Republic of the Philippines - Stamps & Postal History

RP Issues of 2021

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2021, January 13.  "Save Our Shores, Save Our Ocean" Series III Definitive Issues

Litho Offset, Amstar Printing Company, Inc.,  Perf 14

Singles, Sheets of 100 (14p) & Sheets of 50 (100p)

                       

 

     14p  Asian Moon Scallop (Amusium pleuronectes) - Singles

  100p  Fluted Giant Clam ( Tridacna squamosa) - Singles

 

 

First Day Covers:  Manila

 

        

“Save Our Shores, Save Our Ocean” – Series III (Definitive Issues)

To send the message on the importance of taking care of our natural resources and in the context of environmental and health crises caused by exploitation, PHLPost issues “Save Our Shores, Save Our Oceans”  with photographs provided by the National Museum of the Philippines and images of Philippine waters from FUNtastic Philippines, Inc.

Asian Moon Scallop (Amusium pleuronectes).  Shell thin, medium-sized (commonly attaining 8 cm in length), laterally compressed, almost circular in outline, gaping anteriorly and posteriorly. Both valves somewhat convex, the right (lower) valve only a little more inflated and large than the left (upper) valve.   Widely distributed in Indo-Pacific coasts, in large schools in shallow waters with sand and muddy bottoms.  Also found on clean sand with silt and shell rubble, where the lower right valve is buried in soft sediment as well as on river mouth and estuary. 

Fluted Giant Clam ( Tridacna squamosa).  One of a number of large clam species native to the shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.  It is distinguished by the large, leaf-like fluted edges on its shell called 'scutes' and a smaller byssal opening compared to those of other members of the subfamily Tridacnindae.  Normal coloration of the mantle ranges from browns and purples to greens and yellows arranged in elongated linear or spot-like patterns.  The clam's mantle tissues act as a habitat for the symbiotic single-celled dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae) from which it gets a major portion of its nutrition.  By day, the clam spreads out its mantle tissue so that the algae receive the sunlight they need to photosynthesize.

The Philippines has been acknowledged by marine biologists as one of less than twenty countries with mega-biodiversity. Despite the emphasis on its incomparable biodiversity, much can still be done to protect our natural resources. Laws exist to safeguard aquatic habitats from exploitative fishing practices but waters enclosed in Philippine territories are also at the mercy of pollution and climate change. The species featured herein represent only a small amount of what we stand to lose: our natural resources, coastal livelihoods and communities, and our country’s sustainable future.

TOPICAL CATEGORIES

 

  • Marine Life / Shells

 

 

 

Articles by Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak

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Issues of 2021