The Anthem Philatelist

March 2023 marks the second year anniversary of the first postage stamp about the pandemic ever to be released.  Twenty one countries and the UN have between them released 68 postage stamps to mark the sacrifice of healthcare workers and patients during the covid-19 pandemic . Three of our esteemed colleagues and beloved mentors, Dr. Dennis Ramon Tudtud and wife Dr. Helen and my IM-pulmonologist mentor Dr. Ruben Escarda sacrificed their lives in the frontlines of the war against the vicious viral adversary. We honor you our beloved fallen heroes- your sacrifices were not in vain.   In the research led by Bertrand Lefrère of the Public Assistance Hospital of Paris, it was found that Iran was first country to post a design on March 2020 (pictured), but the rest of the world followed with stamps depicting healthcare workers, patients, and covid safe behaviours such as social distancing in French Polynesia. In the Philippines, PHLPost has printed 80,000 pieces of stamps i...

I t is always a source of joy and pride for artists to exhibit their work globally and to personally interact and showcase their art pieces with people who are interested.  Such an opportunity came to a prominent 46 year old visual artist from Punta Princesa, Cebu City, Marlowe Toledo Villagonzalo . Together with master Cebuano cubist Celso Duazo Pepito , his equally talented wife Fe Madrid Pepito , and notable US based Filipino artists, Luis Caraos , Romeo Cortes Jr . and Bobby T. Yalong, they will present Shared Vision, an art exhibit in New York City USA, from September 17-30, 2022. As a distinguished mid career artist who has been carving a name to become an established artist in Cebu and the Philippines, Marlowe needed a platform to elevate his artistry and present his talent to the world.  "New York is one of the places where dreams can become reality. This is a memorable one for me and marks a milestone in my art journey.  My artwork is my life, it is my expressio...