Iloilo

 This is the third card from Magin, showing Miag-ao Church in Philippines. On the back of the card it is printed: "Miag-ao Church officially known as Santo Tomas de Villanueva is a prime example of Philippine rococo style. Church resembling fortress dates back to 1787 and is included in the Unesco's world heritage list."
Magin also writes: "Miag-ao church is one of the most beautiful churches in Philippines. Majority of the Philippinos are Roman Catholics, so churches abound in every town. In my hometown, Cebu, the most popular church is the Basilica del Santo Nino."

She also tells me that the stamps were issued by Philpost as a tribute to Galeon Andalucia, which visited Philippines last month.

City of Vigan

The second card from Magin, this time a card of the beautiful City of Vigan in Philippines, her favorite Unesco World Heritage Site in Philippines. On the card it is printed: "Vigan is the capital city of Ilocos Sur and is located on the west coast of Northern Luzon. It is the oldest surviving Spanish colonial city in Philippines. It is well-known for its cobblestone streets, colonial houses made of bricks and the unique European atmosphere."
Magin also writes me that there is a legend about this old Spanish city. "According to the legend, the reason why this town survived during World War II was because one of the Japanese soldiers fell in love with a local girl, so he radio to their base saying that there was no need to bomb the Vigan town, since there were no longer American soldiers in the town. So, the city of Vigan was spared." I hope this legend is true, too, Magin :)

Banaue Rice Terraces | Philippines

This card was sent to me by Magin from Philippines as a direct swap! In the back of the card it says: "These 2000 years old terraces were carved into the mountains by Ifugao's indigenous people. The terraces start from the base of the Cordillera mountains and reach up to a thousand feet high. If stretched from end to end, would encircled half of the globe. It is tagged as one of the wonders of modern world and are a Unesco World Heritage Site."
Magin also mentions that strawberries grow in the region, too.

Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno de Quiapo

This card was sent by Janine from Philippines as a Private Swap. As she informs me, this is the feast of the Black Nazarene Procession, which is held every year at 9 of January in Quiapo. A lot of people who are devotees go to this procession. In the middle there is Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno de Quiapo a life-sized, dark-coloured, wooden sculpture of Jesus Christ and there are two ropes tied to it. The devotees hold on to it as a sign of their faith.


The statue's original carver is an anonymous Mexican carpenter, and the image arrived in the archipelago by galleon from Acapulco, Mexico. Folk tradition attributes the color of the Black Nazarene to a fire on the ship carrying it, charring the image from its original fair tone into its present dark complexion. Today, the image borne in procession consists of the original body of the Black Nazarene connected to a replica of the head, while the original head portion of the statue remains on a replica of the body enshrined within the high altar of the basilica. An exception to this setup was during the 2007 feast, where both the original head and the body were combined in celebration of the Black Nazarene's 400 year history. [wikipedia]

As for the two beautiful stamps, the one on the left shows the Central Mindanao University and the one on the right is 1997 "Year of the Ox" stamp. I actually didn't know that one can use older stamps....