Laguna Copperplate inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World regional register

MANILA — The Laguna Copperplate Inscription, regarded as the Philippines’ earliest known historical document, has been added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) Regional Register.

The inscription, which dates to around 900 C.E., was among three Philippine nominations approved during the 2026 Memory of the World Regional Register cycle. The recognition was announced November 5 at MOWCAP’s 11th General Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The other two Philippine entries are the Baybayin Documents held at the Archivo de la Universidad de Santo Tomas and the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group Audiovisual Archive.

The Laguna Copperplate is written in Kawi, an ancient script that originated in Java, Indonesia, rather than Baybayin, a writing system used in the Philippines. Its contents provide evidence of an organized social, legal and administrative system in the archipelago before Spanish colonization, as well as established maritime and cultural connections between communities around Manila Bay and other parts of Southeast Asia.

The inscription is among the historical artifacts that inspired Filipino lawyer and author Darwin De Jesus Mariano to write his historical fantasy novel “Namwaran and the Golden Tara.”

The book also draws on the Golden Tara of Agusan, a 21-karat gold statuette currently displayed at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Through the novel, Mariano hopes to encourage Filipinos to explore the country’s precolonial history and gain a deeper understanding of the social structures, traditions and systems that existed before colonization.

Mariano also chairs the Communication and Information Committee of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines.

The Memory of the World program promotes the preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage considered significant to humanity. The latest recognition of the three Philippine entries highlights the country’s efforts to preserve historical records and cultural materials for future generations.

The Laguna Copperplate is on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila.

“Namwaran and the Golden Tara” is available through the Central Books website.