While several may be dismissed as "{{PD-Philippines-1972}}" or {{PD-US}}", without extensive information on when the images were created, when (and in what country) the images were first published, and (if possible) who were the photographers. In an article on Tewell which I presented on the Village Pump discussion (left unnoticed, apparently), it was stated that Tewell began collecting photos of the old Philippines in around 2007, with the first old photos obtained from a w:en:Quiapo photo studio. This implies that a substantial amount of the old images were unpublished, and only appeared to the public when Tewell first disseminated these old photos in 2007-08.

More, more, more information is required to determine which of these old photos are eligible for the following possible tags: {{PD-Philippines-1972}} (for those first published in the Philippines before November 1972, without copyright notice), {{PD-US-expired}} (for those first published in the US way back 95 years ago or more), {{PD-US-no notice}} (first published in the US less than 95 years ago until 1977, without copyright notice), {{PD-US-not renewed}} (first published in the US less than 95 years ago until 1964, had a copyright notice but the registration wasn't renewed when it expired), or {{PD-USGov-military}} (photographer or the publisher/copyright holder was part of the US military or armed forces).

For old images that remained unpublished until circa 2007, there is no hope for retention here on Wikimedia Commons. The Philippine copyright rules on unpublished are vague (especially for the former Act 3134 of 1924), but the United States rules have clear terms: "unpublished before 2003 (i.e. first published after 2002), if the author is known, copyrighted for 70 years pma, but if the author is unknown or the work is a corporate authorship, the earlier of 95 years after first publication or 120 years after creation."