The power of maps

Growing up, we were fascinated by maps and how they could take you to places you had not ever seen before. Maps can show you the countryside, a town, a country, or even the whole world.

As a young Boy Scout, we learned how to find a place or a house just by using our skill in map reading.

People use maps to plan routes from one place to another. They might also use a map to find certain features like hills or rivers or a landmark such as a castle.

You can use different types of maps depending on whether you are walking, driving, or flying somewhere. We remember walking our way through various cities abroad with the help of maps provided by the tourism authorities. That way, we were able to save a lot of precious currency than if we had to hail cabs or take the subways.

With the advent of mobile phones, computers, and Google Maps, things have gone techie. Now, you can use Waze to travel around or hail an Uber or Grab for mobility.

But technology sometimes fails, too as the time, some years ago when driving a car, Waze brought us to a dead-end while looking for an office somewhere in Alabang and there was nowhere to turn or maneuver. The place was an "eskinita" so narrow that you had to drive in reverse a good 50 meters while avoiding obstructions in the dimly lit area. Whew!

Anyway, maps have played a pivotal role in shaping the course of human history by defining borders, asserting territorial claims, and serving as tools of diplomacy — or conflict.

Lately, in the context of the South China Sea disputes, maps have emerged as a powerful means for countries to assert their territorial claims and provide visual evidence to support their positions.

The South China Sea, as we all know, is a region of immense strategic importance, rich in resources, and the subject of overlapping claims by multiple countries, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

These disputes have created a complex and volatile geopolitical situation, with tensions often escalating due to competing claims over islands, reefs and waters.

China recently issued a map that expanded its nine-dash line territorial claim in the South China Sea which drew reactions from the neighboring countries — not the least of which was that it undermined the peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

A Filipino political science professor quickly belittled China's new "standard map" for 2023, describing it as a mere fabrication that would not stand scrutiny against the so-called Velarde map, one of the oldest maps in the world drawn and published in 1734 by Father Pedro Murillo Velarde.

That map, which the Philippines used to stake its claim before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, left no doubt that the country has exercised sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea for centuries.

So, you see, maps serve as a fundamental tool for countries to articulate their claims and assert their historical rights over disputed areas. They provide a visual representation of a nation's understanding of its boundaries and are often used to support legal, political and diplomatic arguments.

But while maps can be powerful tools, they also present significant controversies and challenges in the context of the South China Sea disputes.
This is because different countries also produce maps that assert their sovereignty over the same areas, leading to overlapping claims. This creates confusion and exacerbates tensions, as multiple parties vie for control of the same territory.

It used to be that the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea were areas of peace and stability where fishermen from neighboring countries could freely catch fish without threat or intimidation from each other.

How we wish we could go back to those days when greed had yet to set in and expansive claims had yet to rear their ugly heads.

Those would be the days, we think, when we can ride a jetski and tour the disputed islands, reefs, and waters in peace.

And oh, yes, with only a handy map to guide us through.

e-mail: mannyangeles27@gmail.com