by Arturo B. del Ayre

PHILIPPINE PHILATELIC RESOURCES

Philippine philately began with the issuance of the very first stamp bearing the nation's proud name and, as some experts say, well even before that. The country being isolated from most of the Asian continent, with Darwin and geologists in mind, Philippine philately became an insular affair.

Modern catalogs specifically and exclusively for Philippine collection came only during the last 20 years. Most of them were either date-inclusive in coverage or topical and thematic in scope. Philippine stamp albums and even journalistic articles, previously, were mostly produced or written by foreigners. With the privatization of the postal structure in the Philippines and the advent of Internet communications, most hobbyists have ventured into a more learned approach to Philippine philately: writing original manuscripts, doing research in postal history as well as accumulating the near-complete stamp collection.

For the past three articles, requests from readers came in torrents. Most of them dealt with the problem of getting philatelic supplies and items to complete a collection, display them aesthetically and safely as well as discuss the hobby per se.

SUPPLIES / ACCESSORIES
Here's a short list of resources, and shoppes that specializes in Philippine stamps or feature Philippines philately as the major business.

PPC Philatelic Division offers a Standing Order Deposit Account (SODA) with PPC for US$30 (foreign) or PhP 300. The service offers new issues of postage stamps, First Day Covers, Presentation Packs, Year Albums, Souvenir and Miniature Sheets. Contact: The Philatelic Division Chief, Philippine Postal Corporation, Liwasang Bonifacio, 1000 Manila.

The Stamp Shop, managed by Alfredo Roxas, publishes Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak's catalogues as well as offers New Issues and Philippine Stamp Albums, among other philatelic items. Visit the shop at Unit 15 Level A, Greenhills Shoppesville Arcade, San Juan, Metro Manila.

PaDVa Gallery, formerly Manila International Coins & Stamps Center, at 1171 A. Mabini St., 1000 Ermita, Manila is one of the most active dealers in the Philippines, specializing in the sale and purchase of stamps, coins and antiques.

K-Line Philippines at P.O. Box 94, Eden, New York, 14057 U.S.A., offers custom books, album pages of the Philippines from 1854 to present.

WANT LISTS / EXCHANGE
Although most of these resources are Internet-based, most Philippine-based exchange haven't gone online.

TOM NICHOLSON'S Philatelic Service could fill your want lists with Philippines and US Possessions postage stamps. Contact Tom Nicholson at P.O. Box 67, Highland CA, 92346 U.S.A.

Stamp Dealer Central [http://www2.stampdealers.com/] specializes in stamps for collectors, with an on-line Interactive Websuite concept for their dealers' web pages. Look out for Alex Schauss' site which specializes in Philippine stamps.

http://www.stampfinder.com, The Global Electronic Stamp Exchange for Collectors and Dealers, offers a search-enabled database for stamp offerings (by item or topic), Covers and Specialties (with images) and a Want List Registration Service. One can also download a free Collector Software Program.

http://www.philately.com introduced the International Stamp Numbers. Sections in this site includes Country Index, Thematic Index, Dealers, Philatelic Events by Location, Philatelic Organizations, Resources by Theme or Topic, and General and Technical Information.

Collector's Stamp Exchange [http://www.netser.com] is a database web site site, a service offered by NetSer of Castro Valley, California, where individual collectors can list philatelic items they want to buy, sell or trade.Stamps from the Philippines are also available for sale or trade.

http://www.afinsa.com offers a search-enabled database of Philippine stamps (official, special delivery, Japanese Occupation issues, topicals, etc. Caution: The web site employs its own catalog numbers.

CLUBS / RESEARCH
Philippine philatelic societies trace their roots with the creation of the Associacion Filatelica de Filipinas early in the 19th century. Present societies such as Cebu Philatelic Society, Quezon City Philatelic Society and Young Philatelists Society are only reachable through traditional mail.

Pampanga Stamp Collector's Society (PSCS) is in-charge with the coordination with local and national stamp organizations to showcase their collections on future exhibitions. Angeles City postmaster Adoracion D. Canlas is the Center's exhibition area curator. The PhilPost staff operates the PPC3-PSCS (Philippines) new Issues Service Program which will enable collectors to purchase and complete all Philippine new postage stamp issues and souvenir sheets at face-value prices.

Manila Stamp Collectors' Club [P.O. Box 1203, Manila] or through their web site: http://www.skyinet.net/users/mscc/ claims to be the Philippines' first stamp club on the internet composed of budding and veteran philatelists holding monthly auctions of common and topical stamps at affordable prices.

The Center for Philatelic Research & Studies, publisher of the book: RIZAL ON STAMPS, a philatelic literature exclusively on Rizal's portrait (much of it definitive), life and works and the Aseanpex '96 issues. It also manages, maintains and operates the Philatelic Library, a repository of diverse national and international philatelic information, as well as the conference and seminar room of the Regional Philatelic Center, in Angeles City Pampanga. Contact: Center for Philatelic Research & Studies, Inc., P.O. Box 51800 SFPO, San Fernando, Pampanga, 2000

http://www.stamps.org, the official website of The American Philatelic Society. Special Philippine catalogs and other related materials can be borrowed from its American Philatelic Research Library for limited periods of time.

The International Philippine Philatelic Society is dedicated to the study and advancement of Philippine Philately. Its member services include: quarterly Philippine Philatelic Journal and IPPS Newsletter, semi-annual mail auction and use of Philatelic Library. There are over 250 members IPPS from eleven countries at present and still growing. Contact: International Philippine Philatelic Society at P.O. Box 100, Toast, NC 27049, U.S.A.

The Philippine Philatelists Club, a forum for Philippine stamps enthusiasts: philatelist and stamp collectors alike, a repository of notes for Philippines-for-Philippines, Philippines-for-Foreign stamp exchange and a bulletin board for announcements of events in Philippine philately: convention, auctions, meetings among others. For free membership, visit the site at http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/philippinephilatelists and join the discussion.

Note: A series of articles about Philately and Stamp Collecting will appear in this column regularly. Future topics will discuss the nature of the hobby, to include: personal reflections, narratives, insights; the state of Philippine Philately and stamp collecting to include issues affecting stamp collectors in the Philippines, postal history, breakthroughs, highlights on philatelic clubs and personalities; and a stamp collector's comprehensive guide on the 5W and 1H of stamp collecting.

This article, parts or verbatim, also appears on the Net. Visit: ABdA's Philippine Philatelic Web Site at http://www.geocities.com/abda/ and the electronic magazine: The Philippine Philatelist at http://stamps.tripod.com. For comments or suggestions, send e-mail to abda@abda.webprovider.com. 03/09/2000