BERLIN, 08 May 2026 – The Philippine Embassy in Berlin donated Philippine UN80 Commemorative Stamps and Official First Day Cover to the Museum for Communication Berlin, the oldest postal museum in the world, on 7 May 2026.
Titled “The Philippines’ 80 Years in the United Nations: A Journey of Hope & Endeavor,” the se-tenant stamps were launched by the PhilPost and the Department of Foreign Affairs on 26 June 2025. It commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Philippines in the UN as one of its 51 founding members, and highlights the Philippines’ contributions and enduring commitment to multilateralism and international diplomacy.
Amb. Maria Teresa T. Almojuela presents the UN80 Commemorative Stamps and Official First Day Cover.
Ambassador Maria Teresa T. Almojuela handed over the stamps to Ms. Anja Schaluschke, Head (Curator) of the Museum Foundation for Post and Telecommunications, and Director of the Museum for Communication Berlin; and Dr. Andreas Hahn, Head of the Philatelic Archive Museum Foundation-Bonn for Post and Telecommunications-Bonn.
In her message, Ambassador Almojuela thanked Ms. Schaluschke and Dr. Hahn for the excellent arrangements for the presentation of the Philippine donation and their openness to explore future collaboration with the Embassy on Philippine collections of the Museum and the Philatelic Archives in Bonn.
Amb. Maria Teresa T. Almojuela (center) with Ms. Anja Schaluschke (left) and Dr. Andreas Hahn (right) during the ceremonial donation.
Ambassador Almojuela highlighted that stamps tell a lot about the heritage and values of nations and peoples. She shared the story behind the UN80 Commemorative Stamps, and linked the Philippines’ advocacy for freedom, democracy, human rights and sovereignty in the UN to the Philippines’ historical ties with Germany. She explained that the ideals were championed by our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, who lived in Heidelberg and Berlin and drew inspiration from Germany’s liberal and scientific traditions. Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere was printed in Berlin in 1887.
Dr. Andreas Hahn presents Philippine stamps collection in cardboards from the Philatelic Archive Museum Foundation Bonn, which dates back the Spanish colonial period
Forming part of the program was a presentation by Dr. Hahn on the early Philippine stamps printed during the Spanish colonial era and Philippine post-independence period. Dr. Hahn said that Spain began to issue postal stamps in the 1850s, and by 1854 Spain shipped the first postal stamps to the Philippines. These were among the first stamps printed just over a decade after the United Kingdom issued the first stamp in 1840. –END.
