Don Tomas in New Stamp
July 1989
The Builder
The Philippine Postal Service (PPS) issued last May 18 five new definitive stamps marking the Birth Centennary of Great Filipinos to coincide with the celebration of the Decade of Filipino Nationalism 1989-1998. The move of the PPS is pursuant to Proclamation No. 269, dated June 10, 1988. The new stamps include among others Don Tomas B. Mapua, the Philippines’ first architect and the founder of the Mapua Institute of Technology.
Don Tomas was first cited for his designs of grandiose edifices like the De la Salle University, the Nurses’ Home of the Philippine General Hospital, and the Post Office Building, as well as for his dedication in uplifting the welfare of working students who wanted to become engineers and architects.
Other great Filipinos included in the definitive stamps are Camilo V. Osias, Olivia D. Salamanca, Francisco S. Santiago, and Leandro H. Hernandez.
The stamps which come in four colors were printed using the litho-offset process. The artists were Cecilio I. Fajardo, Rufe Guco, and other philatelic designers.
Besides Manila, other places where the stamps are available are in the college post offices in Cebu City, Naga City, Bacolod City, Davao City, and other capital cities nationwide.