United Nations Evacuation Center: Tubabao, Philippines 1949 - 1951

In 1949, 6,000 Russians were granted temporary refuge on the Philippine Island of Tubabao. This post explains why the Russians fled to the Philippines and shows a cover mailed from Canada to a Ukrainian representative in the Philippine evacuation centre.

"White" Russians in Exile

After the Russian Civil War of 1922-24, soldiers of the anti-Bolshevik "White" Army and their families fled Russia. Several thousand Russians settled in China, many of whom became residents of Shanghai. The Russians remained in China until the late 1940s but were forced to evacuate during the Chinese Civil War as the Chinese Red Army was securing victory over Nationalist forces in mainland China.

The Philippine government provided temporary refuge for the 6,000 Russians escaping from China. In 1949, the United Nations International Refugee Organization (IRO) established the United Nations Evacuation Center (UNEC) on the Philippine island of Tubabao.


Tubabao Evacuation Center

The Russian refugees were then offered permanent settlement in other countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, as well as South American nations.


Mail from Evacuation Center Tubabao

 Guinan to Hong Kong, May 23, 1950

(The camp was located about 15 miles from the village of Guinan)

IRO - UNEC Post Office cachet applied to all refugee mail

May 19, 1950

Mail to Evacuation Center Tubabao

The cover below was sent by the Ukrainian Service, Winnipeg, to the Ukrainian National Group Representative at the Tubabao Evacuation Center on January 30, 1950.


Return address


The air mail letter rate for 1/4 ounce was 25 cents
(5 cent stamp fell off)




Post Office Receiver Handstamp


IRO - UNEC Post Office cachet used as a receiver
February 11, 1950

1963 Presidential Credo II : Ramon Magsaysay

Ramon Magsaysay was President from 1953 until his death in 1957.

 

The Magsaysay "Presidential Credo" stamps were issued on December 30, 1963.

First Day of Issue Cancellation

First Day Covers

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

Black ink

Purple ink

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

 Black ink

 Purple ink

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