Santo Niño de Cebú 1521 to 2021 500th Anniversary Commemorative Stamps issued by PHLPOST

Santo Niño de Cebu and the logo of the 500th anniversary ( quincentennial ) logo with this year’s theme Santo Niño , The Abiding Presence Of the Father In Our Journey of Faith were issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation ( PHLPOST) This also includes a first day cover. The stamp had a face value of Php 12.00 each or Php 24.00 for the se-tenant pair.

This coincided with the commemoration of the first baptism in the country which happened on April 14, 1521.

(a se-tenant pair of stamp with face value of Php 12.00 issued by PHLPOST)

Commemorative Stamps and Launching

Postmaster General Norman “Mr. Postman” Fulgencio together with His Excellency Archbishop Jose Palma of Archdiocese of Cebu unveiled the commemorative stamps to mark the 500^th anniversary of the arrival of the image of Señor Santo Niño and the first baptism that both took place in Cebu.

The launching ceremony of the historic commemorative issuance of postage stamp characterized the expression of faith and deeper devotion among the Filipino Catholic Community to the Holy Child Jesus.

Santo Niño is known for his miracles and people’s devotions that transcend religions. In the words of Pope Francis, the Holy Child is the Protector of the Philippines for half a millennium. This oldest religious icon of the country has been enshrined and widely venerated at the Basilica del Minore del Sto. Nino in Cebu City under the care of the Augustinians of the Province of Sto. Nino de Cebu-Philippines.

The popular image of the Sto. Nino was given by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan to the local queen Humamay (later named Juana), after her baptism on April 14, 1521. On April 28, 1565, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi’s expedition landed on the island of Cebu. One of his soldiers found an image of the Child Jesus in a hut believed to be the same image Magellan had given the queen of the island forty-four years earlier.

National Cultural Treasure Proclamation

The Minor Basilica of Santo Niño was proclaimed as National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, exactly 500 years after the first Catholic baptism in the Philippines.

Under the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, or Republic Act 10066, a national cultural treasure refers to a unique cultural property that possesses “outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value which is highly significant and important to the country and nation.”

It was announced on Wednesday that the basilica and the pavilion of the Magellan’s Cross have been declared as NCT.

Dr. Rene Escalante, Chairperson, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, Philippine Postal Corporation Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and The Most Reverend Archbishop Charles John Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines during the launching of the Commemorative Stamps to mark the 500th Anniversary of the Arrival of Santo Niño which was held at the historic Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City.

The most familiar religious icon which was featured several times by the postal authorities was also launched by the agency.

Stamps and Official First Day Covers of “Santo Niño at 500 –1521-2021: Santo Niño, the Abiding Presence of the Father in Our Journey of Faith” are now available at the Philatelic Counter, Manila Central Post Office, all Mega Manila Post Offices, Postal Area 1,Tuguegarao, Postal Area 2, San Fernando, La Union, Postal Area 4, San Pablo, Area 5, Mandaue, Postal Area 6, Iloilo, Postal Area 7, Davao, Postal Area 8, Cagayan de Oro, and Postal Area 9, Zamboanga.

Photo credit: Philippine Postal Corporation -office of the media affairs and the author for additional article

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China Bank Centennial Stamp and First Day Cover Issuance

China Bank celebrates their 100th anniversary as a banking corporation last August 14, 2020. However, due to the long enhance community quarantine restriction and social distancing protocols set -up by the government to minimized the covid 2019 spread. The issuance was further delayed for several months until early part of January 2021.

China Bank se-tenant pair of stamps denomination of Php 12.00

China Bank 100th Anniversary Issuance

Over the past several months, an infamous website known to many philatelists and those seeking new information was spotted with new post with photos of the China Bank stamp issuance. The first day cover (a postal envelope with cancellation mark) had a cancellation postmark dated August 16, 2020 was also spotted by a lot of keen- eyed internet savy people, which included the author and at least several thousands of netizens who usually get their freshest information of the release of new stamps, first day cover and even juicy gossips behind errors.

first day cover with ante-dated cancellation mark

This had raised a few eyebrows with regards to the website being so updated to the point that it had a list of possible stamp issuance up until first quarter of 2021 posted even during the last quarter of 2020.

It was later explained by a stamp advisory representative and a couple of philpost employees ( who refuses to be identified) that China Bank officials requested to have the postmark antedated to reflect the real date of their centennial celebration.

Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPOST) especially those working in giving out vital information issuance of Philatelic Bulletin must try to stepped up and release this on time for the benefit of the general public.

The postal cancellation marks had the company slogan ” Celebrating the past, Embracing the Future“.

Technical Description

China Bank – 100 Years Founding Anniversary

Type of Issuance: Commemorative

Printing Company : Amstar Printing Company

Stamp Size: 30mm by 40mm

Perforation : 14

Se-tenant Pairs -sheet of 40

Quantities: 30,000 pieces ( 2 design)

First Day Cover: 2,400 pieces

Designer: Ms. Irma Jane C. Junio -PHLPOST in house layout artist and designer

Denominations : Php 12.00 with China Bank Building, Juan Luna street, Binondo, Manila and Php 12.00 China Bank logo. ( provided by the bank)

First Day Cover postmark cancellation : Manila

Century -Old Valentine’s Day Postcard

Happy Valentine’s Day to all,

Sharing this circa 1905 Valentine’s Day postcard which we were able to buy few years ago in a popular online site. This was on SALE for just a couple of bucks with handwritten note at the back. The featured drawing was two cupids ( mailman ) calling each other with the use of another state of the art form of communication- telephone.

Valentine’s Day Postcard

Valentine’s Day is widely celebrated all over the world. Postcards and greeting cards were popular an inexpensive medium to communicated and the first Valentine’s day greeting cards were issued in the late 18th century.

Valentine’s cards which soon became immensely popular. It is estimated that by the mid 1820s, some 200,000 Valentines were circulated in London. While postcards soon were issued in Great Britain and the United States of America.

Hallmarks soon printed thousands if not hundreds of thousands of greeting cards by early 20th century. The personalized postcards are highly desired by collectors since they are not produced in mass quantity.

2021 Valentine’s Day stamp from Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPOST)

While stamps which celebrates the occasion were issued by several postal authorities and Philippine Postal Corporation also issues Valentine’s Day stamp. The 2021 Philippine Valentine’s Day stamp was issued few days ago in virtual launching held at the Manila Central Post Office main building on February 10, 2021.

Salinta Monon Birth Centenary Stamp

Salinta Monon was honored as Manlilikha ng Bayan sa Paghahabi in 1998 not just for her mastery in the art of weaving but also for her dedication in having acted as source of knowledge of the living traditions of the Tagabawa- Bagobo community.

Practically, since she was born on December 12, 1920, Salinta Monon had watched her mother’s nimble hands glide over the loom, weaving traditional Bagobo textiles.

At 12 she presented herself to her mother, to be taught how to weave herself. Her ardent desire to excel in the art of her ancestors enabled her to learn quickly. She developed a keen eye for the traditional designs, and now, at the age of 65, she can identify the design as well as the author of a woven piece just by a glance.

Due to her reputation as a weaver, Agton Monon, a farmer and her husband, had to pay a high bride price “dowry” to her father Datu Bansalan Barra for him to be allowed to marry her. The two got married on July 4, 1946.

All her life she has woven continuously, through her marriage and six pregnancies, and even after her husband’s death 20 years ago. She and her sister are the only remaining Bagobo weavers in her community.

She died on June 4, 2009 aged 88. A lot of her works are now displayed at the NCCA , National Museum and textile collectors from many parts of the globe.

Salita Monon Birth Centenary

Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPOST) issues a stamp which commemorates her birth centenary and first day cover.

The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) or the National Living Treasures Award is solely administered and implemented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

12 December 2020 was the birth centenary of Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan recipient Salinta Monon. The postal service issues stamps and official first day covers to commemorate this significant occasion.

Technical Description

Date of Issue : December 12, 2020

Kind of Issuance: Commemorative

Design Coordinator : Ms. Roche Severo – GAMABA Secretariat

Office of the Executive Director NCCA

Denomination : Php 12.00

Artist: Ms. Eunice Beatrix U. Dabu – (PHLPOST in house artist)

Size: 40mm x 30 mm

Sheet Composition : (40) 40 x 10

Perforation: 14

Printing Process: Offset Litho Printing

Printing Company : Amstar, Company Incorporated

Quantity : 30,000 stamps

First Day Cover: 3,900 Official First Day COver

Christmas Wear Your Mask Slogan and Special Date Cancel

Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPOST) issues a special slogan and special date cancel for December 12, 2020- This is quite significant as it marks 12.12.20-20 this is a double date and is considered as auspicious date among slogan cancel collectors, postcrossers, stamp and first day collectors, numerology and feng shui afficionados not just in the Philippines but this is a world wide trend !

Special Date Cancellation for 12.12.2020

This idea was brought up by stamp, slogan, postcard collectors in an FB group and chat group few months ago. The collectors are also buyers in several leading online sites which had a successful double digit date sales campaign at their site. Example of the double dated sale are 6.6, 7.7, 8.8, 9.9. 10.10 , 11.11 and 12.12.

These online selling sites are even hiring well-known brand ambassadors that are quite active in all forms of media promotion. In return, Their SALES are raking million of pesos during these special dates.

Countries like Taiwan, Singapore and China are known to issue special slogan cancel marks or special date cancellation for these auspicious dates.

This is not the first time that this special date cancellation mark was propose. If my memory serves correct. it was proposed way back on 08.08.2008, 12-12,2012 which was unanimously approved by the stamp advisory board led by Postmaster General Hector Villanueva in 2008 and Postmaster General Maria Josefina Dela Cruz in 2012.

Philippine Philatelic Federation club members are all quite supportive to the slogan cancel and auspicious date that the representative Mrs. Josefina T. Cura had proposed during the stamp advisory committee member board meeting last month. Let us also “Thank” Mr. Maximo “Maxi” Santa Maria III -Business Line Manager for leading the way.

For those who have not yet, purchased the Christmas 2020 stamp and first day cover, It was already out in the market.

Special Cancellation Slogan

“Spread Christmas Spirit, Not the Virus Always Wear a Mask !” 12.12. 2020

With the issuance of these special slogan and special date cancellation, This will help boost the sales of postal company and quench the thirst of the general collecting public.