RECORDS OF NATIONHOOD Historian Xiao Chua leads students in a tour of the National Library鈥檚 Permanent Gallery on Tuesday, as some of them take a closer look at the 1734 map of the Philippine archipelago which served as key evidence in the country鈥檚 arbitral case in 2013 against China. 鈥擯hotos by Richard A. Reyes
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� A pocket-sized book with a black cover printed in the 1520s is so fragile that librarians do not allow it to be displayed in a book cradle or opened.
But while its delicate condition might limit its visual appeal in photographs, 鈥淒e Moluccis Insulis,鈥� written by Maximilianus Transylvanus, a courtier to the Spanish King, remains significant as one of the earliest and first-known Western books to mention the Philippines.
Together with more than 80 rare and original documents, books and manuscripts, it forms part of the collection of the newly opened Permanent Gallery at the National Library of the Philippines (NLP).
According to historian Xiao Chua, who was commissioned last year to manage the Permanent Gallery, the documents were previously stored in a limited-access vault but have since been transferred to a space for public exhibitions.
READ: Long journey home: 鈥楳other of PH maps鈥� turned over to Nat鈥檒 Library
Initially, he anticipated working on a small room, but he soon realized that he needed a dedicated space鈥攁 newly built mezzanine鈥攖hat could accommodate much more than he had originally envisioned.
鈥淚 chose to tell the story of how words created a nation鈥攈ow foreigners sought to shape us through their words, documents, and maps, and how we resisted this through the words of our heroes, ultimately forming our own identity based on human rights and democracy,鈥� Chua said about the exhibit of rare printed materials aptly titled 鈥淎nd with Words a Nation was Born,鈥� which opened on Sept. 9.
The gallery showcases a collection of historical artifacts from the Spanish colonial era, including publications long familiar to historians, such as Antonio de Morga鈥檚 鈥淪ucesos de las Islas Filipinas,鈥� annotated by Dr. Jose Rizal, and the 鈥淰ocabulario de la Lengua Tagala.鈥�
Students from Technological University of the Philippines looks on the original Murillo Velarde 1734 map鈥攖he first scientific map of the Philippines鈥攁t the newly opened Permanent Gallery of National Library of the Philippines in TM Kalaw Avenue in Manila.
Highlights, lighter side
A highlight of the exhibit is the Murillo Velarde 1734 map, drawn by artists under the supervision of Jesuit friar Pedro Murillo Velarde. Acquired by Filipino businessman Mel Velarde at a Sotheby鈥檚 auction in 2012, the 鈥淢other Of All Philippine Maps,鈥� as it has been called, was entrusted to the NLP for permanent display.
According to former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the map served as a key document in the Philippines鈥� 2013 arbitration case against China. For a map from the 1700s, it helped assert the country鈥檚 sovereign claims over the West Philippine Sea, as it depicted the features of 鈥淏ajo de Masinloc鈥� and 鈥淧anacot鈥濃�攚hich corresponds to the Panatag, or Scarborough Shoal鈥攁s being part of the Philippine archipelago.
Chua said the map illustrates how the Spaniards perceived the Philippines and serves as evidence of their efforts to 鈥渟hape it as one of their colonies.鈥�
The original manuscripts of Rizal鈥檚 main works鈥攈is novels 鈥淣oli Me Tangere鈥� and 鈥淓l Filibusterismo鈥� and poem 鈥淢i 脷ltimo Adi贸s鈥濃�攎ay well be the centerpiece of the exhibit, since these were declared national cultural treasures.
The collection also showcases a lighter side of Rizal鈥攊ncluding an undated cartoon showing a man farting.
Chua said the pencil illustration depicted a suitor visiting a girl鈥檚 family. As he bows before her parents, he suddenly lets out a fart, causing a comical scene where a light bulb, a chicken and even the girl seem to be sent flying.
Republic鈥檚 birth
Among the pivotal documents which serve as records of the birth of the Philippine Republic are a letter by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo describing the design of the Philippine flag; a replica of Juan Luna鈥檚 evocative drawing of that flag, 鈥淏andera Filipina鈥�; the original music sheet of the 鈥淢archa Nacional Filipina,鈥� the country鈥檚 national anthem; and the Spanish draft of the Republic鈥檚 first Constitution, dated Jan. 22, 1899.
In today鈥檚 era of disinformation and the erosion of democratic principles, Chua said he had one goal behind putting the exhibit together: 鈥淭o remind people that our nation was established based on the principles of human rights and democracy.鈥�
鈥淔or example, Manuel Quezon鈥檚 vision of social justice is central to the exhibit. While you might see his chair and table, they only tell part of the story. Without the narrative of his commitment to serving the people through social justice, these items would be devoid of meaning,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about pieces of paper or ink; these are the souls of our people and I hope you recover a little bit of that soul in you when you come to the exhibit,鈥� Chua said.
The NLP Permanent Gallery is open to the public from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chua will hold a free tour on Sept. 27, 10 a.m., to the first 30 registered visitors via web.nlp.gov.ph/TuklasRegistration.