MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) is planning to bring the Guinness World Records’ largest collection of Pope Stamp Exhibit to the Visayas and Mindanao to spur interest in philately.
As the Pope Stamp Exhibit came to a close on Saturday in Manila, Postmaster General Luis Carlos said he is considering bringing Boy Scouts of the Philippines secretary general Kim Robert de Leon’s collection of 2,398 various popes’ postage stamps to other parts of the country.
The exhibit was opened to the public last April 29.
Carlos on May 5 said that to their knowledge De Leon is the only Filipino recognized by Guinness for stamp collection.
He described De Leon’s persistence to collect the stamps during the COVID-19 pandemic and receiving Guinness World Record’s certification for having the largest pope collection of postage stamps as “amazing.”
“The purpose of the exhibit is to bring back stamp collection… something to show that stamp (collecting) is still alive,” Carlos said.
In an earlier interview, De Leon said that collecting pope stamps was a “euphoric pastime” that he started only during the pandemic in 2020.
While rummaging through his belongings, he saw two stamps in his possession – a Valentine’s Day stamp and a stamp featuring Pope Francis, which he bought shortly after the pontiff’s visit to the Philippines in 2015.
De Leon then wondered if there were other pope stamps in circulation. At first, he limited his interest to popes who have visited the Philippines – Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II and Pope Paul VI – and later included Pope Benedict XVI and other pontiffs.
The oldest stamp in his collection was that of Pope Pius XII which was issued by the Vatican on June 27, 1957.
He added that a majority of his collection came from the Vatican, while 80 percent of his collection featured Pope John Paul II, one of the most traveled pontiffs.
Representatives from Guinness Records counted the stamps on Feb. 22, 2022, at San Ildefonso Parish in Navotas City, where De Leon had been serving as one of the lectors and commentators.
At the end of the counting, he received a certificate that made him a Guinness record-holder.