page_title: Postage stamps and postal history of the Philippines
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Postage stamps and postal history of the Philippines / World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: José P. Laurel 日本語: 日本の占領下のフィリピンで傀儡政権の「独立」一周年記念切手として発行された切手。デザインは大統領のホセ・ラウレル。日本の占領下に発行されたものであるうえ、発行から60年以上経過している為、著作権の保護期間は終了しているうえ、使用不可能な切手である。
context_page_description: This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of The Philippines.
  In 1767, the first post office was established in the city of Manila, which was later organized under a new postal district of Spain, encompassing Manila and the entire Philippine archipelago, in 1779. The postal district was reestablished on December 5, 1837. A year later, Manila became known as a leading center of postal services within Asia. Spain joined the Universal Postal Union in 1875, which was announced in the Philippines two years later.
  During the Philippine Revolution, President Emilio Aguinaldo ordered the establishment of a postal service to provide postal services to Filipinos during that time. It was later organized as a bureau under today's Department of Trade and Industry, then known as the Department of Trade, on September 5, 1902, by virtue of Act No. 426, which was passed by the Philippine Commission. The Philippines eventually joined the Universal Postal Union as a sovereign entity, on January 1, 1922.
context_section_description: Upon the outbreak of World War II on December 18, 1941, Manila, which was declared an open city was easily captured by the Japanese who entered it on January 2, 1942. On March 4, the Japanese resumed mail service in the city. At first they released the so-called “provisional” or “emergency issues”. They were seven of the pre-war Commonwealth stamps approved by their censors and with the words “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND COMMONWEALTH” deleted in black.
  Recognizing the propaganda value of stamps and psychological value of their designs, the Japanese authorities carefully chose the motif of the stamps issued by them during the occupation of the Philippines. In their new postage series released on April 1, 1943, the Japanese portrayed typical Philippines scenes on them. These issues had four basic designs. The first one showed a typical “bahay kubo” with palm trees behind it. The second one pictured a Filipino woman planting rice. The third one depicted a Moro vinta sailing in the open sea. The last stamp was a “hybrid” one. It showed Mt. Mayon and Mt. Fuji Yama together. Between them was a rising sun and at their base were some palm trees.
  On the inauguration of the puppet Second Philippine Republic, the Japanese issued a commemorative stamp showing a Filipina woman in native dress. On her left side was a hoisted the Philippine flag and on her right side the Rizal monument at the Luneta. A string of pearls served as its border and beneath it is a broken chain. In their further bid for the cooperation and friendship of the Filipinos, the Japanese tried to arouse their patriotic fervor. So on the 72nd anniversary of the martyrdom of Fathers Burgos, Zamora, and Gomez, the national heroes’ series was issued by the Japanese. These portrayed Rizal, Burgos and Mabini. This trio of Filipino heroes on postage stamps was the first of its kind in the history of Philippine philately. The last stamps issued by the Japanese were the Laurel issued which showed President Laurel in this inaugural attire. Above him was the seal of the Republic and below was a farmer plowing a field with a carabao.
  The Japanese Occupation also marked the issuance of the first Philippine semi-postal stamps. Semi-postal stamps are those issued for the dual purpose of paying postage and raising some revenue for other activities of the government, mostly charitable ones. Ironically enough these stamps were prepared by the Commonwealth Government, but due to the sudden outbreak of the war were not released as planned. The original object of these stamps was to raise revenues for National Defense, but when the Japanese released them on November 12, 1942, their theme was changed to Food Production to suit the needs of the invaders.
  In spite of the strong pro-Filipino flavor of these stamps issued by the Japanese, the people did not seem impressed. In fact, in many places especially in the Visayas and Mindanao, the people not only disdained to use these stamps but actually used another kind, the mere possession of which would have forfeited their lives, a guerrilla stamp. Some of these stamps were printed in Australia and brought to the Philippines by submarines. They were used in guerrilla correspondence and in postal communication to the United States. These stamps consisted only of one denomination the 2 centavo variety. They bore the words :FREE PHILIPPINES - GUERILLA POSTAL SERVICE – TWO CENTAVOS SERIES 1943".
  On October 20, 1944, the American liberation forces finally landed on the shores of Leyte. Nineteen days later, with the characteristics dispatch of the Americans, the Post Office of Tacloban was reopened for postal amidst the still smoking ruins. The stamps issued to the public were all available pre war Commonwealth stamps overprinted with the word “VICTORY” in rubber stamp.
caption: 1945 Philippine stamps.
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