Portugal’s National Postal Service Issues Philippine Quincentennial Commemorations Stamps

MANILA, Philippines — The Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones (CTT) Correios de Portugal, the national postal service of Portugal, launched on July 19 three special edition stamps featuring images that link the historical narrative of Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães, or Ferdinand Magellan in English, with the Philippines.

The stamps were launched to commemorate the 500^th anniversary of Magellan’s arrival in the Philippines.

They feature the winning artwork by Filipino artist Bernardo Maac titled “Presentation of the Icon,” which won in the Quincentennial Art Competition of the Philippine National Quincentennial Committee (€2.50 stamp); an image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu (€1 stamp); and an image of Magellan’s Cross in Cebu City (€0.54 stamp). The images on the stamps chosen by the Portuguese national postal service reflect the historical narrative of Magellan in the Philippines.

The said project was made possible through the collaboration of the CTT Correios de Portugal; the Estrutura de Missão para as Comemorações do V Centenário de Fernão de Magalhães (EMCFM), the Portuguese counterpart of the National Quincentennial Committee of the Philippines; and the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon. The project is one of the many collaborations that the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon has entered into with the EMCFM to commemorate the Philippine part of the 500^th anniversary of the circumnavigation of the Magellan expedition.

The issuance of the commemorative stamps coincides with the 75^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and several countries, which includes Portugal.