Collecting stamps, among other things, started as a pastime in age six when mother gave me three used 1940's stamps (which is still included in my present collection for sentimental value and potential treasure). Accumulation was easy for me because a lot of my relatives began giving me used stamps from various foreign countries and as expected a bulk of them from the Philippines. An aunt gave me a box of stamps from Italy, Vatican City, Hongkong, Great Britain, mostly from her correspondences with fellow religious. A good neighbor gave a bin of letter envelopes from his wife in Germany. Friends saved a lot of their stamps on paper for me to acquire during several friendly visits. National Bookstore also offered packets of assorted used and mint stamps, unluckily hinged for a bargain price during the 1970s and 1980s.

With meager student allowance, I was able to buy books to enhance my knowledge about my new found passion. Foremost of these books was Frank Cetin's Stamp Collecting for Fun and Profit (1949) published by Wilshire Book Company. I acquired this for only P7.50 on September 19, 1980 from a local bookstore. The book introduced me to famous philatelists e.g. Theodore Roosevelt, as well as the first stamp issues around the world. The experience was further augmented by early issues of Youngster, a magazine published by the Daughters of Saint Paul, which regularly featured topics on stamp collecting such as Guidelines to Remember plus a contest on the first Philippine stamp issues. Newspaper clippings, especially Mandy Labayen's column Sunday Philatelics on the defunct Philippines Sunday Express, further enriched my philatelic consciousness.

Other philatelic books acquired were Hodder and Stoughton's Teach Yourself Books - - Fred J. Melville's Stamp Collecting, a paperback encyclopedia which includes the history of postage stamps, intricacies of the hobby and a succinct discussion of stamp-making techniques. I have subscribed to publications, such as Australian Stamp Bulletin, UN Postal Administration news, among others, addresses of which were cited in the book's glossary.

The Whole World Stamp Catalogue by Pan Books, compiled by Robin Ellis, introduced me to philatelic new issue services in late '80s. Furthermore, with the non-availability of stamp catalogues from local bookstores nationwide, I sought the Thomas Jefferson Library in Makati and luckily found a 1980 copy of Scott Stamp Catalogue. For more than two weeks, I cross-referenced stamps in my possession with their Scott numbers.

With the Philippines' foreign exchange difficulty in the past decade, subscription to stamp magazines proved to be costly. I resolved to buy them from newsstands, bookstores or wherever they are available and whenever I am financially capable. This predicament proved beneficial to my philatelic inclination. Instead of collecting stamps randomly without regard to issuing country or theme, I resolved from thence to specialize my collection to all philatelic issues of the Philippines only. I justified my decision with the following premises: a) patronage of my country (I am a true-blue Pinoy); b) proximity to source (at least no more foreign exchange matters and the main Post Office is just a letter away); and c) financial capability (I have no hidden wealth or an inheritance from a billionaire relative).

I enrolled in a Standing Account from the Stamp and Philatelic Section of the Philippine Postal Services Office in June 1990 (never too late to start). Single issues, back then, only cost P1.00-P4.00, First Day Covers P2.50-P15.00, Souvenir Sheets P12.00-P16.00 and Year Albums P150.00-P350.00. Compared to foreign philatelic bureaus, the PSO issued a simple one-page Philippines Stamps News introducing each set of new stamps. I found out this year, 1997, upon resumption of my Standing Order Deposit Account (SODA) that Philippine Stamps News have not changed its format but have incredibly increased the subscription costs. Cost ranges for single issues now is P2.00-P12.00; Souvenir Sheets P10.00-P40.00; First Day Covers P6.00-P30.00 and Year Albums P1,000.00-P1,200.00, an average 200% price increase. Presentation Packs are now regularly offered from P60.00 to P100.00.