he first postage stamps used in the Philippines were issued by Spanish colonial authorities in 1854, or 14 years after the world's first stamps had been issued by Great Britain. Since then, Philippine stamps have followed the country's history through its many periods.

The first Spanish Philippine stamps do not bear the name of the country, but are identified through the portrait of the reigning monarch, in this case Isabella II in profile with a coronet. Denominations are 5 and 10 cuartos, 1 and 2 reales. These were hand­engraved on metal plates, and thus differ from each other in many minute details. One carries the word carros instead of carreos, a genuine error valued by stamp collectors.

FILIPINAS first appeared on the stamps in 1872 on a set featuring King Amadeo. The last stamps issued under Spain came out in 1898, showing Alfonso XIII as the little boy he was then. Some 225 stamps characterize the Spanish Colonial Period.

When General Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence from Spain in 1898, his revolutionary government issued crudely printed stamps inscribed FILIPINAS for mail and, as was the practice then, for telegrams. They feature emblems of the Katipunan (the sun of liberty, equilateral triangle, three Ks) and in 1899 the text GOBNO. REVOLUCIONARIO. Less than a dozen different stamps were issued.

The entry of the United States into the country ushered in new stamps, the first samples being current U.S. stamps overprinted PHILIPPINES (1899). In 1906 the first stamps under the American insular government were issued, each one in the set of 14 clearly inscribed "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS/UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. "

The 2-centavo stamp features Jose Rizal. Others depict William McKinley, Ferdinand Magellan, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, General Henry W Lawton, Abraham Lincoln, Admiral William Sampson, George Washington, Francisco Carriedo, and Benjamin Franklin, with Admiral George Dewey added to the set in 1923. More stamps were issued until 1935, most of them superior works of the U.S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving. Designs range from tourist attractions (Mount Mayon, the rice terraces) to architectural landmarks (the new Legislative and Post Office buildings, Fort Santiago, Barasoain Church) to works of art (Luna's "Blood Compact"; Amorsolo's "Mindanao").

Airmail postal services began in the 1920s, and limited stamps were issued for experimental and exhibition airmail flights. A curiosity among the 275 stamps of this period is one labeled "Pagsanjan Falls," but actually showing Vernal Falls in California's Yosemite Park because of a design error by the U.S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving.

When in 1935 the Philippines was declared a Commonwealth within the U.S., the new era was ushered in by a set of five extra-large, finely-detailed stamps showing Mother America introducing Dalagang Filipina to the muses. Stamps were now inscribed "UNITED STATES OF AMERICNCOMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES." President Manuel Quezon was prominently featured on some; others celebrated the 75th birthday of Jose Rizal (1936) and the 33rd International Eucharistic Congress (1937). A stamp that caused a minor tempest was a small one showing Jose Rizal with his hair parted on the right, since all others had his hair parted on the left.

The Commonwealth period was interrupted by the Japanese Occupation, and resumed when General Douglas MacArthur returned in 1944. His forces contributed to local stamps by officially hand-stamping the world VICTORY on prewar stamps. A collection of some 30 of these cost over US$lO,OOO in the mid-1990s. About a dozen stamps with VICTORY overprints were issued in 1945, bringing the total to almost 150 different stamps.

The early part of the Japanese Occupation (1942) featured Commonwealth stamps with black bars obliterating "United States of America" on them. One carries the additional overprint: "Congratulations/Fall of Bataan and Corregidor/1942." Before the year ended, semipostal stamps bore the text, "Produce and Preserve Food for New Philippines." After this, only Nippongo was used. Thus the 13 issued in 1943 are easily mistaken for Japanese stamps, even if they do show a nipa hut, a woman planting rice, a Moro vinta, and the juxtaposition of Mount Mayon and Mount Fuji.

In mid -194 3 there was a shift to Tagalog. One stamp issued to mark the 350th anniversary of local printing is inscribed "Limbagan 1593-1943," while a set issued for flood relief has "BAHA 1943." Tagalog was used for stamps commemorating the inauguration of the puppet republic of 1943. These carry a Dalagang Filipina and KALAYAAN NG PILIPINAS. Later issues have REPUBLIKA NG PlLIPINAS and Jose Rizal, Father Jose Burgos, and Apolinario Mabini. Less than 60 postage stamps were issued in this period, most of the later ones locally printed on gumless paper.

The current period of Philippine philately began with the inauguration of the Republic of the Philippines on July 4, 1946. The set of three large stamps issued then shows a Dalagang Filipina again, this time carrying the national flag flanked by the flags of other sovereign countries. The text proudly proclaims: "Independence of the Philippines."

Early issues show Manila landmarks, pay posthumous tributes to Presidents Quezon and Roosevelt, celebrate the inauguration of President Manuel Roxas, honor General MacArthur as "Defender­Liberator," and display Philippine participation in international affairs, especially those of the United Nations.

Since then, the country has issued thousands of stamps (2,500 different ones from 1946 to 1996), including regular issues promoting heroes, presidents, and other prominent Filipinos; commemoratives marking significant historical milestones, and colorful special issues displaying the country's flora (especially orchids and medicinal plants) and fauna. Major landmarks and scenic spots are on stamps too, as are native costumes, folk dances, and festivals. Some 20 issues honor schools and universities. Reproductions of paintings have appeared. A scenic and cultural tour of the Philippines can be made through its stamps.

Stamps were inscribed PHILIPPINES until 1962, when PILIPINAS became standard, except for a 1965 issue marking the 400th anniversary of the Christianization of the country, marked FlLIPINAS in recognition of the role of Spain. Most current stamps are inscribed in English, with generally straightforward, functional designs, often finely detailed and highly graphic; abstractions are rare. Almost all illustrations are rendered in tempera by hand, and based on photographs.