PHLPost launches postage stamps to mark 256th anniversary and National Stamp Collecting Month

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) commemorates the 256th founding Anniversary of the establishment of the Philippine Postal Service on November 13, 14 and 15 with the opening of the 3-day Stamp Exhibit highlighting the celebration of National Stamp Collecting Month to be held on at the Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on November 13, Monday to formally open the “3-day Stamp Exhibit” featuring stamp collections of Philatelic collectors. The three day exhibit is open to the public.

On the first day, PHLPost will launch the “Stamp on Stamps”, a historic milestone featuring the iconic Manila Central Post Office through the years, from its establishment in 1926 and before it was destroyed by fire.

“As a symbol of Filipino resiliency, we will not forget how this structure has stood through war and remains as proof of Manila's historic past. The iconic Post Office building, which serves as the headquarters of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) has a much significant role in the country’s history and culture”, Postmaster General Luis Carlos said.

He added, “the majestic post office building is a home to many historic and memorable events that pays tribute to great Filipinos who were immortalized through postage stamps”. Expected to grace the occasion is Tourism Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Atty. Mae Elaine T. Bathan.

On the second day, marks the launching of “Dogs in Philippine History Special Stamps'' which was inspired by the book “Dogs in Philippine History”, authored by Mr. Ian Christopher B. Alfonso. The stamps awaken our understanding and treatment of dogs as it unfolds with the history of our country. PHLPost’s have utilized the book in designing these magnificent stamps which are expected to be appreciated by Dog and History lovers. Victorino Manalo, Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will lead the unveiling of the historic dog stamps.

These stamps include Usman, the big black pet dog of young Rizal in Calamba, Saver, a bright iconic Aspin who figured in television and films from the 1990s to the early 2000s, Moltke and Bravo, the Dalmatians of Marcelo H. del Pilar, Tigre, the dog of Pampanga Revolutionary Governor Tiburcio Hilario, Castelar, the stray Aspin adopted by an American soldier William Baker, Torpe, the iconic white Aspin of Don Tranquilo Ruiz, Smoky, a female Yorkshire Terrier who was hailed as the hero of Lingayen, Pangasinan and Kabang, a rescued female Aspin-crossed German Shepherd reportedly saved two kids in Zamboanga City.

On the third day, PHLPost will unveil the “National Children’s Month Stamps” which inspired by the book authored by Ms. Beth Parrocha, a known Filipino storyteller and Illustrator. The stamps coincide with the celebration of National Children’s Month which focuses on the needs of children, whether they are related to physical, mental health, education or overall well-being. These magnificent and colorful stamps illustrate our love and concern for our children’s future.

“As we increasingly communicate by email, people should not forget that there is something special that we sometimes take for granted - these delightful pieces of miniature artwork that reflects our Filipino history and heritage”, PMG Carlos said.

Other activities include the official signing of stamps and First Day Cover envelopes, selling of postage stamps, and registration of National ID by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

International Floral Design Masterclass "Nature Meets Fashion"

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

This Saturday, Nov. 11, a masterclass on international floral design titled “ will be held at the Mayuree Ballroom, Dusit Thani Manila, Makati City, with Jerry Sibal, theatrical producer-director and event designer, spearheading the event.

Other international floral stylists, Indonesia’s Christian Angga Warella, Malaysia’s Thong Weng Seng, and the Philippines’ April Ong, Ken Adrienne Batino, Jevin Salaysay, Ranel Espaldon, Pie Tañada, and Christian Castillo, will join Sibal.

Lectures on floral accessories, such as overskirts, headpieces, and bouquets, complementing the creations of fashion designer Pie Tañada, are part of the agenda.

It will also highlight a fashion show and live entertainment featuring performances from “Miss Saigon” alum Leo Valdez, Acel Bisa, and the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group.

“Nature Meets Fashion” serves as a prelude to the upcoming First Philippine International Flower Festival (PIFF) in May 2024, a three-day event led by Philiff Productions Inc., the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPBP) and the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT). The festival will showcase more than 200 floral displays from landscaping, floral designing, and interior and architectural designing components.

Sibal, known for creating magical settings, spectacular and lavish weddings, corporate events, and charity balls, has envisioned these two related events as gateways to cultivating, celebrating, and promoting the Philippines as a major producer of flowers in the region, next to Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Inspired by Zig Ziglar’s “If you can dream it, you can achieve it” mantra, Sibal has committed to helping the floriculture industry of the Philippines.

PIFF aims to (1) build a new global flower export industry for economic growth; (2) attract local and foreign investors in Philippine agriculture; (3) create sustainable livelihood for farmers and growers; (4) explore the latest developments in floriculture and horticulture technology; (5) introduce new and emerging tourism destinations; (6) introduce business opportunities for community development; (7) develop more interests on other facets of agriculture among the local communities; and (8) educate the farmers and growers on new skills.

“Nature meets Fashion” is made possible through the support of Tourism Promotions Board, Dusit Thani Manila, and the Department of Tourism.

Sponsors include Globaltronics, official digital media partner; David’s Salon, official glam team; Ascott Makati, official hotel accommodation partner; Katinko, Fioretti @Forbes, and Gardenia.

Media partners are BroadwayWorld, Village Pipol, Chinoy TV, Fashion Media, klik.ph, and Scene Zone.

Special mention to Coach Gio of KwentoCo.com and https://coachboostgio.com/


Written By: Jude Cartalaba

The wheels of science arrive to the city of gentle people

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

More than their tasty silvanas and sweet sansrivals, anyone who sets foot in Dumaguete City can attest to the natives’ good natured behavior, which is felt and proven in their genuine affection and innate fascination for discovering and exploring new types of adventures – be it a science adventure. 

Welcomed by warm smiles and kind hearts, the Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute’s (DOST-SEI) nuLab: STEM in motion bus housed the country’s young and passionate Negrenses as they embarked on an exciting quest towards the world of STEM.

“Enjoy kaayo! It was really a new experience ‘cause it’s inside the bus you know,” said Leigh Emanuel Sumaya, one of the Grade 11 students of Dumaguete City National High School (DCNHS) who were invited to experience the nuLab modules, and his statement is proof of the Dumagueteños’ love and appreciation for exciting science adventures.

This nuLab escapade took off as part of the DOST’s 2023 Regional Science and Technology Week (RSTW) celebration in Region VII - Central Visayas, which was held from September 20-23 in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. 

Joining the RSTW fun, the Institute’s nuLab bus went on a four-day roadtrip in the city to provide an interactive, state-of-the-art learning experience for senior high school students who were eager to witness and discover for themselves the real world of STEM. 

The students were taught modules on science communication, mathematics, and microbiology, paving the way for them to interact with actual scientists and STEM professionals and immersing them to the wide scope and stirring puzzles of science.

The nuLab lecturers brought the students into the future through the modern technologies and facilities provided inside the nuLab bus and back to their childhood as they let them discover and appreciate the beauty and wonder of science through exciting games and interactive science activities. They emphasized the need to promote creativity, playfulness, and self-expression to realize the true meaning of knowledge.

“Continue being fascinated. Patuloy kayong maging bata.” This was one of the remarkable advices of Dr. Joselito Delos Reyes, or Sir Jowi as his students at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) like to call him, when he taught the young Negrenses about the fun in learning science and communicating it to the public. He told students to enjoy science by embracing their inner child and holding on to their curiosity.

His module highlighted lessons on the definition and importance of science communication, as well as the different popularization techniques used by science communicators to make such more intelligible to non-expert publics. In this module, Sir Jowi also gave tips on how to combat smart shaming using science communication techniques.

UST professor Dr. Joselito Delos Reyes joins nuLab for the first time and teaches the students from Negros Oriental a module on science communication.

The young Negrenses also had fun venturing into the world of numbers with a two-hour module on Mathematics facilitated by University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños' young mathematicians Kemuel Quindala III and Jcob Malaguit. 

The students enjoyed learning about Bézier curves and plotting them in spreadsheets. They described their fulfillment in accomplishing all the challenging yet enjoyable math activities and their amusement in discovering how such can be applied in digital arts, such as in drawing vector graphics animation and sketching computer-aided designs

Meanwhile, DOST scholar and microbiologist from UP Diliman Ms. Lorraine Joyce del Rosario took the students into a secret world, one that is unknown and is unseen by the naked eye – the world of microbes.

In her module, the students learned about the tiny but mighty microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, microalgae, and protozoa, and discovered how such can be observed using a microscope.

A young Negrense takes her time observing protozoa using a microscope.

The four-day nuLab adventure helped the students explore science in a new and exciting way. It helped them remember the joy of learning by playing some of the old games and doing the same activities that they enjoyed when they were younger.

Keira Sofia Quiambao, a grade 11 student from Saint Louis School of Don Bosco (SLS-DB), testified to this and stressed how nuLab helped bring back her excitement in learning. 

“Alam niyo po kasi, this bus is no ordinary bus. It is a vehicle that transports the youth back in time and into a prosperous future. So upon entering the grounds of this bus, I knew that I am already in for an adventure,” said Keira.

Angelique Louise Lim, also a grade 11 student from SLS-DB, seconded this and described how her nuLab experience changed her perspective of learning.

“Actually, before, I was not really good in science. It was one of the subjects that I struggled with. So from this nuLab experience, I learned that science is really fun and that we can learn it in easy ways. And that there are plenty of ways where we can do that,” said Angelique.

The young Negrenses forwarded how the nuLab experience honed their knowledge and improved their ability to critically analyze things. But most importantly, they emphasized how the experience made them realize the vital role that science plays in national and global progress. 

“I know that science applies in everything, but with this nuLab experience, [I learned that] it means really everything. Technically, the more I think of it, the more I realize na dako ug role ang science sa pag-improve nitong knowledge ug pag-develop sa ‘tong country,” said Leigh.

The students were also thankful for the chance to explore and be immersed in various careers in science, as well as the different DOST scholarship offerings that they can apply to in the future. 

They echoed that nuLab is truly a grassroot for the intellect and the painstaking effort of Filipinos to flourish globally, and that the experience they gained from it motivated them to self-explore on the things that they can and contribute to the development of the country.

“I was inspired by the DOST scholars – the testimonies, the videos wherein they work with NASA, they are summa cum laude in mathematics. They are very inspiring. And, I guess, that would encourage the Filipinos to work hard to be an emblem of the intellect that Filipinos have, which can help to the betterment of our country,” said Isabella Grace Duran, a grade 11 student from Ramon Teves Pastor Memorial – Dumaguete Science High School (RTPM-DSHS), when asked about the most significant and memorable part of her nuLab experience.

DOST VII Regional Director Engr. Jesus F. Zamora thanked the DOST-SEI for their initiative to offer advanced STEM modules and introduce emerging careers in science to senior high school students in their region, through the nuLab project.

DOST Undersecretary Dr. Teodoro Gatchalian also expressed his gratitude to the Institute’s participation in the event and encouraged everyone to visit the nuLab bus.

The 2023 RSTW in Region VII also showcased the SEI's Push4Science campaign, promoting the various Undergraduate S&T Scholarships at the event’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Exhibits under the Science for the Youth [S4Y] Cluster.

DOST scholar-volunteers from Region VII are all smiles as they pose for a photo while promoting the various Undergraduate S&T Scholarships at the RSTW exhibits.

Anchored on the theme "Siyensya, Teknolohiya, at Inobasyon: Kabalikat sa Matatag, Maginhawa, at Panatag na Kinabukasan," the 2023 RSTW highlighted the various S&T interventions for the advancement of the blue economy in the region.

Aside from DOST-SEI's nuLab learning bus, the weeklong celebration also featured talks and seminars related to blue economy development.

Preceding its roadtrip in Dumaguete, the nuLab bus visited Lucban – the art capital of Quezon Province – and served students from six schools in the municipality’s different barangays, immersing them to lecture-module series on chemistry, microbiology, weather science, and mathematics.