Ateneo de Manila HS Class '60 Stamps

As the month of December unfolds, the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) issues today the Ateneo de Manila High School Class '60 Golden Jubilee Commemorative Stamps.

The stamp designs were provided by the Ateneo de Manila High School Class ‘60 representative Atty. Jose Mario Bunag.

The Layout design was done by Victorino Z. Serevo with Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak and Ambassador Jose A. Zaide coordinating the design.

Cebu Stamp Club's November 2010 Stamp Meetup

Cebu Stamp Club, Incorporated has been very consistent in holding its monthly meetups. For this November month, we decided to meet again on November 28, 2010 at our favorite restaurant venue at McDonald's Jones, Cebu City.

The meetup was well attended compared to last month with a new guest, Joel Tan joining the group and bringing along his old collection of Philippine stamps which he claimed he has collected for the past 50 years.

After a brief absence from the meetups due to an illness, Kenneth Turner also made his presence felt together with wife Gina. We admire the couple's commitment and dedication to the club. The effort they exerted in coming to our meetups is quite commendable. Living in far away north in the municipality of Catmon, they had to travel three hours just to be with the group in the city. Our hats off to you Ken and Gina!

The members were informed that Cebu StampShow 2010, a non-competitive stamp exhibit will be rescheduled for December with Eyan Yu, Richard Guimbarda, Jerald Kervin Uy and Richard Allan Uy coming up with entries. The venue will be at the lobby of the Cebu Central Post Office. Also, the new Philippine Stamp issues were made known to the group.

CSCI President Richard Allan Uy hinted that all 2010 issues of the CSCI Newsletter will be compiled in one disc and given for free to the members.

During the course of the meeting, Jerald Kervin Uy, the club president's son was given a round of applause for his successful modeling stint titled "Our Fairytale Christmas" held on November 17, 2010 at SM City Cebu's The Northwing Atrium.

President Rich Uy made sure that everyone who came got their share of stamp freebies. Secretary Sharee Ann Trapa announced to the group the upcoming club Christmas party tentatively scheduled for December 11, 2010.

The club thanks Ken and Gina Turner, Jerald Kervin Uy, Sharee Ann Trapa, Joel Tan, Janus Bariñan, Eyan Yu, Dinah Potolin and Ralph Ordiz for making the November meeting a very enjoyable one.

See more photos of our November 2010 Stamp Meetup in Facebook. Add us by logging to Facebook and type in Cebu Stampclub

Two Issues Featuring Fernando Poe Jr.

Fernando Poe, Jr. more popularly known as FPJ was a Filipino actor and cultural icon. His showbiz career in began in the 1950s where he played steadfast film heroes who fought for the common man. These roles won for him the respect and admiration of the Filipino masses. Although he wasn't able to finish high school, he won numerous awards and prizes both as an actor and film director.

FPJ is this year's National Artist for Film and is featured in two new stamp issues highlighting the National Stamp Collecting Month released by the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost).

The National Stamp Collecting Month (NSCM) Series 1 was released on November 10, 2010 while Series 2 came out on November 25, 2010.

The stamp designs were from the late Fernando Poe, Jr.'s photos and posters provided by his daughter, Grace Poe-Llamanzares who sits as the Vice President for FPJ Productions and is the new Chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

The 2010 Christmas Stamps

The traditional Christmas stamp issue of the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) comes out today, November 23, 2010 with the stamps valued at P7.00 each.

The stamp designs focused on the Nativity scene.

CSCI's Jerald Kervin Uy is in SM City Cebu's "Our Fairytale Christmas Kids Fashion Show"

Cebu Stamp Club's Jerald Kervin Uy, auditioned for SM City Cebu's "Our Fairytale Christmas Kids Fashion Show" and was included in the final line up of kid models. Hundreds of kids in Cebu auditioned but only 50 were chosen.

The show also features Jerald Kervin's cousin, Duchess Blythe Uybengkee (see above photo) who is a kid talent for ABS-CBN Cebu. Princess Pacquiao, the lovable and cute daughter of Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao was also part of the event.

"Our Fairytale Christmas Kids Fashion Show" opened at 6:00pm at The North Atrium of SM City Cebu on November 20, 2010. The event was highly applauded and well attended.

New Philippine Vice President is on Stamps

The Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) comes out today with a P7.00 stamp featuring newly-elected Vice President Jejomar Binay.

This special issue stamp features the Vice President taking his oath before Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales. His wife, Dr. Elenita Binay is also shown holding the Holy Bible. Vice President Binay's oath-taking was held on June 30, 2010 at the Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, Manila.

The November 11, 2010 Binay stamp coincides with the Vice President's birthday.

UN Transport Land/Sea/Air

The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issues on this very day three se-tenant strips of five stamps each in the denominations of 44 cents, F.s. 1,00 and € 0,65 on the theme "UN Transport - Land/Sea/Air". Each sheet of 20 stamps will accommodate four se-tenant strips of five stamps.

Transportation plays an important role for the United Nations in its efforts to maintain its peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. United Nations transport vehicles are critical for deploying UN personnel to peacekeeping missions, shipping large amounts of food to meet emergency needs, supplying emergency medical supplies and transporting other cargo and equipment to the field missions throughout the world.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) is dedicated to assisting the Member States and the Secretary-General in their efforts to maintain international peace and security. The Department's mission is to plan, prepare, manage and direct UN peacekeeping operations using all forms of transport, whether by land, sea or air.

Cebu Stamp Club Was Founded Today!

Time really flies! I still recall on this very day in 1996 when Cebu Stamp Club held its first club meeting at the University of Cebu, Sanciangko St., Cebu City.

The first Officers and Board of Trustees were elected on that day. Back then, we used to meet every second and fourth Sunday of the month.

We came out with our first stamp exhibit, "The Rizal Martyrdom Centennial Stamp Exhibition" on December 18 - 31, 1996 at the Cebu City Museum to commemorate the 100th martyrdom of Filipino National hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

Since that day, Cebu Stamp Club has been very active in promoting philately in Cebu. Happy anniversary CSCI!

Shown above are Cebu Stamp Club members during the Rizal exhibit in 1996.

"Nature, Culture and History Through Stamps" Exhibit in Dumaguete City

The newly formed Dumaguete Stamp Collectors Club came out with a very beautiful stamp exhibit at the Robert Silliman and Metta Silliman Library Main Entrance Hall, Silliman University in Dumaguete City yesterday.

The club is composed of Dumaguete-based Cebu Stamp Club members Gary Rosales, Aidalyn Arabe, Allan Bennett Uy Matiao, Richard Rausher and Penn Larena who all took the initiative of coming out with a stamp club of their own.

I had to leave for Dumaguete City early Saturday morning to attend the 4:00 PM opening of the exhibit. The club invited me to be their guest speaker.

During the event, I got to meet again Arlene Uypitching, an avid stamp collector who is also a Silliman University Cultural Affairs committee member. I was also introduced to Lito Diago and Milfred Ong, who are members of the DSCC.

The last time I was in Silliman University was in August 28, 2008 when Cebu Stamp Club, Incorporated opened the Selyo at Kasaysayan stamp exhibit which featured Philippine heroes.

Gary, the club's president along with his members billeted me at a very cozy hotel and took me to a group dinner at Casablanca, a new restaurant in the city. There we get to talk about stamps and shared to them lots of tips.

To the members of the Dumaguete Stamp Collectors Club, I salute you all for a very successful philatelic event!

The first photo features Penn Larena, Gary Rosales and yours truly. Second shows the officers of the Dumaguete Stamp Collectors Club with me after dinner at Casablanca.

Remembering Da KIng

Today, we remember the late King of Philippine Movies, Fernando Poe Jr. who was born on August 20, 1939. In real life, he was known as Ronald Allan Kelley Poe.

Whenever a film stars FPJ, it was always expected to be a box office sensation. I can still remember our jam-packed movie houses whenever an FPJ movie was shown. I for one am a fan!

During the peak of his career, there was a common story in Mindanao that when a villain succeeded in hurting FPJ, the screen just literally got peppered with bullets by the moviegoers. These incidents prompted film producers and directors to make it a point not to kill him in his movies to avoid similar incidents.

FPJ always played hero in his films who fought for the common man. This won for him the respect and admiration of the Filipinos. He was also famous for immortalizing Ang Panday, a comic book character by Carlo J. Caparas.

Fernando Poe Jr. ran an unsuccessful bid for the presidency against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the 2004 Philippine Presidential elections. A few months later on December 14, 2004, he passed away due to cerebral thrombosis with multiple organ failure.

On May 24, 2006 he was honored as Philippine National Artist through Philippine Proclamation No. 1065.

Featured above are the Panday movies of FPJ. Below it is a souvenir sheet released by Philpost on November 17, 2008 the highlights Carlo J. Caparas' komics super hero Panday.

Christmas Island Frigatebird WWF

The rarest native seabird on Christmas Island, the frigatebird, is featured as part of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Conservation Stamp Collection.

The frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi) is the rarest endemic seabird on Christmas Island, listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Considerable areas of the frigatebird's former breeding habitat have been cleared, and its current breeding areas are now threatened by the invasive Crazy Ant and pollution from past phosphate mining.

Australia Post comes out with this issue on August 17, 2010 with denominations of 2 x 60c and 2 x $1.80.

Cupids, 1610-2010

In August 1610, English colonists, sent out by the London and Bristol Company and led by prominent Bristol merchant John Guy, arrived in Cupids (then Cupers Cove) on the north side of Conception Bay on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. There, they marked the start of British overseas expansion by establishing the first English settlement in what would become Canada and one of the earliest European settlements in North America.

Evidence of the original colony was uncovered in 1995, during a survey led by the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation’s chief archaeologist William Gilbert. Since then, five early-17^th century structures (some of the oldest European buildings in North America) and more than 145,000 artifacts have been unearthed.

This August, Canada Post will celebrate the 400th anniversary of this historic settlement with a commemorative stamp. The stamp features a portion of a 17^th century map of the Avalon Peninsula, compiled by John Mason (1586 – 1635). It’s the first English map of Newfoundland produced from first-hand observation and the first to show Cupids’ location. The stamp comes out on August 17, 2010.

Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games

Singapore Post releases on August 14, 2010 stamps highlighting the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

The first two designs highlight the World Culture Village and Island Adventure formats of CEP. Athletes will learn about diverse cultures, teamwork and leadership through these two activities.

The next two designs feature the mascots in their favourite sports of Aquatics – Swimming and Basketball respectively.

Raffi and Davey's "Love x 2" SM City Cebu Mall Tour

A few days ago, I was in touch with a pretty Cebuana friend who is now a recording artist based in Manila.

Raffi Quijano just celebrated her birthday and I was among those who greeted her. She never forgot her friends and took time to say thanks and invited me to see her at SM City Cebu at 4PM of August 13, 2010 for her "Love x 2" acoustic album tour.

At 3:30PM yesterday, me and my son, Kervin were at the event center of SM City Cebu. There I got to meet Lee Jennie, an American who founded the Adam Jennie's Christian Center for Special Children, Inc. based in Mandaue City, Cebu.

Lee brought along the kids from his center complete with flowers for Raffi, who has been helping them for some time now.

The show didn't start until 6:00PM but we didn't mind the time waiting. Me and Lee got to talk about how he started helping special kids here in the Philippines and introduced me to some of his Caucasian friends.

Everyone got a special treat when Raffi and Davey started singing the hits in their album. Kervin's favorites Baby and Two is Better Than One.

I bought an album inside the venue and got a bonus poster! Raffi and Davey wasted no time in signing their autographs. Aside from the signatures, Kervin also got the chance to pose with them.

At Php 299.00 only, one can get their beautiful acoustic album "Love x 2" in all music outlets all over the country.

A Miniature Sheet for Pope Benedict XVI UK Visit

The Isle of Man presents a two-stamp miniature sheet with label commemorating the beatification of Cardinal Newman and the first papal visit to Britain since May 1982, when Pope John Paul II’s six-day tour drew huge crowds.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown extended a formal invitation to the current Pope and the trip is the first official state visit by a pontiff, as that of John Paul II was on a pastoral basis and did not follow an official invitation by the UK government
.

The miniature sheet to be issued on August 11, 2010 features two stamps featuring Cardinal Newman and a label image of Pope Benedict XVI.

New Zealand's 2010 Scenic Definitives

On August 4, 2010, New Zealand comes out with new definitive stamps to reflect the upcoming changes in postage rates.

The five stamps highlight beautiful scenic spots in New Zealand. These are Mitre Peak, Milford Sound ($1.20), Queenstown ($1.90), Lake Rotorua ($2.40), Kaikoura ($2.90), and Christchurch ($3.40).

The 25th Asian International Stamp Exhibition

The 25th Asian International Stamp Exhibition (BANGKOK 2010) will be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) Bangkok, Thailand on August 4 – 12, 2010.

Thailand Post Co., Ltd. (THP) is organizing the event in cooperation with The Philatelist Association of Thailand (P.A.T.) and Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

The exhibition’s venue is located in the center of the capital with advanced and convenient mass transportation services that can support the gathering of all types of city people with purchasing power.

The area is divided into 3 sections; the international postage stamp sales area for 50 booths, the local postage stamp sales area for 50 booths and exhibition area for 1,500 square meters.

World-class standard hotels are available in special prices for all visitor attendance at only 5 minutes distance from the venue and in the middle of shopping arcades.

The main objectives of the Exhibition are:

• To publicize the evolution of Thai postage stamps and encourage activities on stamp collecting to propagate and expand into the Asian region countries.
• To publicize and display postage stamps from the Asian regions.
• To publicize and display competing postage stamps from collectors and make sales distribution.
• To display an Exhibition of the Royal family, the King and Queen of Thailand on the auspicious occasion of their 60th year Wedding Anniversary.

Burke and Wills Stamp

The 150th anniversary of the Burke and Wills expedition, the first South - North crossing of the continent is celebrated with the release of this special stamp issue of August 3, 2010.

On 20 August 1860, the Burke and Wills expedition left Melbourne for the Gulf of Carpentaria. The explorers hoped to be the first Europeans to cross Australia from the south to the north.

While the explorers reached the Gulf, the expedition ended in tragedy. Physically exhausted from their journey, they hoped to find William Brahe and much needed help and supplies at Cooper's Creek. Their expectations were dashed when they learned that Brahe had left Cooper's Creek only hours before their arrival. Burke, Wills and King then set off towards Mt Hopeless, in South Australia.

Despite offers of help from local Aboriginal people, Burke and Wills died on Cooper's Creek in June 1861. The only person to survive was John King, who was found in September by a search party sent from Melbourne.

2010 Philippine Philatelic and Stamp Issues (2nd Quarter)

Here's the second installment of Philippine philatelic and stamp issues released by the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost).

Cebu Stamp Club's CSCI Newsletter July 2010 Issue

The CSCI Newsletter July 2010 issue of Cebu Stamp Club comes up with very interesting articles for those who collect stamps.

Now on its sixth year, the e-newsletter is given for free to Cebu Stamp Club members.

President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III FDC

Here's the official first day cover of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) on July 26, 2010.

This completes the tradition of the Philippine postal administration to release stamps and fdcs of Philippine presidents featuring their inaugurals.

Australian Tax Office Centenary

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) celebrates its 100th year in 2010 and Australia Post has issued a commemorative stamp to mark this historic occasion.

Released today, the ATO stamp is issued on a 60c denomination.

President Benigno S. Aquino III Stamps

Finally it's going to be out in two days! The President Benigno S. Aquino III stamps will be released on July 26, 2010 by the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost).

The stamps are valued at P 7.00 and P 40.00 and relive President Aquino's historical inaugural speech and oathtaking last June 30, 2010 at the Quirino Grandstand at the Rizal Park.

The issuance of the stamps coincides with the first State of the Nation address of the Philippine President.

Prize Winners of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing

On July 24, 2010 the Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus issues a souvenir sheet highlighting the “Prize winners of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing”. The souvenir sheet is designed by Aleksey Nikolaevaskiy.

The games of the XXIX Olympiad were held in Beijing, China on August 8-24, 2008 with Belarus coming up with 181 athletes who took part in 26 events.

On June 2010 the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne resolved to repudiate the charges of doping against Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan and to return to them the silver and bronze medals won at the Olympiad in Beijing.

After the Court resolution the Belarus team took the 15th place among 204 countries that participated in the Games. 30 Belarus athletes won 19 medals: 4 gold, 5 silver and 10 bronze.

Medal Winners at the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver

Belarus will issue 3 stamps featuring “Medal winners at XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver” on July 23, 2010.

According to the results of the XXI Olympic Winter Games 2010, Belarus team took the 17th place. Three of Belarus' sportsmen were on the podium.

The biathlete Darya Domracheva won the bronze medal in the Women’s 15 Kilometre individual race, Sergei Novikov got the silver medal and was the best among Belarus biathletes in the individual race while the freestyler Aleksei Grishin became the Olympic champion.

2010 Philippine Stamp and Philatelic Issues (First Quarter)

The Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) comes out with exciting philatelic items and stamps for 2010.

Photo above features the first quarter issues of those stamps, souvenir sheets and commemorative cover. Among the items worth collecting is the Cory Aquino Birth Anniversary Commemorative Cover released on January 25, 2010.

Australia's For Special Occasions Stamps

For just over a decade Australia Post has regularly released its popular Special Occasions stamp series, the purpose of which is to provide postage stamps for mail relating to specific events and celebrations. Some of the designs in this year's issue are occasion-specific, such as those marking a wedding or the birth of a baby; others, such as the tulip and the balloon designs, can be used for a broader range of occasions. While some stamps are best suited for personal occasions, others, such as the Southern Cross and the wattle stamps, have been designed with the needs of community and business organisations in mind.

Issued on July 19, 2010, all 10 designs can be used as traditional postage stamps, and all but the Southern Cross designs can be used as Personalised Stamps™ .

HongKongs' Biodiversity Stamps

The United Nations declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity to promote the awareness of ecological balance.

In response to this meaningful endeavour, Hongkong Post dedicates this edition to living creatures inhabiting Hong Kong with a set of 4 stamps displaying images of species endemic to Hong Kong.

Irish Fashion Designers

On 15 July, 2010, An Post issued six stamps to honour contemporary Irish Fashion Designers who work under their own name and with their own label, and who have both a national and international reputation.

The designers celebrated are Paul Costelloe, Louise Kennedy, Lainey Keogh, John Rocha, Philip Treacy and Orla Kiely.

Philpost Comes Up With LRTA Stamps

The Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) issues today the commemorative stamps for the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) with the theme “TRENta Anyos, Serbisyong Ayos”.

The Php 7.00 stamps depict the different trains used by the (LRTA) through the years. Another philatelic item worth to collect is the Php 40.00 souvenir sheet showing in a strip of four, featuring all four trains.

Girl Guides of Canada

Through an endless variety of fun-filled activities, the Girl Guides of Canada (GGC) provides girls with opportunities to develop valuable life skills, become self-reliant, build friendships, and develop a sense of well-being and self-worth.

This stamp issue scheduled for release on July 8, 2010 commemorates 100 years of the Girl Guides and Canada. The stamp was designed by Adams+Associates Design Consultants in Toronto.

New Zealand's 2010 Children's Health - Butterflies

Of all the people in our society, our children are surely among the most deserving of unconditional love, unstinting support and opportunities to reach their true potential.

Te Puna Whaiora - the New Zealand Foundation for Child and Family Health and Development - specialises in helping at-risk children aged five to 12 to overcome barriers to healthy lifestyles.

New Zealand Post once again supports its work, with three beautifully illustrated 'butterfly' stamps issued on July 7, 2010 - each with a 10-cent surcharge that goes to support Te Puna Whaiora's seven Children's Health Camps.

This 81st annual Children's Health stamp issue recognises that, like the butterfly, our most vulnerable children sometimes need wings to fly.

Canada's Roadside Attractions

Canada Post comes up on July 5, 2010 the latest Roadside Attraction series.

The new series includes: a 7.3 metre-tall coffee pot in Davidson, Saskatchewan; a giant Happy Rock in Gladstone, Manitoba, an enormous Atlantic Puffin in Longue-Point-de-Mingan, Quebec; and huge large steel Wawa Goose in Wawa, Ontario.

The stamps feature traditional oil paintings by Nova Scotia artist Bonnie Ross. Featured above is the Roadside Attaction souvenir sheet.

Finally Got My Noynoy Aquino Commemorative Covers

During the inauguration day of President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III last June 30, 2010, I was glad to learn that the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) came out with a limited edition commemorative cover issued on the same day. (Read my previous blog on June 30, 2010 that tells more about this cover.)

A friend in Manila informed me that only 2000 pieces were printed. He further added that postal tellers went to the inauguration site and sold 1500 pieces of the cover so that only 500 covers are left for collectors and dealers.

Lucky me, I was among those who got 2 covers with serial numbers 0690 and 0691 respectively.

Philpost sold the covers randomly unmindful of the number sequence. The stamps used on the covers were the last remaining se-tenant pair of the Cory Aquino Memorial Issue released on September 18, 2009. These were cut and placed on individual covers. That makes two covers to collect to complete the set.

As of this writing, I am eagerly waiting for the stamps that will be issued featuring Noynoy's inauguration. Philpost said that it will come out this month as It is always the tradition of the postal service that they come out with these stamps.

The Philippine Presidents Stamp and Photo Exhibit

An upcoming exhibit that Cebu Stamp Club, Incorporated will undertake in September this year is "The Philippine Presidents: A Stamp and Photo Exhibit" which is going to be held in one of the malls here in Cebu City.

Taken from my collections, this exhibit will highlight the stamps and first day covers of all Philippine Presidents from Emilio Aguinaldo to Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III.

Also featured in this exhibit is a collection featuring Philippine History which will include stamps from the Spanish Dominion, American Regime, Commonwealth Period, Japanese Occupation, and the Republic Issues.

Email cebustampclub_inc@yahoo.com if you would like to be a sponsor of this event.

The Philippine Presidents on stamps website will be fully updated with a new page featuring Noynoy and his stamps and will be relaunched on the opening day of the exhibit.

Art Canada, Prudence Heward

Canada Post's July 2, 2010 Art Canada series features two masterpieces created by painter Prudence Heward.

Montréal-born Heward (1896-1947) broke popular artistic trends and gender conventions, gaining unusual distinction as a representational figure painter.

Well aware of women’s then-marginal place in the art world, Heward’s works examine and redefine the female artist.

Despite her short life, Prudence Heward’s influence on Canadian art was substantial. She was a founding member of the Canadian Group of Painters and the Contemporary Arts Society, served on the executive of the avant-garde Atelier group, and was the most well-recognized and acclaimed member of the famous Beaver Hall Group.

The paintings featured on the stamps are: At the Theatre (1928) and Rollande (1929).

Cebu Stamp Club's June 2010 CSCI Newsletter

This month's issue of Cebu Stamp Club's CSCI Newsletter is now available to the club members and patrons of philately.

President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III Takes His Oath Today

For the Philippines, today is a day of hope, a day of change and a day of unity.

The whole country watched as Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III takes his oath of office at exactly 12:00 noon as the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines.

I am glad I voted for him. In spite of his shortcomings, I know that he will be a good president.

To President Noynoy, May God Bless you and this country!

Philpost Issues Noynoy Commemorative Cover

To highlight the inauguration of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III today as the 15th president of the Philippines, the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) issues on the same day the limited edition Commemorative Cover of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III.

The commemorative cover features a cachet of Noynoy but the stamp used is the 7-peso President Cory Aquino Memorial stamp 2nd edition issued on September 18, 2010. Because the Cory stamp came out in a se-tenant issue, the other design featuring Cory flashing the L-sign (Laban) is also used.

The cover is valued at 15.00 but Philpost has released only 2,000 pieces of the cover. Each FDC has a unique number on the left edge so that each FDC will be different from each other.

Update 07.01.10:

My friend and Cebu Stamp Club member Henry Chua informed me that during the inauguration ceremony of President Benigno Aquino III which was a holiday, post office tellers went to the inauguration site and sold out 1,500 of the 2,000 covers made. The remaining 500 pcs. were quickly bought by stamp dealers and collectors.

Noynoy-mania Hits the Country!

With just a day before his inauguration as the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino's popularity has exploded into a marketing event.

Noynoy-mania has hit the whole country by storm. Various merchandises featuring the next president are now sold in stores as well as in cyberspace such as eBay.

These items include Noynoy yellow t-shirts, Noynoy inaugural watches, Noynoy dolls, fans, cups, button pins, hats, umbrellas and a lot more.

It's quite interesting because this is the first time that a Philippine president has become a marketing sensation.

I'd love to get hold of a Noynoy watch and the new Time magazine featuring the president-elect. Of course, I can't wait to have the stamps with the FDC's too.

Australia's Adopted and Adored

To raise awareness of responsible dog ownership and support the dedicated work of organisations re-homing lost and abandoned dogs, a special stamp issue is released on June 29, 2010 by Australia Post.

The stamps designed by Simone Sakinofsky feature five dogs that are given a second chance. The dogs have spent time in a shelter before being adopted into adoring new families.

All the stamps are valued at 60 cents each.

Fishes of the Reef

With the basic postage rate going to 60c, Australia Post issues on June 28, 2010 a new and colourful definitive issue titled Fishes of the Reef. This issue is in two parts with Part 1 issued on 21 June 2010 and part 2 issued on 28 June 2010, when the new postage rates become valid.

Australia's tropical and subtropical waters support an astounding range of marine life, particularly in the reef areas. The largest coral reef system in the world, the Great Barrier Reef spans more than 2,000 kilometres of our north-eastern coast. This area alone is home to an estimated 1,500 species of fishes, up to 8,000 species of molluscs and 360 species of corals. Fishes are an important part of reef ecology and the eight fish species in this stamp issue occupy the waters of Great Barrier Reef. Several are also found around reefs off northern and Western Australia.

United Nations 65th Anniversary Stamps

The United Nations Postal Administration comes out with three sheets of 15 stamps and three souvenir sheets today June 28, 2010 to celebrate the sixty fifth anniversary of the United Nations.

The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and a majority of other signatories. United Nations Day is celebrated on October 24 each year.

As the world celebrates this milestone, it is recognized that throughout its 65-year history the United Nations has played an integral part in shaping global events through its humanitarian and peacekeeping activities.

Australian Beaches

Australia Post releases today three of Australia's most renowned and beautiful beaches.

Located within Mt William National Park in north-eastern Tasmania, The Bay of Fires has rocks and stones along the beach that are visible reminders of the land bridge once connecting Tasmania to the mainland.

Cape Tribulation, in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in northern Queensland, is in one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. The Eastern Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people are the traditional owners of this area.

In the east of Esperance in Cape Le Grand is Hellfire Bay, one of Western Australia's best known and most spectacular national parks.

All three stamps were designed by Janet Boschen.