PhlPost releases Year of the Goat souvenir stamps

MANILA, Philippines - To mark the Chinese New Year welcoming the Year of the Goat, the Philippine Postal Corp. (PhlPost) yesterday launched 3-D, gold-embossed souvenir stamps.

The PhlPost said the Year of the Goat souvenir sheet with metallic foiling comes in three colors: silver, bronze, and gold.

The three animals featured on the stamps represent three years based on the Chinese calendar.

The 2014 horse is in silver, the 2015 goat in gold and the 2016 monkey in bronze.

PhlPost printed 5,000 copies of the souvenir sheet, which would be sold starting today at P200 each in major post offices nationwide.

Last Nov. 24, PhlPost issued a two-design stamp to celebrate the Year of the Goat. It featured the image of a goat’s head, which was sold at P10 per piece, while the stamp with the whole image of the animal cost P30 each. 

PhlPost circulated 55,000 copies of each stamp that was printed with scented ink. These are available in post offices and shops across the country.

Postmaster General Josefina de la Cruz said a large number of Filipino-Chinese philatelists have been waiting for the release of the Year of the Goat’s souvenir sheet.

It is estimated that 27 percent of the Philippine population has Chinese ancestry and about 1.5 million Filipinos are pure Chinese.

The Year of the Goat (or Year of the Ram or Sheep) begins today, until Feb. 7 next year.

People born during the Year of the Sheep are said to be tender, polite, filial, clever, and kind-hearted. They are sensitive to art and prefer quiet living.