COVER N. 421 - PHILIPPINES

Postmark:  Sapang Palay Post Office --- (?) Ordinary Dispatching Section 20.02.2024 

Posted on the 2n February; received on the 8th March 2024

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Another country joins the fold: Philippnes.  An archipelago with more than 7000 islands, first touched by Europeans on Magalhães/Elcano circumnavigation in 1521. As a result, it would not only get its name from the then King of Spain (and episodically of Portugal to...), Filipe II, but would also become a Spanish colony for more than 300 years, until falling, in 1898, under United States domination in the wake of the Spanish-American War. 

This state of affairs would only be altered in 1935 when the islands become a self-governing commonwealth, although the second world war saw them being occupied by the Japanese in 1942. Finally, in 1946, the Republic of Philipines was formally established.

Maraming salamat, Marlon!

The beautiful air mail envelope is embellished with the following three stamps, left to right:

- Valentine's day needs no explanation, although it is something I only become aware of in the 80s I believe, since the tradition is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and as such only entered into our habits as globalisation (and commercial interests) started to step in.

Perhaps because of the American influence in Philippine culture, Valentine's day seems to be  a vastly celebrated holiday in the country. So much so that the National Postal operator PHLPost, yearly issues stamps on the occasion.

The two Valentine's day stamps on the cover are part of the 2022 set, an eight 12 peso stamp minisheet, issued on 10FEB2022. All the stamps are illustrated with stylised hearts such as the ones on the two stamps on the cover, which I understand also included moral boosting sentences that should be read against the COVID backdrop of 2022. As such the legend on the stamp on the left reads "Nagmamahal Pa Rin"(Still Loving), while that on the right states "Titibok Pa Rin sa Bayan" (Will Still Love the Country).

- The small 40 Peso stamp illustrated with an image of a Tasselled Leather-jacket (Chaetodermis penicilligerus), the unique member of its genus in the Monacanthidae family, with a vast distribution that encompasses the tropical areas of the  indian and pacific oceans, was issued on 18OCT2012, as part of the year's set for a marine biodiversity series of definitive stamps, which ran between 2010 and 2013.

The postmark informs us that the letter was mailed from Sapang Palay, an area of the city of San Jose del Monte, in  the province of Bulacan, in the outskirts of the Capital, Manila.