COVER N. 503 - PHILIPPINES

Postmark: No postmark

Posted on ?; Received via France on the 29th August 2024

_________________________________________________________________________________

A long and winding road for this cover from the Philippines. As it stands, it seems there is no postal service, at the moment, between the Philippines and Portugal, although I believe that the inverse route is operational. I'll have to resend this circuit to the Philippines, so we shall see...

Anyway, preoccupied that I should still get my letter from her country, Vanessa took the liberty of sending it back to France, where the circuit had originated, asking that the letter be forwarded to me, this being the reason for my having received a letter without any sort of postmark.

I could  not be more grateful for Jean-Pierre's kindness in going through the trouble of resending the letter to me and also for Alexa resourcefulness in trying all she could to make sure I did get her letter.

So, mon très grand Merci pour Jean-Pierre for his kind gesture, and Maraming salamat, Vanessa for your attention and care.

The Philippines, an archipelago of some 7641 islands in southeast Asia, were first touched by an European in the course of the Magalhães/Elcano circumnavigation in 1521, Claimed by the Spanish, who christened the archipelago in honour of King Philip II, it would remain a Spanish possession for more than 3 centuries, until 1898, in the period of the Spanish-American war, when secessionist Emilio Aguinaldo declared the independence of the territory. 

Neither Spain, nor America recognised the  independence and formally, the Spanish would  later transfer the administration of the Philippines to the United States of America as a disposition of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war between the two powers, dated of 10 December, 1898.

Independence from the United States would eventually come in the aftermath of the second world war, in 1946. This fact notwithstanding, the day of the proclamation of Emilio Aguinaldo (12 June, 18989) is recognised in the Philippines as the date of the country's independence and thus celebrated.

On the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Independence, PHLPost, the Philippine Postal Corporation, issued a set of two se-tenant 16 piso stamps, honouring the date. 

The stamp on the cover shows the Philippine flag being waved from a balcony while Emilio Aguinaldo next to the man with the flag, reads the declaration of independence, as explained by the legend "Aguinaldo Proclaims Philippine Independence". 

By the side of the stamp, Vanessa included a sticker of her philatelic club: PSCS the Philippine Stamp Collectors Society.

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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.