Butuan City – The Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost), together with the Diocese of Butuan, on Wednesday afternoon, May 10, 2017. launched a commemorative stamp here marking the diocese’s 50 years.
“This Golden Jubilee commemorative stamp is very significant, as it is part of the country’s history. As a diocese, we should all remember that we have already existed for 50-years. It serves as a historical marker. We don’t just make stamps for any occasion, commemorative stamps like this are made for such historical significance,” said Joel L. Otarra, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of Philpost.
Otarra explained further the stamps significance in comparison to other stamps.
Philpost revealed that they initially printed 1,000 commemorative stamps for the occasion.
Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos of the diocese of Butuan thanked the guests during the ceremony for their support in producing the Golden Jubilee Commemorative stamps: “Our diocese is fifty years young, but our faith and civilization is ancient. Here in this place, evangelization and civilization merge graciously. Through this commemorative stamp, we are able to show that progress and tradition need not conflict. Certainly, people nowadays communicate through emails and other social media. But, sending communications by post makes both traditional and patience a persistent value.”
Dios Pueblos observed that “shown in our commemorative is the cathedral of our diocese. This reminds us that Saint Joseph, our patron, always intercedes for us.”
The statement from the diocese stated that, “the Saint Joseph Cathedral is the official seat of the Bishop of Butuan. It has since grown into 53 parishes and quasi-parishes. Its first bishop, the late Msgr. Carmelo DF Morelos, took on the leadership of the Diocese from its establishment until 1994, when he was nominated to be the Archdiocese of Zamboanga. Msgr. Juan de Dios Pueblos of the Diocese of Kidapawan succeeded him as the second bishop of the Diocese.”
