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| Manila, June 16, 1952 PANAPEX FIRST PAN ASIAN PHILATELIC EXHIBITION MANILA, PHILIPPINES NOVEMBER 16 -22, 1952 |
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| Manila, July 16, 1952 PARTICIPATE IN THE PANAPEX MANILA, PHILIPPINES NOVEMBER 16-22, 1952 |
In recognition of the importance of the Exhibition in promoting philately, President Quirino issued Proclamation No. 342 declaring the period from November 16 to 22, 1952, as the First National Philatelic Week in the Philippines.
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| Manila, November 10, 1952 FIRST NATIONAL PHILATELIC WEEK IN THE PHILIPPINES NOVEMBER 16 - 22, 1952 |
PANAPEX was a great success. Public demand was so great that the exhibition was extended an additional week to November 29, 1952. Thousands of people visited the show including students from schools and colleges. [The exhibition is described in the Asociacion Filatelica de Filipinas 1952 Yearbook.]
The Stamps
The Philatelic Bureau issued a set of three stamps for PANAPEX, two regular stamps and one air mail stamp on November 16, 1952. The stamp design features a portrait of Maria Clara, the typical Filipino woman immortalized by Jose Rizal in his novels. The portrait was modeled from a photograph of Rizal's cousin Leonor Rivera who inspired the character of Maria Clara.
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| Photograph of Leonor Rivera used as a model for the PANAPEX stamp |
First Day of Issue Cachet
First Day Covers
The first Pan-Asian Philatelic Exhibition (PANAPEX) conceived Maria Clara, Rizal's heroine, as its commemorative stamp for she symbolizes mother Philippines and epitomizes the traditional virtues of the ancient filipino woman, namely : love of God, love of country, loyalty, modesty, sincerity, purity, and loftiness of thoughts and ideals.
