MANILA, Philippines - Acclaimed film and stage director Lamberto Vera Avellana is immortalized on three stamps (one of them pictured).
Coinciding with his birth centenary (born on Feb. 12, 1915 in Bontoc, Mountain Province) and in celebration of the National Arts Month this month, the P10 denomination stamps feature two photos of Avellana and movie poster of his 1957 film, Badjao, were released on his birth date. The design was coordinated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Avellana is the first-ever Filipino to be declared National Artist for Theater and Film in 1976. — Celso de Guzman Caparas