It is very hot in the Philippines. In the days before air conditioning it was common for men of means to have a summer place on the water. When one of those passed to the Spanish Colonial Government, the sweating profusely Spaniards saw the wisdom of moving their residence to Malacanang,(place of the fisherman in tagalog). So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This stamp is from a strange period of the Palace. On one hand, the Palace is still described with the Americanized version of the name, without the g on the end and that still is an American flag flying over it. On the other hand, for the first time in the already long history of the place, a Filipino Bigshot, President Quezon was in residence.
Todays stamp is issue A73, a 6 Centavo stamp issued by the Commonwealth of the Philippines on November 15th,1939. The Commonwealth was the period from 1936-1946, rudely interrupted by the Japanese Second Republic, when the area was transitioning from being an American colony. It was a three stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog the stamp is worth 25 cents. In 1944, a batch of this stamp was overstamped by hand “Victory”, that raises the value to $350.
The now large complex was built as a summer residence for a private citizen Spanish Don in 1750 on the Pasig river. It was built in the bahay na bato style that takes influences of Spanish colonial, Chinese traders, and takes into account the flooding and earthquakes that it will be subject to. The interior was paneled in fine narra and molave wood. The house passed to the Spanish Colonial government in 1825. The Palace has been expanded many times as have the grounds especially during the American period. President Marcos even added an attic discotech. Well it was the 1970s and unfortunately the noise pollution coming from the attic was joined by a bad smell from the Pasig river that was becoming quite polluted. The Palace became home to 18 Spanish Governors General, 14 American Governors including future American President Taft and Douglas Macarthur’s father. Many, but not all Philippine Presidents took up residence. The clan nature of politics there saw Gloria Aroyo live there as a child when her father was President before her own term.
The period between the Spanish and the American colonial period around the turn of the 20th century was known as the First Filipino Republic under President Aquinaldo. He did not live in the Palace but after surrendering was held prisoner there. There was an incident when then young aid but future President Quezon surrendered to the Americans in order to confirm Aquinaldo was being held. He was taken to the Palace and presented to future Filipino Campaign hero Douglas Macarthur’s father. The General than showed Quezon in to Aquinaldo and Quezon whispered in tagalog. “Good evening Mr. President”.
Things got a little wild again in 1986 at the end of Marcos’ long rule. There was a contested election and both Corazon Aquino and Marcos declared victory. On the same day there were even rival inaugurations with Marcos’s reup happening in the Palace. What Cory Aquino’s People Power/Yellow Revolution (Aquino was of Chinese heritage), could not match was the last hurrah of First Lady Imelda. She went on the front balcony and sang to well wishers.
Because of you, I became Happy
Loving I shall offer you
If it is true, I shall be enslaved by you
All of this because of You
The broadcast of this spectacle kept interrupting as tv stations fell to the other side. Marcos ordered the jets flying over not to bomb the protesters and soon enough he was being flown out from the Palace grounds on an American search and rescue helicopter. When you give in to people power often they invade your house. Stealing Imelda’s many shoes is now pretty famous but the mobs have gotten in 3 more times since, in 1999 and twice in 2001.
Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast fine palaces and suggest strong gates. Come again soon for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2020.