1960 World Refugee Year

The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution on December 5, 1958  establishing World Refugee Year (WRY) . WRY had two aims:

• to focus interest on the refugee problem and to encourage additional financial contributions from Governments, voluntary agencies and the general public for its solution
• to encourage additional opportunities for permanent refugee solutions, through voluntary repatriation, resettlement or integration, on a purely humanitarian basis and in accordance with the freely expressed wishes of the refugees themselves.

States members of the United Nations and members of the specialised agencies were urged  to co-operate, in accordance with the national wishes and needs of each country and from a humanitarian point of view, in promoting a WRY as a practical means of securing increased assistance for refugees throughout the world.

WRY was launched on June 28, 1959. On April 7, 1960, 125 different WRY stamps were issued simultaneously by 74 countries, including the Philippines.

The Philippines WRY Stamps

A peaceful scene of a Manila Bay sunset from a painting by artist Ben Alano (1922-1991) was the model for the stamps printed by the Government Printing Bureau of Japan.

 Sunset, Manila Bay-Ben Alano

An uprooted oak tree , the symbol of WRY is seen in the lower left corner of the stamps.

First Day of Issue Cancellation

The WRY symbol is included in the first day of issue cancellation.

First Day Covers

 

Overseas Mailers

 

(Not in author's collection)

1960 25th Anniversary of the Constitution

The 1935 Constitution was approved by the Philippine Constitution Convention on February 8, 1935, and adopted by the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1946 and by the Third Republic of the Philippines until 1972.

The Bureau of Posts issued a set of stamps  to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Constitution on February 8, 1960. Two triangular-shaped stamps, one regular and the other air mail, were printed by the Government Printing Bureau of Japan.

First Day of Issue Cancellation

First Day Covers

(Not in author's collection)

(Not in author's collection)

 Overseas Mailers

1960 UNESCO Slogan

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Asia held a regional meeting in Manila from January 18 to January 23, 1960. To mark this event, the Manila post office used a commemorative slogan cancellation.

Jay Leach of Overseas Mailers produced a lovely cacheted cover mailed on the first day of the UNESCO meeting. The insert describes the important role played by UNESCO in Asia.

1959 Ateneo de Manila Centenary

The Ateneo de Manila University celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1959. The Jesuit-run school's main campus is located in Quezon City.


Ateneo Seals

The original seal showed the the coat of arms of the city of Manila. In 1909, the school's golden jubilee, the motto, Lux in Domino was added. A new seal was introduced for Ateneo de Manila’s diamond jubilee in 1929. This seal abandoned the arms of Manila and  adopted a design that used mostly Jesuit symbols.

(a) 1909 Golden Jubilee Seal  (b) 1929 Diamond Jubilee Seal

Statue of St. Ignatius Loyola

St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, had been a soldier. The statue  on the Ateneo campus depicts Loyala in uniform kneeling and giving up his sword.

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On December 10, 1959, the Bureau of Posts issued a set of stamps commemorating the centenary of the Ateneo de Manila. The 1909 and 1919 University seals and the statue of St. Ignatius Loyola are shown on the stamps.

First Day of Issue Cancellation


The crest in the 1929 seal is included in the first day of issue cancellation.

First Day Covers

 

 

1953 Magsaysay-Garcia Inauguration

In the Presidential elections held  November 10, 1953, Defense Secretary Ramon Magsaysay defeated incumbent President Elpidio Quirino. Magsaysay's running mate Carlos Garcia was elected vice-president. Inauguration ceremonies were held on December 30, 1953.

In addition to a slogan cancellation to mark the event, the 2c Rizal postcard of 1952 was overprinted with the text :  

MAGSAYSAY-GARCIA INAUGURATION DEC. 30, 1953

Slogan Cancellation

The slogan cancellation was only used on December 30, 1953.

 

Postcard

First Day of Issue Cachet