Cory's Magic Lives On

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Six years after her death, Cory Aquino is still very much alive in the consciousness of the Filipino people. She is remembered with fondness, love and gratitude. For how can a nation not be grateful to her when she helped restore democracy in the land?

At the special Bulong Pulungan forum at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza last Wednesday, The “Woman in Yellow” was honored yet again with the Philippine Postal Corp.’s launch of the second series of Cory Aquino floral paintings scented stamps.

PHLPost Postmaster General Josie dela Cruz said it was the “11th stamp that’s connected to Mrs. Aquino. She is the only one ever in the history of the PHLPost that a stamp has been printed in memory of.”

“As President Cory metamorphosed from a housewife to a statesperson, to a patriot, to mother of her country, so did her paintings,” said PHLPost chair Cesar Sarino. He added, “In her paintings, she began with flowers in a pot, then flowers in the garden, flowers in the wilderness, then she added a rosary in her flower paintings, and later, simple Filipino faces. The PHLPost is mighty proud to immortalize her. Through these national stamps, we hope she will always be remembered. This is our humble expression of respect and affection.”

Presidential sisters Ballsy Cruz and Pinky Abellada, who were present at the launch, lent their favorite Cory artworks of different flowers for the issuance of these special scented stamps. Philip Sison, upon the recomendation of Ballsy, was commissioned to take photos of the paintings. The photographs he took became the basis of PHLPost in producing the stamps.

About 400,000 copies in four designs of the special scented stamps were printed using unwatermarked paper and floral scented ink. PHLPost increased the number of scented stamps printed this year due to the very warm reception to the first series of 200,000 stamps issued last year. The designs of last year’s stamps were based on the Cory paintings lent by her friends STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte, businessman Manny Pangilinan, PEZA director general Lilia de Lima and Metrobank chair George Ty