Yugoslavian Anthem Lyrics and Score on FDC

The National anthem of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 1918–1929) was created in December 1918 from the national anthems of the Kingdom's main three constituent historical provinces: Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia. In those times the official authorities considered the three nations, Croats, Serbs and Slovenes as one nation with three names. The official language was thus called the Serbo-Croato-Slovene language. Although a law on the national anthem did not exist, the anthems of all three South Slavic nations were unified into a single anthem of the Kingdom. It started with a few measures from the Serbian anthem "Bože pravde", continued with a few lines from the Croatian anthem "Lijepa naša domovino", which were in turn followed by a few lines from the traditional Slovenian anthem "Naprej zastava slave". The anthem finished with some lines from the Serbian anthem again. It was officially used between 1919 and 1941. There was no official document that declared the anthem invalid, or void. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was not in effect after the April capitulation.

A Unique Rizal Stamp

I have several Jose Rizal stamps in my collection, but the 1941 apple-hued 2c Commonwealth Regular is one of a kind. This stamp features the young Rizal as rendered by the New York photographer Elaine Rawlinson. The image on this stamp was copied from a menu card which won a stamp design contest sponsored by the Asociacion Filateleca de Filipinas. The stamp cause quite a stir among keen philatelist who noticed that Rizal's hair was parted on the right instead of the usual left! This is the only Rizal stamp which portrays his hair as such.

This stamp also became the first stamp of a series of postage stamps bearing the inscription "United States of America- Commonwealth of the Philippines". This replaced the the 1935 Commonwealth overprint series and as the last of the pre-war issues.

I acquired a few of the stamps bearing this inscription and these include the 1906 Jose Rizal PI-USA stamp- the first Jose Rizal stamp ever issued and the first stamp featuring a Filipino, the 1935 Pictorial Stamp 2 c Red Rizal Issue, the 1936 75th Birth Anniversary Issue, and the 2c sepia 1946 Rizal Regular and Official Issue released on May 28, 1946. This stamp was the last stamp released by the American Administrations Commonwealth because on July 4 of that same year, the Republic of the Philippines was born.

Levi Celerio on Stamps

Levi Celerio was a Filipino composer and lyricist, born on April 30, 1910 in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. He received a free education to the Academy of Music in Manila and became the youngest affiliate of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. He was a creative songwriter, with more than 4,000 songs to his acclaim including Filipino folk, Christmas, and love songs that are popular pieces, which many consider to be immortal. Famous for being a lyricist, his songs treasure life; express nationalistic sentiments and complete grand philosophies. At one instance or another, no Filipino can miss the song or lyrics of Levi's Christmas songs namely Pasko na Naman, Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, and Misa de Gallo. He is probably best recognized for being a leaf-player, an achievement where he was place into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The stamp above features the composer Levi Celerio playing the violin. The stamp is one in a set of 4 honoring Filipino National Artists issued on November 11, 2010.

An outstanding public servant and World War II hero, Roque Ablan was born on August 9, 1906 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte to Victor Ablan and Raymunda Blanco. He obtained his Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1929 and Bachelor of Laws degree in 1930 from the University of the Philippines. That same year, he took the bar examinations, placing 9th among the successful examinees.

As a young lawyer, Ablan dedicated himself to helping the poor. In 1937 at age 31 he was elected governor of Ilocos Norte making him the youngest provincial executive of his time. The establishment of Ilocos Norte Provincial Hospital and the Philippine Normal School in Laoag were among his outstanding achievements. He also caused the beautification of the provincial capital, the revival of rural credit associations, and the organization of producers' cooperatives. Admired by the people, he was re-elected in 1941.

When World War II broke out, Ablan refused to cooperate with the Japanese. He left the provincial capitol in Laoag and transferred the seat of government to a remote barrio near the boundary of Ilocos Norte and Apayao. He contacted and enlisted the support of government officials, prominent citizens, and trainees and organized a guerrilla unit. In mid-January 1942, together with Lt. Feliciano Madamba, he organized the Ablan-Madamba Guerrilla Group of Northern Luzon. This group was involved in various skirmishes against the Japanese among them was a successful ambush of Japanese forces at Pampanniki, Solsona on 08 November 1942.

The Ablan-Madamba group was recognized by General Douglas MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Area Command which sent the submarine USS Stingray to contact Ablan and deliver arms and supplies for his resistance movement in August 1944.

The Ablan-Madamba guerrillas were a scourge of the Japanese who urged him to surrender and collaborate with them. Ablan was offered governorship of Ilocos Norte but he refused. .

Ablan was last seen following the battle of Bumitalag, Piddig on 5 February 1943. His heroic deeds have earned for him an honored place in the country's history.

Nick Joaquin on Stamps

Nick Joaquin was a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his short stories and novels. He was also one of the National Artists of the Philippines for Literature. After winning a Dominican Order-sponsored nationwide essay competition for La Naval de Manila, the University of Santo Tomas awarded Joaquín an honorary Associate in Arts (A.A.) and a scholarship to St. Albert's College, the Dominican monastery in Hong Kong. However, he dropped out after only a year. Upon his return to the Philippines, he joined the Philippines Free Press, starting as a proofreader. Soon this two-time dropout was being noticed for his poems, stories and plays, as well as his journalism under the pen name Quijano de Manila. His journalism was markedly both intellectual and provocative, an unknown genre in the Philippines at that time, raising the level of reportage in the country. Joaquín deeply admired José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. Joaquín paid tribute to Rizal by way of books such as The Storyteller's New Medium - Rizal in Saga, The Complete Poems and Plays of Jose Rizal and A Question of Heroes: Essays in Criticism on Ten Key Figures of Philippine History. He also translated the hero's valedictory poem, "Land That I Love, Farewell!"

Fernando Poe Jr. on Stamps

Fernando Poe Jr. was a Filipino actor and cultural icon. From the 1950s, Poe played steadfast film heroes who fight for the common man, which won him respect and admiration. He did not complete high school but went on to win numerous awards and prizes as an actor and film director. During the latter part of his career, he ran an unsuccessful bid for President of the Philippines in the 2004 presidential election against the former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He was honored on May 24, 2006 as Philippine National Artist through Philippine Proclamation No. 1065. In 1965, he shared the lead in The Ravagers, a film depicting the United States and the Philippines working together against Japanese war time occupation. The film is considered one of the most influential Filipino films, and it helped establish Fernando Poe, Jr.'s status as a movie icon. Poe became an award-winning actor and garnered the most best actor awards at the FAMAS. Among the movies that received awards were Mga Alabok ng Lupa (1967), Asedillo (1971), Durugin si Totoy Bato, Umpisahan Mo, Tatapusin Ko (1983), and Muslim Magnum .357 (1987).

Carlos L. Quirino on Stamps

Carlos L. Quirino was a prominent historian and writer. He is a National Artist for Historical Literature. He was also the first Filipino correspondent for the United Press Institute. Quirino was one of the pioneers of the genre of historical literature in English. He was also renowned for his many biographies of important Filipinos. In particular, he is known for having written one of the earliest biographies in English of Jose Rizal, entitled, The Great Malayan. His books and articles covered and captured many aspects of Philippine history and culture. In 1997, President Fidel V. Ramos added historical literature as a new category in the National Artist Awards and Quirino was its first recipient. His path-breaking books on cartography, Philippine Cartography (1959) and Maps and Views of Old Maynila, are still considered as the best books on the subject. His other books include Quezon, Man of Destiny, Magsaysay of the Philippines, Lives of the Philippine Presidents, The History of Philippine Sugar Industry, Filipinos at War: The Fight for Freedom from Mactan to EDSA. He was the brains behind the monumental Filipiniana Book Guild, a 28-volume project dedicated to publishing classic Philippine books.

Leonor Orosa Goquingco on Stamps

Leonor Orosa Goquingco is a Filipino national artist in creative dance. She could play the piano, draw, design scenery and costumes, sculpt, act, direct, dance and choreograph. Her pen name was Cristina Luna and she was known as Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine Theater Dance and Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics. In 1939, Leonor was the only dancer sent on the first cultural mission to Japan, at the age of 19. She produced Circling the Globe (1939) and Dance Panorama in the same year. She created The Elements in 1940, the first ballet choreographed by a Filipino to commissioned music. She also created Sports during the same year, featuring cheerleaders, a tennis match and a basketball game. The first Philippine folkloric ballet, Trend: Return to the Native, was choreographed by Goquingco in 1941. After the Second World War, she organized the Philippine Ballet and brought the famous Filipino novel, Noli Me Tangere, to life. The Noli Dance Suite consisted of several dances. Maria Clara and the Leper, Salome and Elias, Sisa, Asalto for Maria Clara and The Gossips are some of the dances found in the Noli Dance Suite.

The stamp above features the dancer, Leonora Orosa Goquingco. The stamp is one in a set of 4 honoring Filipino National Artists issued on November 11, 2010.

Maria Clara on Stamps

María Clara, whose full name is María Clara de los Santos, is the mestiza heroine in Noli Me Tangere, a novel by José Rizal, the national hero of the Republic of the Philippines. Maria Clara is the childhood sweetheart and fiancée of Noli Me Tangere's hero, Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin, the son of Don Rafael Ibarra. Although raised as Santiago "Kapitan Tiyago" de los Santos’s daughter, Maria Clara is the illegitimate offspring of Father Dámaso, a Spanish friar, and Doña Pía Alba. Doña Alba is the wife of Kapitan Tiyago, who are both native Filipinos.

Father Damaso (also known as Padre Damaso) is known to Maria Clara as a godfather. Maria Clara never met her mother because Doña Alba died during the delivery of her daughter. She grew under the guidance and supervision of Tía Isabél, Kapitan Tiyago's cousin. While her boyfriend Crisostomo Ibarra was travelling in Europe, Kapitan Tiyago sent her to the Beaterio de Santa Clara, a convent where she developed femininity under religion. Later in the novel, Maria Clara discovers the truth that Father Damaso is her biological father.

In the novel, Maria Clara is regarded as the most beautiful and widely celebrated lady in the town of San Diego. Maria Clara, being religious, the epitome of virtue, “demure and self-effacing” and endowed with beauty, grace, and charm, was promoted by Rizal as the “ideal image” of a Filipino woman who deserves to be placed on the “pedestal of male honor”. In Chapter 5 of Noli Me Tangere, Maria Clara and her traits were further described by Rizal as an “Oriental decoration” with “downcast” eyes and a “pure soul”.

The stamp above of Maria Clara was issued on 1952.

Eraño Manalo on Stamps

On April 23, 2010, The Philippine Postal Corporation issued a stamp of Eraño G. Manalo, Executive Minister of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC). It is classified as a “Special” kind of issue with a denomination of P 7.00 and quantity of 100,000 pieces.

Eraño de Guzman Manalo (January 2, 1925 – August 31, 2009), who is also known as Ka Erdy, was the second Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo, serving from 1963 until 2009. He took over the administration of the church after the death of his father, Felix Manalo, in 1963. He was instrumental in the propagation and expansion of the church internationally. He previously held office as the General Treasurer of the church, and as a District Minister of Manila.

He was the fifth child of Felix Y. Manalo and Honorata de Guzman. His name came from the word "New Era" which his father described as a "New Christian Era" when the Iglesia ni Cristo was established. On January 17, 1955, Ka Erdy married Christina Villanueva with who he has six children- Eduardo, Felix Nathaniel, Marco Eraño, Lolita, Erlinda and Liberty.

Manalo passed away on August 31, 2009 at the age of 84.

Dr. Jose Rizal on Stamps

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896), was a Filipino polymath, nationalist and the most prominent advocate for reforms in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is the country's national hero and the anniversary of Rizal's death is commemorated as a Philippine holiday called Rizal Day. Rizal's 1896 military trial and execution made him a martyr of the Philippine Revolution.

The seventh of eleven children born to a wealthy family in the town of Calamba, Laguna, Rizal attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, earning a Bachelor of Arts. He enrolled in Medicine and Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas and then traveled alone to Madrid, Spain, where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid, earning the degree of Licentiate in Medicine.

He attended the University of Paris and earned a second doctorate at the University of Heidelberg. Rizal was a polyglot conversant in at least ten languages. He was a prolific poet, essayist, diarist, correspondent, and novelist whose most famous works were his two novels, Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. These are social commentaries on the Philippines that formed the nucleus of literature that inspired dissent among peaceful reformists and spurred the militancy of armed revolutionaries from the Spanish colonial authorities.

Marcela Agoncillo on Stamps

Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo (June 24, 1860 – May 30, 1946), also simply known as Marcela Agoncillo, was a Filipina renowned in Philippine history as the principal seamstress of the first and official flag of the Philippines, gaining her the title of Mother of the Philippine Flag.

Agoncillo was a daughter of a rich family in her hometown of Taal, Batangas. Finishing her studies at Sta. Catalina College, she acquired her learning in music and feminine crafts. At the age of 30, Agoncillo married Filipino lawyer and jurist Don Felipe Agoncillo and bore him six children. Her marriage led to her important role in Philippine history. When her husband was exiled to Hong Kong during the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, Agoncillo and the rest of the family joined him and temporarily resided there to avoid the anti-Filipino hostility of some foreign countries. While in Hong Kong, General Emilio Aguinaldo requested her to sew a flag that would represent their country. Agoncillo, her eldest daughter and a friend manually sewed the flag in accordance with General Aguinaldo's design which later became the official flag of the Philippines.

While the flag itself is the perpetual legacy of Agoncillo, she is also commemorated through museums and monuments like the marker in Hong Kong (where her family temporarily sojourned), at her ancestral home in Taal, Batangas which has been turned into a museum, in paintings by notable painters as well as through other visual arts.

Agoncillo was born on June 24, 1860 in Taal, Batangas, Philippines to Francisco Mariño and Eugenia Coronel. She grew up in their ancestral house in Batangas built in the 1770s by her grandfather, Andres Marino. As a daughter of a rich and religious family, Agoncillo was referred to in their town as Roselang Hubog which means "a virgin enthroned in the town church". Stories told in the area related that people kept waiting patiently by the church patio for her appearance in the morning to attend mass accompanied either by a maid or an elder relative.

She was sent to a convent after her education in Manila. The convent she was studying in was the Sta. Catalina College of the Dominican nuns, an exclusive school for girls, established in the Walled City of Intramuros where she finished her elementary and secondary education. In college, she learned Spanish, music, the feminine crafts and social graces. She spent her girlhood partly in their hometown and partly in the convent. Accordingly, Agoncillo was skilled in needlework.

Agoncillo and her daughters stayed in Hong Kong from 1895 to 1906. She took care of their house, which became an asylum. Their funds had run out because of the heavy expenses incurred by Don Felipe for his diplomatic activities in France and in the United States. She once had to sell the children's pinafores[16] and their jewels[10] to support her family and to pay for their voyage back to Manila. The other money was also used to help boost the revolutionary funds. Their support for the revolution made them an impoverished family; however, they gained it back when Don Felipe returned to his profession.

After the fall of the first Philippine Republic and the establishment of the American regime, Agoncillo and her family ended their exile and went back to Manila as soon as they were fetched by Don Felipe after his diplomatic activities abroad had ended. The Agoncillos settled in their family house in Malate. After the death of Don Felipe, Agoncillo's remaining family suffered from starvation due to their meager supply of food, water and other needs. The Japanese conquerors also contributed to their anguish during the period of the Japanese invasion. Taking this all in stride, Marcela remained pragmatic and a source of inspiration. After their house was incinerated during the Japanese occupation, all she said to her remaining daughters was "We will then have to go to Taal."

Though she endured the 1945 Battle of Manila, the health of Agoncillo, who was alternatively called "Doña Marcela" and "Lola Celay" during her old age, was steadily deteriorating. She continued to mourn her deceased husband to such an extent that her daughters found it necessary to hide all his remaining photographs. On May 30, 1946, she quietly died in Manila at the age of 86. Her mortal remains were brought from Taal to Manila and interred alongside her husband in the Catholic cemetery of La Loma according to the wishes of her last will.

The stamp above was issued in 1973.

Norberto Romualdez Sr.on Stamps

Norberto Romuáldez y López (June 6, 1875 - November 4, 1941) (often referred to as Norberto Romuáldez, Sr. to distinguish him from his son with the same name) was a Philippine writer, politician, jurist and statesman. He was the first Romuáldez to attain national prominence, and is deemed the "Father of the Law on the National Language". He was the uncle of Imelda Marcos, the daughter of his youngest brother Vicente Orestes.

Romuáldez grew up in Leyte to miguel romualdez and first achieved status as a writer in the Waray-Waray language. His first Waray zarzuela was An Pagtabang ni San Miguel (The Aid of Saint Michael).

In 1908, Romuáldez wrote Bisayan Grammar and Notes on Bisayan Rhetoric and Poetic and Filipino Dialectology, a treatise on the grammar of the Waray-Waray language. The following year (1909) he founded the Sanghiran san Binisaya ha Samar ug Leyte (Academy of the Visayan Language of Samar and Leyte) for the purpose of promoting and intellectualizing Waray-Waray. Romuáldez was also fluent in other languages like Spanish, English, and Cebuano.

Romuáldez served as an Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court during the American Period. He was also a participant in the 1934-1935 Constitutional Convention which resulted in the 1935 Constitution for the Philippine Commonwealth. Romuáldez died in 1941 after an undisclosed illness.

The stamp was issued in 1975.

Lope K. Santos on Stamps

Lope K. Santos (September 25, 1879 – May 1, 1963) was a Tagalog language writer from the Philippines. Aside from being a writer, he was also a lawyer, politician, critic, labor leader and considered as "Father of the Philippine National Language and Grammar". He was a Freemason.

Santos was born in Pasig, Rizal, Philippines (now a part of Metro Manila) - as Lope C. Santos - to Ladislao Santos and Victoria Canseco, both natives of Rizal province. He used Kanseko instead of Canseco for his middle name to show his nationalism. During his time, the letter C had begun falling out of use in favor of the letter K in the Tagalog alphabet. Santos studied at Escuela Normal Superior de Maestros (Normal Superior School of Teachers) and Escuela de Derecho (Law School); and got his Bachelor of Arts degree in Colegio Filipino (Filipino College). He became an expert in dupluhan, a popular poetical debate competition in his time, which can be compared to balagtasan, a similar contest but with shorter discourse.

In 1900, he served as editor on publications written in Tagalog, such as Muling Pagsilang (Rebirth) and Sampaguita, which he founded. Through Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, he was appointed as director of the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa (National Language Institute). Santos became governor of Rizal province from 1910 to 1913, and governor of Nueva Vizcaya from 1918 to 1920. During the 5th Philippine Legislature, he also served as Senator in the Twelfth District under the Nacionalista Party.

In February 10, 1963, Santos married Simeona Salazar and they had 5 children. He had an operation for his liver disease but later died. Santos' last request on his deathbed was to make Tagalog a National Language of the Philippines.

The stamp was issued in 1963.

Rafael Palma on Stamps

Rafael Palma (24 October 1874 – 24 May 1939) was a Filipino politician, newspaperman and mason. He wrote for the newspapers La Independencia, El Nuevo Dia, and La Renacimiento.

Palma was born on 24 October 1874 in Tondo, Manila. He attended public schools in Tondo for his elementary and secondary education and went to Ateneo de Manila for college. He also earned a degree in Law from the University of Santo Tomas.

He started working for La Independencia after the death of Antonio Luna as an editor under the pen name "Dapit Hapon." He later studied law while keeping his post as the editor of El Renacimiento, the most influential newspaper in Manila during the Spanish colonial period. He was elected as an assemblyman and later as a senator in 1916.

He became the first Filipino president of the University of the Philippines and held the post for a decade. In 1933, Manuel Quezon threatened to cut UP's appropriation due to Palma's championing of the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act. This led to Palma's resignation as UP president. He ran once again for the Senate but was defeated by Juan Sumulong. He was later appointed by Manuel Quezon as chairman of the National Board of Education.

In 1907, Palma was initiated as a mason in Bagong Buhay Lodge No. 17 and was passed and raised in the same lodge in 1908. Later, he affiliated with Sinukuan Lodge No. 16 where he became the Master in 1915. In the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Palma was a member of Lakandula Lodge of Perfection, Wise Master of the Chapter of Rose Croix, Malcampo Council, Knight of Kadosh and Rizal Consistory. He became a Grand Master of Masons in the Philippines in 1920 and was elected Knight Commander of the Court a year later.

The stamp was issued in 1974.

Pio Valenzuela on Stamps

Pío Valenzuela (July 11, 1869-April 6, 1956) was a Filipino physician and patriot who was among the leaders of the Katipunan that started the Philippine Revolution against Spain. Valenzuela City in northern Metro Manila was named after him.

He wrote his memoirs of the Philippine Revolution in the 1920s, but historians have since been wary of his autobiography because of some inconsistencies in his version of events, particularly about his meeting with José Rizal in Dapitan in 1896. Valenzuela was the first mayor (American regime) of municipality of Polo (now Valenzuela City) from 1899-1900 before he became the governor of Bulacan province from 1921-1925.

Valenzuela was born in Polo, Bulacan (Now Barangay Polo, Valenzuela City) to Francisco Valenzuela and Lorenza Alejandrino, who both came from wealthy families. After he was tutored at home, he was brought to Manila to study at Colegio de San Juan de Letran. In 1888, he enrolled at University of Santo Tomas and finished his Licenciado en Medicina in 1895. He practices his profession in Manila and Bulacan.

In July 1892, when he was a medical student and the Katipunan was barely a week old, he joined this secret organization. He became a close friend of its founder, Andrés Bonifacio, and was godfather to the Supremo’s and Gregoria de Jesús’s first child. After their house burned down, Bonifacio and his family lived with Valenzuela in the latter’s house.

He was elected fiscal of the secret society in December 1895. He was inducted together with the other elected officials at Bonifacio's home on New Year's Day in 1896. Shortly after his induction, Valenzuela moved to San Nicolas district in Manila so he could supervise the publication of the secret society's official organ. Valenzuela claimed in his memoirs that he was supposed to be the editor of the publication but Emilio Jacinto would eventually be the one to supervise its printing.

Valenzuela said he was the one who suggested the name Kalayaan (Freedom) for the publication. To mislead the Spanish authorities, he also suggested that they place the name of Marcelo H. del Pilar as editor and Yokohama, Japan as the place of publication.

Kalayaan's first number, dated January 18, 1896, came out in March 1896 and consisted of a thousand copies which was distributed to Katipunan members all over the country. However, the publication only came out with one more issue because the Katipunan had already been uncovered by the Spanish authorities. He considered the publication of Kalayaan as the most important accomplishment of the secret chamber of the Katipunan, which he claimed consisted of himself, Bonifacio and Jacinto.

In a meeting of the secret chamber in July 1896, they decided to assassinate the Spanish Augustinian friar who uncovered the Katipunan to the authorities, but they failed to accomplish the mission. Valenzuela also claimed that after the discovery of the Katipunan, he and Bonifacio distributed letters implicating wealthy Filipinos, who refused to extend financial assistance to the Katipunan.

He was a member of the committee that was tasked to smuggle arms for the Katipunan from Japan. He was also with Bonifacio, Jacinto and Procopio Bonifacio when they organized the Katipunan council in Cavite. At the secret general meeting called by Bonifacio on the night of May 1, 1896 at Barrio Ugong in Pasig, Valenzuela presented to the body a proposal to solicit contributions to buy arms and munitions from Japan. The proposal was approved on condition that it first be approved by José Rizal, who was in exile in Dapitan in Mindanao.

Valenzuela was tasked to discuss the matter with Rizal and he left for Dapitan on June 15, 1896. However, Rizal told him that the revolution should not be started until sufficient arms had been secured and the support of the wealthy Filipinos had been won over. When the Katipunan was discovered, he fled to Balintawak on August 20, 1896, but he later availed of an amnesty that the Spanish colonial government offered and he surrendered on September 1, 1896. He was deported to Spain where he was tried and imprisoned in Madrid. He was later transferred to Málaga, Barcelona and then to a Spanish outpost in Africa. He was incarcerated for about two years.

He returned to the Philippines in April 1899. In Manila, he was denounced to the American Military authorities as a radical propagandist and once more imprisoned up September of the same year. To suppress aggressive leadership upon his release, he was made municipal president of Polo. From 1902 to 1919, he served as president of the military division of his district. From 1919 to 1925, he served the people of Bulacan for two terms as provincial executive. As governor, he was uncompromising against graft and corruption in the government.

After he retired from politics, he wrote his memoirs on the revolutionary days. He also practiced his medical profession, but only for philanthropic purposes. He was married to Marciana Castro by whom he had seven children. Early in the morning of April 6, 1956, he died in his hometown.

The stamp above was issued in 1974.

Josefa Llanes Escoda on Stamps

Josefa Llanes Escoda (September 20, 1898–c. January 6, 1945) was a well-known Filipino advocate of women's right of suffrage and founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines.

Escoda was born in Dingras, Ilocos Norte. She was the eldest of the seven children of Mercedes Madamba and Gabriel Llanes. She was valedictorian in grade school and salutatorian in high school in Ilocos Norte. She went to Philippine Normal School in Manila to earn her teaching degree, and graduated with honors in 1919. While working as a teacher, she earned a high school teachers certificate from the University of the Philippines in 1922.

After obtaining her teacher's certificate, she became a social worker for the Philippine Chapter of the American Red Cross (the Philippines was a colony of the United States at the time). The Red Cross granted her a scholarship to the United States, where she earned a masteral degree in Sociology.

During her first trip to the United States, while she was at the Women's International League for Peace (1925), she met Antonio Escoda, a reporter from the Philippine Press Bureau whom she later married. They had two children, Maria Theresa, and Antonio. Also in 1925, she received a Master's Degree in Social Work from Columbia University.

She returned to the United States again in 1933 to undergo training in Girl Scouting sponsored by the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. Afterwards, she returned to the Philippines to train young women to become Girl Scout leaders, then proceeded to organize the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. On May 26, 1940, President Manuel L. Quezon signed the charter of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. Josefa became the group's first National Executive.

During World War II, Japanese forces invaded the Philippines. Escoda's husband was arrested in June 1944, and she was also arrested two months later, on August 27. She was imprisoned in Fort Santiago, the same prison as her husband, Colonel Antonio Escoda, who was executed in 1944, along with General Vicente Lim, who was imprisoned with him. She was last seen on January 6, 1945. She was then evidently taken and held in one of the buildings of Far Eastern University occupied by the Japanese. It is presumed that she was executed and buried in an unmarked grave in the La Loma Cemetery which Japanese forces used as an execution and burial ground for thousands of Filipinos who resisted the occupation.

The stamp above was issued on 1973.

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III Stamps

Last July 26, 2010, the Philippine Postal Corporation issued two new stamps of President Benigno S. Aquino III. It is classified as a “Special” kind of issue with denominations of P 7.00 and P 40.00 and quantity of 350,000 pieces and 100,000 pieces, respectively.

The said stamps relive the historical moments of President Aquino’s inaugural speech and oath-taking last June 30, 2010 at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park. These newly issued stamps are a nice addition to the Commemorative stamps and first day cover issued on the day of his inauguration last June 30, 2010.

The technical description of the President Benigno S. Aquino III stamps are as follows: Kind of Issue: Special, Denomination and Quantity: Php7.00 / 350,000 pieces, Php 40.00/100,000 pieces, Date of Issue: July 26, 2010, Last date of Sale: July 25, 2011 (or as stocks allow), Size: 40 mm x 30 mm (Php 7.00), 30 mm x 40 mm (Php 40.00), Sheet Composition: 16 on (4 x 4), Kind of Printing: Litho offset, Paper: Unwatermarked, Printer: Amstar Company, Inc., Photographer: Jay Narvaez Morales, Designer/ Layout Artist: Jesus Alfredo Delos Santos, Design Coordinators: Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak, Elenita San Diego, Design: Oathtaking and the Inaugural Speech of President Benigno S. Aquino III last June 30, 2010 at the Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park.

Manuel S. Enverga on Stamps

Dr. Manuel S. Enverga, founder: president of the Luzonian University which he converted into a foundation that now bears his name, the Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation in Lucena City, and Representative of the First District of Quezon from 1953 to 1968, spent the remaining years of his retirement from politics nurturing the growth of the higher education institution he founded to provide affordable, relevant, and quality education to his countrymen and to write about his vision for the country, foremost of which was to advance the nationalist cause .

A staunch nationalist, Congressman Enverga authored the change of the celebration of Independence Day from July 4 to June 12 which President Diosdado Macapagal adopted and signed into an executive order. He also spearheaded the reexamination of Philippine foreign policy to open trade, scientific and economic cooperation with socialist countries to reduce dependence on the traditional American market, an advocacy that was clearly ahead of his time. Congressman Enverga has advanced the nationalist cause to a remarkable degree by the sober way in which he spearheaded the move to make foreign policy long shackled to antiquated but no less dangerous cold war myths responsive to the realities of the 1960s.

One of his major speeches in the House of Representatives which dwelt on the military danger and economic disadvantages posed by the American bases in the country has earned the praise of his more enlightened colleagues in the intellectual community. Congressman Enverga has also conceptualized the archipelagic principle that has now been enshrined in the definition of the country’s boundaries under the Philippine Constitution. He was born on January 1, 1909 and celebrates his centenary on January 1, 2009.

The stamp was issued on January 5, 2009

Eduardo A. Quisumbing on Stamps

Eduardo Quisumbíng y Argüelles (1895, Santa Cruz, Laguna–1986) was a leading authority of plants in the Philippines.

He earned his BSA at University of the Philippines Los Baños in 1918, his MS at the University of the Philippines Los Baños in 1921, and Ph. D. in Plant Taxonomy, Systematics and Morphology (biology) at the University of Chicago in 1923.

From 1920-26 he was attached to the College of Agriculture in U.P., and from 1926-28 to the University of California; in 1928 he was appointed Systematic Botanist and from February 1934 Acting Chief of the Natural Museum Division of the Bureau of Science, Manila, equivalent to the present Director of the National Museum. When assigned to the U.S. Navy in Guiuau, at the southern tip of Samar, he undertook collections in that region. He retired as Director in November 1961, and was for some years attached to the Araneta University. Dr. Quisumbing undertook restoration of the Herbarium which was completely destroyed during the war.

Dr. Quisumbing was the author of taxonomic and morphological papers, many of which dealt with orchids, including ‘Medicinal Plants in the Philippines’ (Manila 1951). Saccolabium quisumbingii was named in his honor. He was recipient of the Distinguished Service Star (1954) for outstanding contribution to the field of systematic botany; Diploma of Merit on Orchidology and Fellow Gold Medal, Malaysian Orchid Society (1966); Gold Medal, American Orchid Society and 1975 PhilAAS Most Outstanding Award.

The stamp above was issued on June 1, 1995.