PHLPost to issue stamps marking Malacañang's 150th anniversary

Starting June 11, the Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) will issue stamps marking the 150th anniversary of Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the President. PHLPost said it is issuing the special stamp with a denomination of P10 to mark the sesquicentennial (1863-2013) of the Palace. "The stamp shows the facade of Malacañan Palace viewed across the Pasig River and the Official Seal of the President of the Philippines," it said. Stamps and Official First Day Covers will be available starting June 11 at the Post Shop, Philately and Museum Division of the Manila Central Post Office. They will also be available at all regional offices of the Philippine Postal Corp. Some 500,000 pieces of the stamp designed by the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office will be issued. PHLPost noted the first recorded owner of the property on which the the Palace stands on was Don Luis Rocha, a Spanish aristocrat, and the structure was originally built as a summer house. Rocha sold the property to Colonel Jose Miguel Formente in 1802, and the state bought it in 1825. "Since then, Malacañan Palace became the temporary summer residence of every Spanish Governor-General," it said. In 1863, a powerful quake hit Manila and destroyed the Governor’s Palace in Intramuros. A Superior Decree dated June 11, 1863 transferred the official residence of the Governor-General to Malacañang Palace. "After 1863, the Palace has been occupied by 18 Spanish Governor-Generals, 14 American Civil Governors, and the Presidents of the Philippines, except President Emilio Aguinaldo," PHLPost said. — DVM, GMA News