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by Arturo B. del Ayre
Philately, a word coined in 1864 from the French philatlie
whichoriginated from the combination of two Greek words philos ,
loving +ateleia, exemption from tax, taken as equivalent of
"postage prepaid", isthe collection and study of postage stamps,
covers, and other postaldocuments.
Stamp collecting is only the other half of philately. There are
a numberof stamp collectors, but only few philatelists. Usually the
most dedicatedstamp collector metamorphoses into a dedicated
philatelist due to afascination of the search for information, on
the excitement of a rarediscovery, the satisfaction of completing
an album or simply that an
absorbing hobby has become both a pleasure and relaxation.
England issued the first adhesive postal stamp in 1840aside from
various types of postal systems long before that,these items are
considered pre-philatelic issues. In thePhilippines, the first set
of stamps was of Spanish origin.Scott listed the very first issue
as No. 1, the 5c orange. From
then on, Philippine stamp issues bore Spanish, Japanese and
Americanmarkings until 1946. With the declaration of independence
in July 4,1946, Philippine philately commenced.
At present, there is aclamor for new Philippinestamps due to
theproliferation of topicalissue as well asmulticolored souvenir
andminiature sheets.Previously, philatelist havebeen more keen
incollecting pre-Republicissues like the Spanish
Classics, JapaneseOccupation and AmericanCommonwealth
issues.Present vignettes deal more on Philippine revolutionary
personages,events and monuments, in the advent of the independence
centennial,with highlights on nationalism, flora and fauna, as well
as the usualcommemorative and special issues.
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Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak , the author of 1997 Ngo'sCatalogue of
Philippine Republic Stamps andPostal Stationeries published by The
StampShop, elevated the hobby to its all-time high.The catalogue
listed all postage stamps issuedsince July 4, 1946 and included all
souvenirand miniature sheets; airmail, semi-postal,official and
special delivery stamps as well as
postage dues. Dr. Ngo has since published twosupplements which
covers the 1997 and 1998stamps.
In June 26, 1998, the Regional Philatelic Center [RPC] was
inauguratedin the Angeles City Post Office, Angeles City Pampanga.
The vision ofRPC is to cater to the needs of collectors and
enthusiasts, cultivatephilatelic knowledge, and publicize interest
on personal stampcollections and other philatelic items.
The Regional Philatelic Center will host monthly exhibition
showcases as well as conferences and workshops
wherephilatelists, stamp collectors and enthusiasts can
meet,exchange information and ideas, conduct research, tradestamps,
acquire and procure new collections. A PhilatelicLibrary is also
planned to become a repository of diversenational and international
philatelic information. TheCenter for Philatelic Research and
Studies, Inc. (CPRSI)will manage, maintain and operate the library
as well asthe conference and seminar room. The Pampanga
StampCollector's Society (PSCS) is in-charge with thecoordination
with local and national stamp organizations
to showcase their collections on future exhibitions.
With Proclamation No. 494, Pres. Fidel V. Ramos declared
November asthe National Stamp Collecting Month . DECS countered
this withMemorandum No. 331 s.1994 mandating the organization of
schoolstamp clubs nationwide.
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With these, collectors aswell as philatelic clubshave geared
their effortsto propagate the hobby.Philippine
CentennialInvitational PhilatelicExhibition (Pilipinas '98)helped
createawareness of Centennial events, including the 100th
Anniversary ofthe Philippine Postal Service. SelyOlympics , a stamp
exhibitioncontest among school youths nationwide, was also held
fromNovember 05 - 09, 1998.
Recently, Collecticon '99 or the ND Philippine Collectibles
Conventionheld a one-day event on May 29, 1999. It featured
selling, trading, andswapping of stamps among other
collectibles.
Hopefully, the future of Philippine philately and stamp
collecting isbrighter, as more and more individuals are
re-discovering the world'sgreatest and most popular hobby of all
time.
Happy philately!
Note: A series of articles about Philately and Stamp Collecting
will appear in this column regularly. Futuretopics will discuss the
nature of the hobby, to include: personal reflections, narratives,
insights; the state ofPhilippine Philately and stamp collecting to
include issues affecting stamp collectors in the Philippines,postal
history, breakthroughs, highlights on philatelic clubs and
personalities; and a stamp collector's
comprehensive guide on the 5W and 1H of stamp collecting.
This article, parts or verbatim, also appears on the Net. Visit:
ABdA's Philippine Philatelic Web Site
athttp://www.geocities.com/abda/ and the electronic magazine: The
Philippine Philatelist athttp://abda.webprovider.com . For comments
or suggestions, send e-mail to [email protected]. 06/15/99
