1960 25th Anniversary of Philippines Air Force

On January 2, 1935, the Philippine Constabulary Air Corps was established to provide reconnaissance support for the Constabulary.In December, 1935, the Philippine Army was created. The Constabulary Air Corps became the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC). In 1947, the PAAC was renamed Philippine Air Force (PAF).

A set of airmail stamps was issued by the Bureau of Posts on May 2, 1960  to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the PAF. Shown on the stamps are the pre-WWII Curtiss JN-4D "Jenny" and the F-86F “Sabrejet” acquired by the PAF in 1957.

The "Jenny" and "Sabrejet" shown on the PAF stamps

First Day of Issue Cancellation

The PAF insignia is shown on the stamp and the first day cancellation.

First Day Covers

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.