PhilPost launches new stamps featuring Maria Makiling

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Postal Corp. (PhilPost) yesterday came out with the first series of its mythical heroes postage stamps featuring Maria Makiling, the so-called guardian of the mountain.

PhilPost Philatelic Services director Lenny San Diego said three million copies of Maria Makiling stamps were produced for the series and these will not only cater to philatelists or stamp collectors but would also be used for PhilPost operations or on mailed letters and parcels.

“This is to rekindle the interest of Filipinos in their culture, folklore and legends,” San Diego said.

“In some stamps, we had a limited quantity of about 100,000 which is divided into a block of four, so each stamp would only have 25,000 pieces. But in the case of Maria Makiling, more copies will be produced to help promote the culture,” San Diego added.

This special stamp, which measures 25mm x 22 mm, would be sold at P7 per piece.

The designer of the stamps is Nemi Miranda Jr. while the layout artist is Victorino Serevo. The copies were printed by Amstar Co., Inc.

Every quarter this year, the PhilPost would feature a folk hero in its stamps. Aside from Maria Makiling, it would also release stamps of Hagibis, Amihan and Bernardo Carpio.

In Philippine mythology, Maria Makiling or Mariang Makiling is described as a fairy or forest nymph associated with Mount Makiling. Her home is an inactive volcano, located between the provinces of Batangas and Laguna in southern Luzon.

She is considered to be one of the most popular fairies, breathtakingly beautiful and forever young.

She has a special place in the hearts of Filipinos, particularly those who live in Los Baños, Laguna being the guardian of the mountain, responsible for protecting its beauty and the people who depend on the mountain’s resources.