Republic of the Philippines - Stamps & Postal History

 

RP Issues of 2009

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2009, August 28.  Philippines-Singapore 40 Years of Diplomatic Relations Joint Issue

Featuring Bridges of the Philippines and Singapore

Litho Offset.  Amstar Company, Inc.  Perf. 14

Se-tenant Blocks of 4, Miniature Sheets of 16

 

          

 

 

Se-tenant Blocks of Four  (25,000)

 

    7p  Bamban Bridge, Philippines

    7p  Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge, Philippines 

    7p  Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore 

    7p  Henderson Waves, Singapore

 

Miniature Sheets of 16  (6,250) 

 

Souvenir Sheets of Four  (5,000)

    7p  Bamban Bridge, Philippines

    7p  Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge, Philippines 

    7p  Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore 

    7p  Henderson Waves, Singapore

 

 

First Day Covers:  Manila

 

   

 


 

Joint Issue with Singapore


PHILIPPINES AND SINGAPORE BRIDGES

To   commemorate   the   40th   anniversary   of   diplomatic relations  between  Singapore  and  The  Philippines,  Singapore  Post  and  Philippines  Post will  release  a  joint  stamp  issue  featuring  five  significant  bridges  in  Singapore  and  The Philippines.   The   theme,   ‘Bridges’   is   chosen   to   signify   the   strong,   multi-faceted   ties between both countries.

BAMBAN BRIDGE.   Tarlac, Philippines.   Connecting Mabalacat, Pampanga and  Bamban, Tarlac  along Macarthur Highway,  this Nielsen-Lohse basket arch bridge is one of the most modern and sleek-looking bridges in the Philippines.  The bridge’s arch has a span of 174 meters and contains 1,400 tons of steel.  It is one of the longest bridges of its type in the world and was completed sometime around 1998. It is quite a landmark in an area devastated by  Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991.  Various other bridges were erected in place soon after but each one was washed away, too. Today, the lahar system has stabilized and lush vegetation now covers land that was once desolate.

MARCELO FERNAN BRIDGE.   Cebu, Philippines.  Marcelo Fernan Bridge is an extradosed cable-stayed bridge located in Metro Cebu.  It spans across Mactan Channel connecting Cebu Island to Mactan Island.  Marcelo Fernan Bridge was opened in August 1999 to decongest the traffic from the older Mactan-Mandaue Bridge. The bridge has a total length of 1,237 meters (4,058.40 feet) with a center span of 185 meters (606.96 feet). The bridge is one of the widest and longest bridge spans in the Philippines.  It was named after Senator Marcelo Fernan, a political figure from Cebu City.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelo_Fernan_Bridge)

CAVENAGH BRIDGE.  Singapore.  Cavenagh Bridge is the only suspension bridge and one of the oldest bridges in Singapore, spanning the lower reaches of the Singapore River in the Downtown Core. Opened in 1870 to commemorate Singapore's new Crown colony of the Straits Settlements status in 1867, it is the oldest bridge in Singapore that exists in its original form.  Originally known as the Edinburgh Bridge to commemorate the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh, its name was changed to Cavenagh Bridge in honor of Major General William Orfeur Cavenagh, the last India-appointed Governor of the Straits Settlements, who governed from 1859 to 1867.  The coat of arms of the Cavenagh family can still be seen atop the signage at both ends of the bridge.

HENDERSON WAVES BRIDGE.  Singapore.   Henderson Waves Bridge is Singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge.   At 36 meters above Henderson Road, it was built to connect the two hills of Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill.  The bridge has a unique wave-form made up of seven undulating curved steel “ribs” that alternately rise over and under its deck. The curved “ribs” form alcoves that function as shelters with seats within.  Slats of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber found in South-East Asia, are used in the decking.  Look out for carvings on the slats marking the height you are at on various points along the bridge.  The wave-forms will be lit with attractive LED light from 7pm to 2am daily, giving the bridge an illuminative glow. (http://www.singaporevr.com/vrs/HendersonWave/HendersonWave02.html)

TOPICAL CATEGORIES

 

  • Bridges

  • Architecture

 

Articles by Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak

 

 

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Issues of 2009