and equipment between the US and Philippine armed forces – something that would probably irritate China no end.

The fact is, it’s not only the US and the Philippines that are telling China to stop all its reclamation activities in the disputed maritime territories. Australia has also issued a stern warning, following revelations by US defense officials that two big artillery vehicles were placed in one of the artificial islands it is creating. The discovery was made several weeks ago, but China however has since removed the weaponry according to sources.

Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

P-Noy State Visit to Japan important

A large business delegation is joining President Aquino on his state visit to Japan with business matching sessions lined up to increase trade relations between the two countries. Preparations leading to the visit have been round-the-clock, and we must commend our Ambassador to Japan Manolo Lopez for tirelessly working to make sure that the visit is a great success. Over the years, our relations with the Japanese have been getting stronger, especially since Japan happens to be the biggest aid donor to the Philippines.

While trade and commerce will be a top priority during PNoy’s State Visit – with high hopes of increasing Japanese investments into the country – an underlying purpose would be defense and security issues in light of China’s escalating aggression and increasing reclamation activities in the disputed maritime territories in the South China Sea. In fact, a Chinese general attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore even floated the possibility of setting up an air defense identification zone above the disputed maritime territories – which could further inflame the situation.

Three weeks ago, Japan and the Philippines held the first joint naval exercises in the South China Sea west of Manila, with two Japanese Navy destroyers and 600 personnel taking part. The exercises of course are part of efforts to boost defense relations in light of China’s recent moves. Early this year, both countries signed a memorandum of understanding and just recently, Japan inked a deal to construct 10 multirole response vessels for the Philippine Coast Guard, and a major portion of the funds would come from the Japanese Official Development Assistance tied to the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The new vessels – expected to be delivered in 2016 until 2018 – is part of the government’s efforts to equip its forces with the necessary assets to “protect the national maritime interest.”

Shades of protection

Contrary to notion that sunglasses are more form than function, new evidence suggests that wearing shades can protect the eyes from various conditions including pinguecula – a condition where membranes on the white part of the eye near the cornea thicken, leading to a condition called pterygium which can permanently damage the eyes. This condition is more common among middle-aged and older people who spend more time in the sun.

Apparently, even just one day under the glaring heat of the sun without proper eye protection can result in short-term damage from ultraviolet rays, and this can get more serious with longer exposure. According to a survey conducted by The Vision Council, 26 percent of people never or rarely wear sunglasses. About 58 percent of Americans spend the most time outdoors during times when ultraviolet rays are strongest (8-10 am and 2-4pm) and therefore more risky for the eyes.

Interestingly, those with blue eyes are more susceptible because they have less of melanin.  Aside from cataracts, macular degeneration, pinguecula and eye sunburn, temporary vision loss (which could lead to permanent blindness) are among the risks of too much sun exposure.

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Email: spybits08@gmail.com  SPYBITS By Babe G. Romualdez 

source:  Philippine Star