Post Office marks Chinese New Year 2022 with 'Year of Tiger' stamps

The Philippine Postal Corporation (Post Office) launched on Monday, Jan. 31, the commemorative “Year of the Tiger” stamps to mark the celebration of the Chinese New Year 2022.

“We wish the Chinese community peace, prosperity and love,” Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio said.

According to Fulgencio, the launching of the these stamps aims to give opportunity to both Chinese-Filipinos and Filipinos in the country to still celebrate Chinese New Year even amid the pandemic.

“I understand that some of the festivities in Manila were postponed for the second time this year due to the threat of the coronavirus, he added.

The Chinese Lunar New Year, which begins Tuesday, Feb. 1, is one of the most important holidays for Asian countries and is also popularly celebrated throughout the world.

The water tiger is the third of the 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. As with other zodiac signs, personality traits and other attributes are often associated with people born in the year of a particular animal.

“The Chinese calendar has sparked a lot of interest in recent years among Filipinos who collect the (Chinese zodiac) stamps,” the Post Office said in a statement.

Aside from celebration, Fulgencio said many stamp collectors welcomed this stamp issuance as it “helps strengthen the ties between the Chinese and Filipino people.”

“We firmly believe that this Year of the Tiger, which is the symbol of courage and strength, will propel us to greater heights as the Post Office gears up to modernize its systems, innovate its products and services and immortalize the rich history, culture, talents and achievement of Filipinos around the world”, Fulgencio noted.

Stamps, souvenir sheets and official first day covers of “New Year 2022: Year of the Tiger Stamps” are now available at the Philatelic Counter, Manila Central Post Office in Liwasang Bonifacio.

For inquiries on the stamps, the public were urged to call the Post Office’s hotline and follow their social media pages for updates and information.