Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma

Another great Filipino is honored on Philippine stamps recently by the Phililippine Postal Corporation (Philpost).

The P7.00 stamp issued on November 22, 2009 features Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, the first woman Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Cecilia Muñoz Palma was born on November 22, 1913 in Bauan, Batangas.

On October 29, 1973, President Ferdinand Marcos appointed her to the Supreme Court. This made her the first woman to be appointed to the highest court of the land.

After her retirement from the court, Muñoz-Palma became a staunch critic of Marcos. She became a prominent figure in the anti-Marcos opposition.

During the Aquino presidency, she was appointed by President Corazon Aquino to be one of the members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission tasked to draft the new constitution. She would eventually be elected by the members to the their President.

By the time she was 85 years old, President Joseph Estrada appointed her to head the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office until 2000. A loyal supporter of Erap, she strongly denounced the circumstances of Estrada's ouster from power and the assumption of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo into office.

She passed away on January 2, 2006 at the age of 92.

Welcoming the Year of the Tiger

Those who collect stamps of the Chinese Zodiac will be glad to know that the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philipost) has released on December 1, 2009 two stamps to welcome the Year of the Tiger.

These beautifully designed stamps valued at P7.00 and P20.00 are a nice addition to a Chinese New Year theme collection.

Try to check out the stamps in your nearest post offices.

The Philippines-India Joint Stamp Issue of 2009

In my previous post, I featured the stamps released by India featuring that country's joint issue with the Philippines to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Today's post highlights the Philippine stamp version of the endangered marine animals released by the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) on November 27, 2009.

The se-tenant stamps valued at 7 pesos each feature the Butanding or Whale Shark and the Gangetic Dolphin. The souvenir sheet (see above pic) shows the Butanding with a 20-peso value and the Gangetic Dolphin at 7 pesos.

Sir Rowland Hill

December 3 is Sir Rowland Hill's birthday!

Sir Rowland Hill was not only a teacher and an inventor but a postal reformer as well. He was a man ahead of his time.

We stamp collectors have a lot to thank Sir Rowland Hill who was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England in 1795. His efforts for postal reforms led to the issuance in May 1840 of the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamp.

As a tribute to the inventor of the postage stamp, different post offices worldwide always come out with issues featuring him. Above photo is a first day cover of an August 22, 1979 commemorative issue released by Great Britain to celebrate the death centenary of Hill.

Read more about him here.

An Expensive Red China Stamp

A BBC News report revealed that a Chinese stamp issued in 1968 that was pulled out from circulation immediately after it was released after authorities found out that the map of Taiwan was not included in the China map was sold for a considerable amount.

An unidentified buyer picked the stamp at an auction in Hong Kong for HK$3.68m (US$475,000 / £290,000).

“The Whole Country is Red” stamp features a worker holding a book that shows Mao Zedong's quotations with a red map of China in the background. Taiwan was left uncolored by the designer Wang Wei Sheng.

“For a long time I was really worried that I would be jailed,” he adds “Officials told me that it was a really big mistake, but in the end nothing happened."

Lucky for Wang, he was not punished for his mistake.

Taiwan split from China in 1949 after the end of a civil war, China has always claimed that Taiwan is a renegade province of its own.

Cebu Stamp Club Executives to Judge "Pasko Sa Sugbo" Anew

For the third consecutive year, Cebu Stamp Club executives will serve as judges in the Christmas Decoration Competition of the Cebu City Government's "Pasko sa Sugbo".

Ricardo Teves, Bob Uy and this blogger were informed of this development by the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) of the City of Cebu.

The "Pasko Sa Sugbo" (Christmas in Cebu) is spearheaded annually by the City Government of Cebu. Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña together with Vice Mayor and CHAC Chairman Michael Rama will lead the launching ceremony today December 1, 2009 at the Fuente Osmeña Circle.

A giant Christmas tree inside the circle will be lighted along with a fireworks display and a series of nightly activities from December 1 to 30.

Andres Bonifacio Remembered

November 30 is a holiday here in the Philippines. Today, the whole country commemorates the birth anniversary of Filipino hero Andres Bonifacio.

Born in Tondo, Manila on November 30, 1863, this revolutionary leader founded the Katipunan on July 27, 1892. The Katipunan was created to enjoin the Filipinos to rise against the Spanish Crown.

The bitter rivalry between him and General Emilio Aguinaldo led to his death in Mount Buntis on May 10, 1897 when fellow Katipuneros upon the orders of Aguinaldo executed him.

Andres Bonifacio first appeared on Philippine stamps on March 23, 1947. During the Philippine Centennial celebration in 1998, Bonifacio and other Filipino heroes were featured on stamps with the aim of arousing Filipino nationalism and love of country.

I recall in 1998 the successful "A Philatelic Tribute to Andres Bonifacio" stamp and memorabilia exhibit of Cebu Stamp Club, Incorporated (CSCI) and the Cebu City Government's Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) held at the Cebu City Museum. It was our way of paying tribute to this great Filipino hero.

The stamps shown above were released on November 7, 1997 by the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost).