Recent Event

POPE JOHN PAUL II:
A Tribute Through Stamps

The Making of the Project

by Richard Allan Uy

My first and only glimpse of Pope John Paul II was in 1981 during his visit to Cebu. There were multitudes of us young people who were gathered and seated on the grass at the Archbishop's Palace just to be with the Pope. I can still vividly remember the Pope's image as we listened to his words of encouragement and hope.

Most of us then were wearing a shirt with the design of the Pope's face and the words Totus Tuus. Among the items I was able to gather for that occasion was the souvenir program which up to this time I have included as part of my Papal collection.

It all started sometime in 1995 when I conceptualized a stamp exhibit as a tribute to my idol, Pope John Paul II. We, stamp collectors were all excited then because a new set of stamps and a souvenir sheet were just released by the Philippine Postal Corporation to coincide with the Pope's second visit to the Philippines. Although these stamps have added my Papal collection, the philatelic items I acquired were just not enough to comprise a collection that is presentable as an exhibition material.

With the creation of Cebu Stamp Club, Incorporated in 1996, the desire to come up with an exhibit on the Pope was a quest I pursued. After almost ten years of constant communications and exchanges with stamp collectors worldwide, I was able to acquire a collection ready to be mounted for a presentable Papal exhibit.

On April 2, 2005, news broke out that the Pope passed away. While the whole world mourned, I busied myself preparing the materials needed for an exhibit as a special tribute to the Pope.

The venue to hold the exhibit was a coincidence of its own. My friend Ahmed Cuizon of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) and his brother Edwin Al Cuizon, VP of Cebu Stamp Club, Inc. informed me that the City Government of Lapulapu has decided to tap Cebu Stamp Club, Incorporated (CSCI) to come up with an exhibit to commemorate the 2005 Kadaugan sa Mactan celebration. They were thinking of having an exhibit featuring Magellan and Lapulapu which I agreed to prepare from my collection although the thought of coming up with a Magellan-Lapulapu exhibit bothered me because in my mind, I intended to exhibit the collection featuring Pope John Paul II.

Ahmed instructed me to meet with Mr. Rudy Villanobos of the Tourism office of Lapulapu City to iron out the details of the Magellan-Lapulapu exhibit. Together with Cebu Stamp Club, Inc. officers, Ricky Teves and Al Cuizon, we went to see Rudy Villanobos in one of the afternoons. During the meeting, I showed Rudy some of the materials on the John Paul II philatelic collection I prepared. We noticed his excitement as he browsed through the Papal stamp collections. Later, he revealed that he was part of the committee in charge of the 1981 Papal visit in Cebu. Teary eyed and filled with nostalgic emotions, he decided to have the Papal as well as the Magellan-Lapulapu collection exhibited at the Mactan Shrine on April 22 to 27, 2005.

With the success of the Papal exhibit in Mactan, the Philippine Postal Corporation Region VII requested to have the exhibit brought to the Talisay City Post Office for two weeks which we readily consented.

The thought of officially launching the exhibit to a mall kept on persisting in my mind that soon after, I was adding more materials in the collection. We decided to name the project, POPE JOHN PAUL II.. A Tribute Through Stamps. This particular project not only pays tribute to the Pope but also aims to promote stamp collecting as an alternative hobby to the youth so they may stay away from drugs, alcohol and bad companions.

Inviting people to support the cause of philately through exhibits at such a short time may seem impossible for us at CSCI but this undertaking seemed to be different. We were amazed at the support we got from people and sponsors. These include the Cebu Jaycees Inc., University of Southern Philippines Foundation Inc., Ayala Center Cebu, Philippine Postal Corporation, Sarua Recordings Inc., ABS-CBN Network, SunStar Publications Network, Gillamacs, Rhine Marketing Corporation, Bigfoot Global Solutions Inc., Hostingdemand.com, Mercado Clan of Backnang, Germany, Cocolife, I-Freedom, Cebu Pacific, Casino Filipino Mactan, Plantation Bay Spa and Resort, Mussar Aqua Traders, A.S. Enriquez Engineering Consultancy, and Tommy Yap.

The Archbishop of Cebu, His Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal even gave his official endorsement to have the exhibit brought to schools and parishes in Cebu. These developments have made us to believe that Pope John Paul II The Great was guiding us all the way to make this event a reality.

With the addition of a photo exhibit, a power point presentation of all the Popes in history, and more hard to find philatelic materials on John Paul II, we at Cebu Stamp Club, Incorporated were very excited to officially launch the exhibit on August 28, 2005 at the Paseo Marina, Ayala Center Cebu.

On September 12, 2005, the University of Southern Philippines was the first school to host the tour of the exhibit. The tour commenced on December 2005 with most schools here in Cebu City having played host for the exhibition.

My personal thanks to the following: ARCHDIOCESE OF CEBU, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Fr. Tingting Ancajas, Lourdes Jereza, Lucio Pulmones, Joy Polloso, Allan Aquino, Director Alfredo Estrera, Mary Grace Cañete, Ahmed Cuizon, Edwin Al Cuizon, Ricardo Teves, Mabel Segovia, Teresita Caballero, Archer Vallesfin, Edison Go, Bee Ling Yap, Leslie Lumagbas, Zaida Glipa, Rachel Betos, Ma Luisa Potian, Rogelio Villanobos, Reina Tugot, THE FREEMAN NEWSPAPER, Divine Sanchez-Ngujo, Dennis Yap, Apollo Enriquez, Samson Tiu, Ronan Bordios, Jun Kwe, Ismael Tumanda, Rhet Nadela, Jerome Mil, Glen dela Peña, Veneranda Sy, Mary Grace Mayola, Kenneth Kabingue, Robert Barquilla, Anthony Derecho, Maricar Joy Tallo, Rene Mercado, Paul Melendez, Rafi Quijano, Vanessa Astronomo, Chiqi May Completo, Richard Beethoven Uy, Edwin Uy, Jude Bacalso, Jonathan Roble, Violeta Rodriguez, Chona Roska, David de Lara, GUESS, and Emily Jade Valero.