Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Vibal Foundation Publishes Correos Filipinas: Philippine Stamps and Postal History

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Vibal Foundation, Inc. (VFI) continues its commitment and vision to enrich Filipinos' knowledge and appreciation of Philippine history, culture, and the arts by launching Correos Filipinas: Philippine Stamps and Postal History on January 31, 2022 at VFI’s monthly virtual tertulia.

Correos Filipinas: Philippine Stamps and Postal History

Jose Eleazar Bersales' Correos Filipinas: Philippine Stamps and Postal History (1565–1953) comprehensively presents Philippine history from the 16th to the mid-20th century through the perspective of the stamps issued and used. This newest addition to the Filipiniana Clasica collection serves as a valuable resource for specialist collectors, history buffs, and casual readers who intend to immerse themselves in understanding the colonial-era philately.

The postal history of the Philippines reflects a decades-long colonial regime and is intertwined with native responses that came along with it. The use of stamps corresponded to the development of modern postal services that were institutionalized and supported by the state. The book encompasses a rich timeline and provides side stories and supplemental sections on postal stationery, postcards, wrappers, and envelopes for better historical context.

The opening chapter of the book tackles the time before the use of stamps. It also touches on the official or royal correspondence between Spain and the Philippines that took effect upon the issuance of a circular from Spain which established the postal service in the Philippines. It also explains the various challenges encountered in the delivery and handling of mail despite the institution of the State Maritime Post or Institución de los Correos Marítimos del Estado in 1764.

The next chapter deals with the game-changing introduction of prepaid adhesive postage stamps during the 19th century. This traces back to 1853 when Queen Isabella II issued a royal decree to start manufacturing and selling postage stamps for domestic use within the Philippines. At that time, authorities in Manila were ill-equipped to create a functional postal service and had to make do with what they could get.

The third chapter delves into the Universal Postal Union (UPU) surcharges and the New Alfonso XII issues. The fourth chapter covers the period between 1880 and 1889 when many stamps in the Philippines went through a series of surcharges and overprints. This era is marked with issues surrounding the legitimacy of stamps since forgeries became rampant during this period.

The fifth chapter delves further into the use of other types of stamps for postage. During this period, the Administracion General Comunicaciones or General Administration for Communications managed both postal and telegraphic services. The next chapter focuses on the stamp issues concerning Alfonso XIII.

The seventh chapter highlights the efforts of the First Philippine Republic President, Emilio Aguinaldo, to formally establish a Filipino-run postal and telegraphic system. This was followed by a chapter that elaborates on the various stamps issued under the American colonial government.

The second to the last chapter details the numerous stamp issues released under the Philippine Commonwealth government while the final chapter delves into the stamps issued in the country during World War II.

All ten chapters are intricately woven with rich facts, side stories, and images that interestingly satisfy both the curious and intellectual minds. Correos Filipinas: Philippine Stamps and Postal History is a unique and valuable addition to the Filipiniana collection and is equally perfect for pleasurable reading, especially to those with a passion for history and philately.

For interested readers, copies of the Correos Filipinas: Philippine Stamps and Postal History (1565–1953) will be available soon for online purchase at the Vibal Online Shop at https://shop.vibalgroup.com/, and via our Lazada and Shopee pages. Further announcements will be made on our social media pages.

Saturday, February 12, 2022

SSS refunds 2020 loan payments of pension loan borrowers

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The Social Security System (SSS) announces that it started refunding one to two months of loan payments collected from its pension loan borrowers under the Pension Loan Program (PLP) in 2020 effective January 20, 2022.

PLP was launched in September 2018 to help retiree pensioners with their short-term financial needs by offering a loan at a low-interest rate of 10% per annum with a maximum loanable amount of P200,000.00 payable in 6, 12, and 24 months.

The pension loan payment refund is based on Circular No. 2022-002 in compliance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act. Under the said law, banks, quasi-banks, financing companies, lending companies, and other financing institutions, both public and private, were directed to give a 30-day grace period for borrowers’ loan payments without incurring any interest on interest, penalties, fees, and other charges. The provision covered loan payments with dues that fall within September 15 to December 31, 2020.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio said that the pension fund will refund P105 million worth of pension loan payments to 25,231 pension loan borrowers.

“We understand the predicament faced by our PLP borrowers which is why they opted to file their loans to SSS to further finance their medical and immediate financial concerns brought about by the current pandemic,” Ignacio explained.

Ignacio added that PLP offers financial assistance to retiree pensioners for their short-term needs and the refund of their pension loan payments will greatly help them cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eligible SSS retiree pensioners are those who are currently amortizing as of the implementation date and those who started their monthly amortization in October 2020. They will receive loan payment refunds for their loan payments in October and November 2020.

For pensioners who started their monthly amortization in November 2020, they will get a refund for their loan payments in November and December 2020 while those who only started paying their loan amortizations in December 2020 will only get a one-month refund for December 2020.

“We advise our pensioners that they no longer have to visit SSS to apply for the said refund. Like the refund of the April and May 2020 loan payments last December 9 and 10, 2021 under Bayanihan 1, these pension loan payment refunds will automatically be credited to qualified pensioners through their respective SSS UMID-ATM card or Union Bank QuickCard savings accounts where they already received the proceeds,” Ignacio added. said.

In addition, SSS would also extend the pensioner’s loan payment term by one or two months without any additional interest or penalty. Suppose a pensioner’s loan payment term is until September 2021 and received a two-month refund; their payment terms will be until November 2021 without any interest or penalties.

Likewise, their pension loan will remain insured without any additional premiums until the end of the extended payment term.

Pensioners may also renew their applications after the expiration of their original loan payment term. However, the remaining balance from the pensioners’ previous pension loan will be deducted from their current or new loans.

For example, a pensioner’s original loan term is until September 2021, but the refund extended it until November 2021. The pensioner can already renew his pension loan by October 2021, wherein any outstanding balance from the pensioner’s previous loan will be deducted from his new pension loan.

From January to December 2021, the SSS has released P3.09 billion worth of pension loans to 69,111 pension loan borrowers.

For more information, visit the uSSSap Tayo Portal at https://crms.sss.gov.ph, follow the SSS on Facebook at “Philippine Social Security System - SSS,” Instagram and YouTube at “mysssph,” Twitter at “PHLSSS,” or join its Viber Community at “MYSSSPH Updates.”

FDCP to Hold a Night of Celebration for PH Cinema’s Global Wins

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The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will once again be honoring the stalwarts of Philippine cinema whose performances and cinematic work have brought recognition to our country through their awards and citations from the foremost international film festivals of the world, at the 6th Film Ambassador’s Night on February 27, 2022 at the reopened historical Manila Metropolitan Theater.

Every year, the Film Ambassador’s Night aims to recognize the films and filmmakers that gave pride to the Philippines in the past year— films that competed and screened on the global stage, placing Filipino talent side by side to the finest ones in the world.

For the past five years of this gathering of some of the brightest artists of the Philippine film industry, FDCP has honored a total of 319 Film ambassadors. The list grows even longer with the addition of 77 awardees for this year’s awarding.

“It’s another year's worth of victories with the best of the best Filipino films being recognized around the world, highlighting our cultural heritage in cinema over the years. As we have continued to reach altitudes on the global stage, we applaud each filmmaker who shared his or her talent, creativity, and passion to the world. We created this night to celebrate you,” FDCP Chairperson and CEO, Liza Diño expressed her excitement for this year’s awarding.

The annual ceremony will also be presenting the special honors of the evening — the Camera Obscura Award, as the highest honor granted by the FDCP to a film worker or a film project with extraordinary achievements with two recipients; A-list Winners for winning at top international film festivals with three recipients; and the Gabay ng Industriya Award (Ilaw ng Industriya and Haligi ng Industriya), given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions during their lifetime becoming respected pillars of the Philippine film industry. Honorees for these will be unveiled by the Agency in the coming days.

The year 2021 was a challenging one for the industry with the global pandemic limiting distribution opportunities, on-ground events, and filming logistics. As the Philippine cinema continues to transition and overcome challenges, recognitions and notable participations in the major leagues of the international film scene is a worthy cause of celebration in this much-awaited occasion.

The 6th Film Ambassador’s Night will be an exclusive, invitational event for this year’s honorees at the MET Theater—a fitting home for this very important event—the cultural gem of Manila which recently celebrated its 90th anniversary. The event held in hybrid format will be telecast on the FDCP Channel on a later date.

Here is the list of this year’s Film Ambassador’s Night honorees. Watch out for FDCP’s reveal of Camera Obscura, Gabay ng Industriya, and A-List awardees, coming soon

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