Did You Know That Carlo J. Caparas Is On Stamps?

Most people may not know it but Philippine movie director Carlo J. Caparas recently appeared on Philippine stamps released by the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) last November 18, 2008.

This former security guard who became a famous comic strip creator, writer, director and producer is best known for his popular Filipino superheroes and comic book personalities such as Panday, Totoy Bato, Joaquin Bordado, Bakekang, Kamandag, Angela Markado, Kamagong, Pieta, Gagambino, Tasya Fantasya and many more. He was the recipient of the 2008 Sagisag Balagtas Award.

In July this year, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo picked him as one among seven National Artist of the Philippines under the new category, 'Visual Arts and Film" which started a very hot controversy.

The nominating committee composed of representatives from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) revealed that Caparas and three other personalities were not in the list to be proclaimed to the Order of National Artist. It was President Arroyo's "presidential prerogative" to include them and bypassed some names that the committee gave. This angered a lot of artists which include National Artists proclaimed in the past. Last August 7, the Concerned Artists of the Philippines staged a protest rally at the CCP.

Amidst the controversy he is in, I would still say that the Carlo J. Caparas stamps are worth collecting.