Lt. Cesar Fernando Basa on Stamps

The Basa Airbase in Floridablanca, Pampanga was named after this brave pilot, the first to sacrifice himself against the Japanese. Lt. Basa had downed many Zero pilots in the fierce defense of the Batangas airfield before he was himself gunned down by the enemy.

Cesar Fernando Basa was a Filipino pilot and hero of World War II. Born in 1915, he was one of the pioneer fighter pilots in the Philippine Air Force and the first Filipino casualty during World War II.

Basa's fight took place at Batangas Field on the morning of December 12, 1941 when fifty-four Japanese bombers and fighter escorts raided the base. Five Filipino fighter pilots, led by Captain Jesus Villamor, engaged the numerically superior enemy in aerial combat at 12,000 feet. Lieutenant Basa arrived on the scene from an air patrol mission with only 15 minutes of fuel left in his tanks but attempted to join his comrades in the fight. While still half the distance away, he was intercepted by seven Japanese fighters and shot down. Although he bailed out, he was strafed with machine-gun fire by the A6M Zero fighters. Captain Villamor and his fighters won the battle with the only casualty being Lieutenant Basa, leading to Captain Villamor being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross a second time, earning him an Oak Leaf Cluster. In recognition of his heroism, Lieutenant Basa was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.

The stamp was issued on December 12, 1955.

Cayetano Arellano on Stamps

Cayetano Arellano was appointed as the first Filipino Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1899. In 1904, he was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt to represent the Philippines at the International Congress of Jurists in St. Louis, Missouri.

Cayetano L. Arellano (March 2, 1847 – December 23, 1920) was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines under the American Civil Government. He was Chief Justice from 1901 until his retirement on April 12, 1920, making him the longest serving Chief Justice.

Born in Orion, Bataan, He started as a working student in San Juan de Letran. After finishing his High School he transferred to University of Santo Tomas, where he finished his Bachelor of Philosophy in 1862 and Bachelor of Theology in 1867, he then continued studying and finished law in 1876. During the Spanish regime, he was appointed Magistrado Suplente of the Audiencia Tribunal de Manila. He later become the Chief Justice of the Provisional Supreme Court created by the military in 1899.

Arellano, together with Pedro Paterno, Benito Legarda, Florentino Torres and Felipe Buencamino, testified before the Schurman Commission that the Philippines was not yet ready for self-rule. They together form the Federalista Party to "promote the annexation of the Philippines as a state". In lieu of this objective, they petitioned the U.S. Congress to create representation, as well as a Philippine Congress and a federal Court.

Upon the onset of the American civil government in 1901, William Howard Taft appointed Arellano as the first Supreme Court Chief Justice.

Many historians doubt the legacy of Arellano, for being one of the persons who literally 'placed' the Philippines under American Rule, he was considered a lackey of the American rule in the Philippines. It was shown that he was pro-American from the start.

However, his judicial expertise and know-how was one of the reasons why he was chosen to be the first leader of the Philippine Judiciary. All misgivings about his motives have been erased by the fact that he gave honor to the office of the Supreme Court to a high degree that remains unsurpassed.

Arellano High School in Sta. Cruz, Manila is named after him. Arellano gave his name to Arellano University, opened in 1938 as the Arellano Law College. The School had multiple campuses, including a law school.

The stamp was issued on May 1, 1963.

Ninoy Aquino on Stamps

As a leading opposition figure during the Marcos administration, "Ninoy" spent many years in jail. He was allowed to go to the United States of America for health reasons. His assassination upon his return at the Manila International Airport roused the Filipinos from their apathy anad led the way to the People Power Revolution of 1986 which ousted Marcos. His murder remains unsolved to this day.

Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. (November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Philippine Senator, Governor of Tarlac, and an opposition leader against President Ferdinand Marcos. He was assassinated at the Manila International Airport (later renamed in his honor) upon returning home from exile in the United States. His death catapulted his widow, Corazon Aquino, to the limelight and subsequently to the presidency, replacing the 20-year Marcos regime. In 2004, the anniversary of his death was proclaimed as a national holiday now known as Ninoy Aquino Day.

Although Aquino was recognized as the most prominent and most dynamic opposition leader of his generation, in the years prior to martial law he was regarded by many as being a representative of the entrenched familial elite which to this day dominates Philippine politics. While atypically telegenic and uncommonly articulate, he had his share of detractors and was not known to be immune to ambitions and excesses of the ruling political class. However, during his seven years and seven months imprisoned as a political prisoner of Marcos, Aquino read the book Born Again by convicted Watergate conspirator Charles Colson and it inspired him to a religious awakening.

As a result, the remainder of his personal and political life had a distinct spiritual sheen. He emerged as a contemporary counterpart of the great Jose Rizal, who was among the world's earliest proponents of the use of non-violence to combat a repressive regime. Some remained skeptical of Aquino's redirected spiritual focus, but it ultimately had an effect on his wife's political career. While some may question the prominence given Aquino in Philippine history, it was his assassination that was pivotal to the downfall of a despotic ruler and the eventual restoration of democracy in the Philippines.

The stamp was issued on February 14, 1988

Corazon "Cory" Aquino on Stamps

Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office. Aquino was also the first popularly and democratically-elected female president and head of state in Asia. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, which toppled the authoritarian regime of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines. "Tita (Auntie) Cory", as she was affectionately known, is revered by many Filipinos as an icon of Democracy, and was hailed by TIME Magazine as the "Saint of Democracy," due to her well-known spiritual life and strong adherence to non-violence and democracy.

A self-proclaimed "plain housewife", Aquino was married to Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., the popular opposition leader and staunchest critic of then President Ferdinand Marcos. Senator Aquino was assassinated on August 21, 1983 upon returning to the Philippines after his

exile in the United States.

After her husband's assassination, the widowed Aquino became the reluctant leader of the opposition against the authoritarian rule of the Marcos regime. She united the fragmented opposition and strengthened its moral crusade against the abuses and excesses of President Marcos' martial rule. In late 1985, when President Marcos called for a snap election, Cory Aquino challenged his regime. Aquino thrust herself into the political arena only after one million signatures urging her to run for president were presented to her.

Despite having no prior political experience, except being her husband Ninoy's wife, Aquino proved to be a cult leader, inspiring orator and skilled campaigner. She ran for president with former senator Salvador Laurel as her vice-presidential running mate. When Marcos-allied Batasang Pambansa proclaimed Ferdinand Marcos the winner in the 1986 snap elections, Aquino called for massive civil disobedience protests against him, declaring herself as having been cheated and as the real winner in the elections. Filipinos enthusiastically heeded her call and rallied behind her. These series of events eventually led to the ouster of Marcos from power and the installation of Aquino as president of the Philippines in February 1986, an event which is now known as the historic 1986 EDSA .

Now in power, Aquino oversaw the restoration of democracy in the Philippines and the promulgation of a new constitution, which limited the powers of the presidency and established a bicameral legislature. Her administration gave strong emphasis and concern for civil liberties and human rights, peace talks and dialogues with communist insurgents and Muslim secessionists. Aquino's economic policies, meanwhile, centered on bringing back economic health and confidence and focused on creating a market-oriented and socially-responsible economy. Despite these achievements, Aquino's presidency was not smooth-sailing as she had to face series of nine coup attempts against her administration and destructive natural calamities and disasters until the end of her term in 1992.

After her term expired in 1992, Aquino returned to private life although she remained active in the public eye, constantly voicing her views and opinions on the pressing political issues in the country. In 2008, Aquino was diagnosed with colorectal cancer (the same ailment that killed her mother Doña Demetria "Metring" Sumulong Cojuangco) and after a one-year battle with the disease, she died on August 1, 2009.

The Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) sold over 70,000 Cory Aquino’s limited-edition stamps, priced at P7 each, shortly after they were released last September 8, 2009. And now Philpost is launching another set of stamps since the first edition were sold out.

According to Postmaster General Hector Villanueva in a press statement:

“We have not had a stamp that sells like hotcakes. The people are lining at our post offices to get their hands on [the stamps]. We hardly had enough to supply the request of the Aquino family. It is phenomenal.”

Philpost will release the 2nd Cory Aquino limited-edition stamps for about 300,000 nationwide on September 18, 2009. And the new stamps will sport the same designs as the first edition, but with minor changes on the position of the postmark and some texts.

It is also considered as a collector’s item because it is exclusively issued by Philpost branches, the two differently-designed stamps joined side by side bear a photo of Aquino flashing the “Laban” sign on the left, and a photo of her smiling on the right.

The National Anthem of Libya

When Libya became independent in December 1951, it was a kingdom until the overthrow of the monarchy by Moammar Qadaffi in 1969. During the time of the monarchy, the anthem "Libya, Libya, Libya" was used. The composer of the music, Mohamad Abdel Wahab, also wrote the music for the anthems of Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. The words were written by Al Baschir Al Arebi.

In 1969, a new anthem "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) was adopted. It is not only the title of the anthem of this Islamic north African state, but also the Muslim call to prayer. Originally, the text and the melody were written by Mahmoud El-Sherif as a battle song of the Egyptian Army during the Suez War in 1956.

When Muammar Qadafi transformed Libya into a republic in 1969, he adopted this Egyptian marching song composed by Abdalla Shams El-Din as the Libyan national anthem, as part of his ultimate goal of unity of all Arab nations. When Qadafi broke off the relations with Egypt after Egypt's peace treaty with Israel in 1979, the anthem was retained, but the Egyptian origin of the song is no longer mentioned by the Libyan authorities.

The stamp above issued by Egypt features Mahmoud El-Sherif, the national anthem lyricist.

South Korea Revisited

During my first visit to South Korea five years ago, I was not able to see much of the place because the trip was a convention and 90% of the time we were inside halls listening to lectures. This time, I was able to see and appreciate the beauty of the country and understand its people and culture. It really helped that our tour guide, Mickey, was a loquacious and accommodating host. Through her, I was able to learn more about Korea in 4 days than reading book for a month. We visited several interesting sights and scenes. We had the opportunity to go and see the Blue House- where the Presidents reside, The Korean Folk Museum- where I was able to buy the sought after Korean Music Series Stamps, and the Kyungbok Palace. The Daejangguem Theme Park was an eye opener. It is the Hollywood version in Korea, where the sets for the Koreanovelas- one of Koreas greatest exports- can bee seen and interacted on. A few decades ago, entertainers and actors were frowned upon in Korea, but after several artist became millionaires, the old folks in Korea now encourage there young to sing and dance. Other places we visited include, the Dongnaenum market, Ginseng center, Amethyst and Kimchi making factory. The Kings Palace in Seoul is devoid of a living royalty because the last heir lived in the USA and married a non-Korean, breaking the royal genealogy.

The JUMP show- a comedy martial arts show was highly entertaining. I really enjoined their kind of comedy- I developed side stitches due to overlaughing. The visit to Seoul tower offered a magnificent 36o degress view of the city. Looking at the breath taking view, you will really admire the Korean people especially its leaders for transforming the country from a third world to first world in just two generations. Hope we can do the same for our leaders.....

Francisco Dagohoy on Stamps

The native of Bohol, Francisco Dagohoy, has the distinction of leading the longest revolt against the Spaniards (1744-1829). Dagohoy's rebellion started when a priest denied his brother a Christian burial. Supported by about 20,000 people, he held his base in the mountain regions between Inagangan and Talibon. Twenty Spanish governor- generals were unable to quell Dagohoy's liberation struggle.

There is no document available to shed light on Francisco Dagohoy's birth, his parentage and death. It is believed that this was due to the disinterest of the Spanish authorities to record the hero's life and achievements and immortalize the exploits of one whom so humiliated them.

Placido Sinsano, a centenarian grandson of Francisco Dagohoy's brother and successor Maximino, explained that Francisco Dagohoy was born in 1724 in Cambitoon, a barrio of Inabangan town some 20 kilometers from the poblacion.

Descendants claimed that Francisco Dagohoy's father's name was Polon, probably Apolonio, while his mother's name was Sisa or Narcisa. Francisco was the second child in a family of three brothers and one sister Sagarino (the eldest and the immediate cause of Francisco's rebellion) Maximino and Narcisa.

The family's real name surname is still uncertain to this day. Dagohoy was believed to be his “nom de guerre” when he was already leading the rebellion. A subsequent name adopted by some of his descendants, Sendrijas, has been adopted as a probable surname. Sendrijas may have been adopted by his family after the rebellion to protect them from the wrath of Spanish sword to annihilate the hero's memory.

The Dagohoy's were a model family in the community. They were devout Catholics, (which can be borne out by the hiring of Sagarino the eldest, by the Jesuit priest, Gaspar Morales, as a sacristan and constable). The males engaged in farming and fishing, while the females wove blankets and mats made of buri palm.

In Francisco's youth, he showed Atlethics prowess, excelling in running, jumping, wrestling, fencing and dagger trowing when they were still in the mountains, and in boating and swimming when they moved near the coast.

Francisco married Berinja Bugsok a beautiful lass during the early part of the rebellion. Unfortunately, the couple was childless. Berinja proved to be a perfect partner, ably providing warmth and compassion that helped maintain her husband's relationship with his followers. She accepted Francisco's sons by another woman .... Hantud ..... Cawag .....Boasa..... Camangay and Estaca... and reared them as her own.

Francisco was known as a great lover of animals. Gabriel Nipis, a descendants of Francisco's soldier described the hero's mountain capital and military quarters as a Zoo.

The immediate cause of the rebellion in 1744 was traced to father Morales' refusal to give Christian burial to his brother Sagarino. Sagarino accordingly was sent to arrest a renegade Indian ( for the pejorative word Indio ) who killed the former instead. It is believed that father Morales refused to bury Sagarino in consecrated ground and the corpse lay rotting for three days. Because he died in a duel and, by the law of the church, he "did not merit a Christian Burial". Angered by the injustice, Francisco swore vengeance on the Jesuit priest and persuaded the natives to join him. Some 3,000 followers abandoned their homes and fortified an inaccessible retreat in the mountains.

On their way, they plundered San Xavier, a large estate belonging to the Jesuits, which was well stock with carabaos, cows, horses and other animals. The rebellion rolled across the island. " like horrendous cogon fires", Francisco Dagohoy, idolized as a liberator, emerged victorious on all fronts. His prestige "soared skyward" and his name "sped swiftly” from cost to cost, from hills to hills, and from town to town."

Francisco Dagohoy was an expert strategist who made full use of his familiarity with Danao's many caves and plunging cliffs. He had the knack for choosing appropriate names and sites. He established his headquarters in Cambito-on, a plateau named such because it is "near the stars." From there, Francisco had a commanding view of any approaching enemy force while being naturally protected by dangerous cliffs and rising hills. He could see as far as the skyline of Cebu and the island of Mactan and even have a wonderful view of the Chocolate Hills.

It is recalled that stories handed down through generations about a watch tower on Tawagan Hill where the sentry calls out an alarm at the sight of approching vessels from Cebu. Francisco also devised an effective relay using native gongs. The presence of an approaching stranger was known to him hours before it reaches the first outpost. A sitio of Cambito-on, aptly named Pasanan from the Cebuano word "pasa", served as a relay point. Barrio Taming (visayan for shield) a plateua, provided the "shield" and guard post. Magtangtang got its name from the practice of the natives to untie their cargoes from carabao's back from wallowing in the river. Dagohoy's offices were housed in Caylagan, a sitio in Magtangtang. It came as no surprise that Don Pedro Lechuga, the Spanish military commander in Bohol in 1744, found that Francisco Dagohoy was a master of guerilla warfare.

Francisco was known for his penchant for anting-antings (amulets). This worked to his advantaged as his followers eventually believed he possessed supernatural powers. On his neck hung a talisman which gave him "power" to appear and disappear. Stories abound about Francisco Dagohoy's ability to jump from hilltop to another and from one side of the river to the other. His followers eventually called him "Daganan". Dagang was the visayan word for feathers, perhaps playing up his ability to glide among the hills.

The Word Dagohoy itself is believed to be a mere contraction of two visayan words: " Dagon " and " Hoyohoy." Dagon is a charm of magical power and given to a good man by supernatural beings, while hoyohoy reffered to gentle breeze or wind. Francisco Dagohoy nurtured the image of a hero who had the magical powers of gentle breeze, to float and disappear as he wished. Francisco Dagohoy, mastered the numerous caves and underground rivers in Magtangtang, which have remained mysterious and critical to this day. This baffled the enemy to the end and to such an extent that even his followers heightened his mystic.

Francisco Dagohoy lived till he was 101, died of rabies, probably in 1825. The rebellion which he led outlived him, valiantly carried on by his brother Maximino, better known as Tugpa. By the time the joint Filipino-Spanish troops commanded by Capt. Manuel Sanz crushed the rebellion in 1829, it was already 85 years old. It remains the highlight in the Philippines struggle against the colonization unmatched in durability.

The stamp was issued in May 18, 1982.

Leandro H. Fernandez on Stamps

Fernandez earned his masters degree in History and Doctorate in Education from the University of Chicago in 1912. In 1935, he became the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of the Philippines and Chairman of the Graduate Studies Program. He wrote A Brief History of the Philippines which was issued as a textbook for history students.

A foremost educator and noted historian, Leandro C. Fernandez rose to national prominence from his humble beginnings through hard work, perseverance, and consistency motivated by a strong sense of public service and nationalism.

Fernandez was born on March 13, 1889 in Pagsanjan, Laguna to Esteban Fernandez and Bonifacia Caballero. He was the third of five children, the others being Susana, Domingo, Zosimo, and Estanislao. He lost his father during his early childhood. Fernandez took his primary studies at the school of barrio Pagsawitan, thereafter proceeding to the Provincial High School in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, for his secondary education, finishing in 1909, at the Manila High School.

Sent to the United States as a government pensionado , he enrolled at Tri-State College in Angola, Indiana, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy in 1910. Although he received a regular stipend being a government scholar, he worked as a waiter in a restaurant so as to earn extra money. From Tri-State, he went to the University of Chicago, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in 1912. The following year, he received his master’s degree, major in history, from the same institution.

His first job upon his return from his studies abroad was to teach at the Tondo Elementary School, where he stayed for only eight weeks because the University of the Philippines took him into the service as instructor in history. He took and passed the test for Public School Superintendent, one of the first to do so in the country. At the UP, he rose from instructor to associate professor, to assistant professor and finally professor in 1920. In 1919, Ginn and Company published his book A Brief History of the Philippines , which public and private schools soon adopted as a textbook for the 7th grade.

In 1923, he returned to the US as a university fellow for postgraduate courses at Yale University. He likewise did research at the Bureau of Insular Affairs in Washington, D.C. From Yale, he proceeded to Columbia University, graduating three years later with a doctorate in philosophy. Within the year, Yale published his dissertation entitled “The Philippine Republic”.

Back at the UP, he took over the chairmanship of the history department from the newly resigned Professor Austin Craig, and from there, rose steadily up the academic ladder. Aside from serving concurrently as director of the Summer School in 1926, he became Registrar-in-Charge of the university in 1927, replacing Professor Vidal A. Tan of the Mathematics department.

In 1933, he represented the country at the Institute of Pacific Relations. Two years later, he replaced Maximo Kalaw as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, as well as editor of the Philippine Social Science Review , which he led in printing unheard-of historical documents on Philippine history, much to the delight of subscribers. He likewise served as Chairman of the Committee on Graduate Studies.

As a teacher of history, Fernandez was concerned mainly with the birth of Philippine nationalism, and on Philippine prehistory. Upon his students (two of whom became more famous historians: Gregorio F. Zaide and Teodoro A. Agoncillo) he emphasized the importance of using archival or documentary evidence as means of ferreting out historical truth, and zealously promoted original research on still unplumbed areas of Philippine history. A serious Filipiniana collector, Fernandez amassed an extensive library that proved useful in his scholarly work, including the writing of biographies of Filipino leaders, and preparation of a more relevant curriculum for students.

Aside from A Brief History of the Philippines , he produced a significant body of researches and articles both in English and Spanish and published in various periodicals and scholarly journals. He was married to Josefina Yan, and fathered six children. Fernandez died on March 23, 1948.

The stamp was issued in May 18, 1989. Decade of Filipino Nationalism (Great Filipinos) I.

Olivia D. Salamanca on Stamps

Salamanca earned her degree from theWomen's Medical College in Pennsylvania in 1910, making her the second Filipina to earn a medical degree from the U.S. She became the secretary of the Philippine Anti-Tuberculosis Society where she wrote its constitution and by-laws. She died shortly after that at the age of 24, of tuberculosis.

Olivia Salamanca (1889-1913) was a pioneer of her profession. Olivia Simeona Demetria Salamanca y Diaz was the second child of a well-to-do couple, Jose Salamanca, a colonel in the Philippine Revolutionary Forces, a pharmacist, and a signer of the Malolos Constitution, and Cresencia Diaz. Olivia was born on July 1,1889 in San Roque, Cavite where she spent her childhood.

She obtained her early education is a private school in Cebu where her father worked as a pharmacist. When the family returned to Cavite, Olivia studied in the Colegio de la Sagrada Familia in Cavite City and later at the Cavite High School where she completed the first two years of the secondary course.

When an examination for scholarship to the US was given in 1905, Olivia took it and was one of the two women awarded a grant. She enrolled in a high school in St.Paul, Minnesota and finished the secondary course at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia. Although her original plan was to take up teaching, she shifted to medicine and was admitted to the Women's Medical College in Philadelphia in 1906.

During her second year in college she won a prize in anatomy. Being brilliant she finished the medical course in four years, obtaining grades that were above 90 percent. In 1910 she took and passed the civil service examination in the US. she also visited medical centers in New York and Washington D.C., BAltimore, New York City, Rhode Island, and Boston.

It was on July 24,1910, when Dr. Salamanca returned to the Philippines after a whole month's voyage. Upon her arrival she was appointed secretary of the Anti-Tuberculosis Society. She was so engrossed with her work that she became neglectful of her own health. She became a victim of white plague that she was sent to the Baguio Hospital to recuperate. She continued working in this hospital while undergoing treatment. when her condition did not improve, she was sent to Hongkong for treatment by the Lopez family of Batangas. however, her stay in Hongkong did not improve her health. She returned to Philippines and on July 13, 1913, she died at the age of 24.

As a tribute to this exemplary woman, a historical marker was installed by the Philippines Women's Medical Association at the Plaza Olivia Salamanca. A street in San Roque, Cavite and a ward in the Mary Johnston Hospital in Tondo, Manila, have been named after her.

The stamp was issued in May 18, 1989. Decade of Filipino Nationalism (Great Filipinos) I.

Camilo Osias on Stamps

Osias was an educator and a statesman. He was the first President of the National University and was appointed Philippine Resident Commissioner to Washington D.C. in 1929. He authored the Philippine Readers Series ised in public schools for Grades 1 to 7, popularly called the Osias Readers. He translated both Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and wrote many books and essays on Rizal.

Camilo Osias (March 23, 1889 Balaoan, La Union - May 20, 1976 Manila) was a Filipino politician, twice for a short time President of the Senate of the Philippines.

He attended school in Balaoan, Vigan and San Fernando, and was appointed government student to the United States in 1905. He studied at the University of Chicago in 1906 and 1907. He graduated from the Western Illinois State Teachers College at Macomb, Illinois in 1908, and from the Teachers College of Columbia University in New York City in 1910.

He returned to the Philippine Islands and taught school. Here he entered education politics, becoming successively the first Filipino Superintendent of Schools (1915 to 1916), Assistant Director of Education (1917 to 1921), a member of the first Philippine mission to the United States (1919 to 1920), a lecturer at the University of the Philippines (1919 to 1921), President of the National University (1921-1936).

Then he entered national politics. He was elected a member of the Philippine Senate in 1925, and, as a Nationalist, a Resident Commissioner in the United States House of Representatives in 1928, reelected in 1931 and served from March 4, 1929 until January 3, 1935, when his term expired in accordance with the new Philippine Commonwealth Government. In 1934 he was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Philippine Senate, but became a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1934, and a member of the first National Assembly in 1935. In 1939 he was a member of the Economic Mission to the United States, and chairman of the Educational Mission between 1938 and 1941.

Back in the Philippines he became chairman of the National Council of Education in 1941, Director of Publicity and Propaganda until January 1942, chairman of the National Cooperative Administration in 1941, later Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Education, Health, and Public Welfare, then Secretary of Education until 1945. He was also Chancellor of Osías Colleges. He was elected again to the Philippine Senate in 1947 for a term expiring in 1953.

He was President of the Senate of the Philippines twice for a short time in 1952 and in 1953. He was the Philippines' representative to the Interparliamentary Union in Rome and to the International Trade Conference in Genoa in 1948. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Nationalist Party nomination for President of the Philippines in 1953, losing to Ramon Magsaysay. He was again elected, this time as a Liberal to the Philippine Senate (1961-1967), and served as president pro tempore. He was a resident of Mandaluyong, Rizal, Philippines, until his death.

The stamp was issued in May 18, 1989. Decade of Filipino Nationalism (Great Filipinos) I.

Tomas Bautista Mapua on Stamps

Mapua was the first registered architect in the Philippines. He established the Mapua Institute of Technology. He is famous for designing the buildings of De La Salle College, Centro Escolar University, the Nurse's Home at the Philippine General Hospital and the J. Mapua Memorial Hall in Intramuros.

Tomás Bautista Mapúa (December 21, 1888 – December 22, 1965) was the first registered Filipino architect. Born in Manila to Juan Mapúa and Justina Bautista, he was one of the first Filipino scholars sent by the government to the United States during the American regime. He finished high school at Boone's Preparatory School in Berkeley, California, and graduated from Cornell University in 1911 with a degree in Architecture. Among his works include the Manila City Hall, Post Office Building, the St. La Salle Hall, and his own home on Taft Avenue. He was supervising architect for the Bureau of Public Works from 1918-1927, during which period he was in charge of important insular work, including the Nurses Home of the Philippine General Hospital, Training School Building of Normal School, and various provincial and municipal buildings.

Mapúa married Rita Moya on November 3, 1916. In January 25, 1925, he founded the Mapúa Institute of Technology, a school specializing in architecture and engineering, using a run-down building in Carriedo Street on Quiapo, Manila. Retiring from public service, Mapúa devoted himself to private practice since 1928, and in addition to heading his own construction company (MYT Construction Works,Inc.) was president of the Mapúa Institute of Technology. He died on December 22, 1965. Misericordia Street in Sta. Cruz, Manila was renamed to Tomas Mapua Street in his honor.

The stamp was issued on May 18,1989. Decade of Filipino Nationalism (Great Filipinos) I.

Andres Bonifacio on Stamps

Andres Bonifacio was born into a poor family and was orphaned at age fourteen. He had to discontinue his education to work at odd jobs to support his younger brothers and sisters. He continued his education by reading books. Victor Hugo's Les Miserables was one of his favorites and Rizal's novels inspired his ideals for a free Philippines. Bonifacio founded the secret society, the Katipunan on July 7, 1892.

Philippine historiography at the turn of the 20th century tended to neglect Bonifacio's seminal leadership of the Philippine Revolution. Under the auspices of the American colonial educators, a systematic attempt was made to cast aside Bonifacio and insist on Rizal as the prototypical national hero. For example in 1912, an important decision was made by the Americans in connection with the inauguration of the Rizal Monument in what was then Luneta Park, and the subsequent national commemoration of his death anniversary.

Esteban A. de Ocampo of the National Historical Institute recounted the events leading to the decision of Governor William Taft in choosing Rizal as the Philippines' national hero. Taft said: "'And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero.' These were supposed to be the words addressed by Governor Taft to Messrs. Trinidad Pardo De Tavera, Benito Legarda Jr., and Luzurriaga, Filipino members of the Philippine Commission of which Taft was the chairman. It was further reported that 'in the subsequent discussion in which the rival merits of the revolutionary heroes (Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, Rizal, General Antonio N. Luna, Emilio Jacinto, and Bonifacio) were considered, the final choice - now universally acclaimed a wise one - was Rizal. And so history was made.'"

Since then, the debate of Rizal versus Bonifacio has remained unabated, mercilessly pitting the qualities of one against the other: the ilustrado class versus the proletariat, the sophisticated European education versus the self-schooled one, the priviledged situation of one versus the plebeian beginnings of the other, Rizal's mastery of Spanish versus Bonifacio's Tagalog background, and the list goes on. As a result, a prejudiced view of Bonifacio persisted in almost all Philippine history books.

In 1956, the publication of a landmark book in Philippine historiography changed the historical and intellectual treatment of Bonifacio. Teodoro Agoncillo's Revolt of the Masses advanced the view that Bonifacio's accomplishments were worthy of the accolades given to a national hero, and that the Philippine revolution was primarily driven by the masses. These theses were encapsulated in a classic Marxist dialectic, beginning the rise of a distinctly nationalist historiography, aimed at reappropriating the signs and symbols of the nation.

A new line of Philippine history books based on the nationalist discourse of Agoncillo followed, culminating with Reynaldo Ileto's Pasyon and Revolution in 1979. Ileto's book started the trend of studying history using unofficial documents, textual references in plays, oral tradition, and other similar sources. History from below, as it came to be known, focuses on the story, achievements, and contributions of sectors of society that were either neglected or cast aside for various reasons.

This nationalist trend would eventually be challenged by other historians. On April 7, 1995, American scholar Glenn Anthony May of the University of Oregon delivered a paper entitled, "Andres Bonifacio: Inventing a Hero" at a meeting of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) in Washington, D.C. In this paper and the subsequent book, Inventing a Hero: The Posthumous Re-Creation of Andres Bonifacio, May revealed in very strong words that the Bonifacio story was "a story of a fabrication of a national hero -- a history of deception, dissimulation, and distortion....all that can be reliably known is the illusion itself, the product of doctored, spurious, or undocumented sources and the collective imagination of several generations of historians."

Various scholars, academicians, and historians attacked May's thesis that Bonifacio's accomplishments and certain portions of his life were mere fabrication of some Filipino nationalist historians. Malcolm Churchill contended that May was not savaging and degrading the honor and memory of Bonifacio but was making a name and building a reputation of being a revisionist historian in the Philippine and American academic community.

The stamp was issued on November 30, 1963.