1963 Presidential Credo I : Manuel Roxas

From 1963 to 1973, the Philippine Bureau of Posts issued the attractive "Presidential Credo" series consisting of  eight sets of stamps honouring the first eight Presidents. The stamps have a common design featuring an engraved image of the President on the left side of the stamp and that President's credo in Filipino and English or Filipino and Spanish. Each stamp has a facsimile autograph of the President but the name is not printed on the stamp.

The first set in the series, featuring President Manuel Roxas, was engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson (England). All other sets were engraved by the Government Printing Bureau (Japan).  The stamps were not issued in chronological order of Presidencies.

Manual Roxas

May 28, 1946 – April 15, 1948

Roxas served as the President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines  from May 28, 1946 to July 4, 1946 and the first president of the Third Republic from July 4, 1948 until his death on April 15, 1948.

The Roxas Credo stamps were issued on July 4, 1963.

First Day of Issue Cancellation

U.S. and Philippine flags featured on the first day of issue cancellation

First Day Covers

(Not in author's collection)

1963 Freedom From Hunger

 In 1960, the Freedom From Hunger (FFH) campaign was introduced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to raise awareness of the problems of hunger and malnutrition. The campaign was originally planned to last for five years but was renewed several times into the 1980s. 

In June 1963, The first World Food Congress met in Washington, D. C. in June, 1963. Countries were asked to issue FFH stamps in support of the campaign and the congress. Over 150 stamp issuing entities produced FFH commemorative stamps. 

The Philippines issued a set of three FFH stamps on December 20, 1963.

First Day of Issue Cancellation

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First Day Covers

1963 15th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights

A souvenir sheet was issued on December 10, 1963 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. The Bureau of Posts overprinted the 1949 UPU souvenir sheet of three stamps with the text:

 Overprinted UPU souvenir sheet

First Day of Issue Cancellation

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First Day Covers

(Not in author's collection)

 First Day of Issue Cancellation + "Rule of Law" Slogan

RIGHTS SHOULD BE PROTECTED

BY THE RULE OF LAW

DECEMBER 4 -- 10

1963 Andres Bonifacio Birth Centenary

On November 30, 1963 the Bureau of Posts issued a set of three stamps to commemorate the birth centennial of Andres Bonifacio.

Andres Bonifacio was a major figure in the Philippine Revolution.  He was a founder and later leader of the Katipunan movement, a secret society which sought the independence of the Philippines from Spain. The discovery of the Katipunan by Spanish authorities in August, 1896, led to the outbreak of the revolution. Bonifacio reorganized the Katipunan into a de facto revolutionary government naming himself as President and commander-in-chief of the rebel army.

 Andres Bonifacio

Divisions within the revolutionary movement led to the replacement of the Katipunan by a revolutionary government. In March 1897,  Emilio Aguinaldo defeated Andres Bonifacio in an election held at the Tejeros Convention to become President of the revolutionary government.  Bonifacio refused to recognize the Aguinaldo government and attempted to establish a rival government. On Aguinaldo's orders, Bonifacio and his brother were arrested and convicted of treason, and sentenced to death. They were executed by firing squad on May 10, 1897.

First Day of Issue Cancellation

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First Day Covers