Intermediate Geography

Ancient maps and the rise of a nation By: Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:04 AM May 30, 2018 “Intermediate Geography” by Miller and Polley was the last textbook used in Philippine schools in the 1950s that probably became extinct when people realized that except for Mayon volcano on the cover, the content was exactly the same as the 1918 edition! Antique maps of the Philippines are valuable as singles but, when seen in a series, depict in their detailed differences the emergence of a nation. Historical rights are irrelevant following agreements in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but the Philippines has proven that China cannot produce a map older than the 1734 Velarde map showing Panacot (Scarborough Shoal) and Los Bajos de Paragua (Spratlys) in their territory. It is significant that the three shoals indicated in the map bear the names: Galit (Anger), Panacot (Threat) and Lumbay (Sorrow), ancient names that can be emoticons that express how Filipinos feel about our territorial dispute with China. Maps teach us more than geography, they teach us nationhood and identity.