Heritage Month

New Issue alert:

National Heritage Month featuring Philippine Traditional Musical Instruments

May 5, 2016The National Heritage Month featuring Philippine Traditional Musical Instruments Stamps, Souvenir Sheet and Official First Day Covers will be available starting May 5, 2016 at the Post Shop, Philately and Museum Division, Manila Central Post Office, Door 19, Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila and at all Regional Offices of the Philippine Postal Corporation.
[press release added later]

PRESS RELEASE: Traditional musical instruments featured in PHLPost stamps

May 5, 2016   Posted By: Corp.Comm

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) released special stamps featuring the Philippine Traditional Musical Instruments in celebration of the National Heritage Month.

The month of May was declared National Heritage month through Proclamation 439 in 2003 mandating the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to conserve and promote the nation’s cultural and historical heritage.

The stamp features Eight (8) different traditional musical instruments from the collection of National Artists for Music Ramon P. Santos, a musicologist who has done extensive research on traditional and contemporary music traditions of the Philippines and Asia.

The following musical instruments appeared in the regular stamps are Kulintang- sets of graduated gongs laid in a row used in Southern Philippines, Kudyapi- a two-stringed, fretted boat-lute, used by the Maguindanao and Maranao, Dabakan- a large goblet shaped drum used in kulintang ensembles and Gangsa- flat gongs made of bronze, brass and iron.

Four (4) different instrument were also featured in the special souvenir sheet such as the Kudlong- a two string lute used by the Mansaka and Mandaya, the Libbit – a conical drum with a deer goat head used by the ifugao, the Agung - a larger, deep- rimmed gongs with sides that are turned in and used in southern Philippines, the Gabbang- a bamboo xylophone found in Southern Philippines.

Three (3) instruments were added to highlight the first day cover envelope and souvenir sheet, the Kubing, Jews harps made of bamboo and used in Southern Philippines, the Gandingan, a set of four large hanging knobbed gongs with narrower rims and less prominent bosses and the Sulibao, a longitudinal slightly barrel shaped hallowed out logs with deer skin heads on one end used by the Bondok and Ibaloi.

These special stamps are a reflection of the country’s rich historic and cultural past, making the Filipinos, especially the younger generation, aware and proud of their roots.

PHLPost commissioned security printer Amstar Co. to print 101,000 copies of the stamps, at P15 each. The stamps were designed by PhlPost creative artist Victorino Z. Serevo. PHLPost also printed 5,000 copies of limited edition special souvenir sheet at P60 each.

The stamps, special souvenir sheet and official first day cover will be available starting May 5, 2016 at the Post Shop, Central Post Office, Door 203, Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila and area post offices nationwide. For inquiries, please call 527-01-08 or 527-01-32.