M1394: President Manuel Roxas Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x5.5"
Postcard Type: View card
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City
Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore
The postcard shows the portrait of President Manuel Roxas, probably his official portrait hung on the walls of the Reception Hall in Malacanang. Most of the official portraits were painted by Fernando Amorsolo, Garcia Llamas and other noted artists.

Manuel Acuña Roxas, the first president of the new republic, was born on January 1, 1892 in Capiz (now Roxas City). In 1913, Roxas obtained his law degree at U.P. and graduated class valedictorian. He became the first ever bar topnotcher of the country with a grade of 92%.

He was the governor (the youngest) of the province from 1919-1922. He was later elected to the Philippine House of Representatives in 1922 and was was elected in 1941 to the Philippine Senate, but was unable to serve until 1945 because of the outbreak of World War II. In the Philippine national elections of 1946, Roxas ran for president as the nominee of the liberal wing of the Nacionalista Party and won the position.

The back of the postcard reads:
President Manuel A . Roxas, 1892-1948.
A lawyer, orator, economist, soldier and patriot.
First president of the Republic of the Philippines, 1946-1948

M1394: President Manuel Roxas Postcard

Roxas did not finish his term because he died of myocardial infarction on April 15, 1948 at Clark Field, Pampanga. His term as Philippine president is also the shortest - 1 year 10 months and 18 days.

Manuel Roxas was married to Doña Trinidad de Leon and had two children Ma. Rosario "Ruby" and Gerardo M. "Gerry" Roxas.

SOURCE:
Manuel Roxas Wikipedia Entry

M1393: President Sergio Osmeña Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x5.5"
Postcard Type: View card
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City
Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore

The postcard shows the portrait of President Sergio Osmeña, probably his official portrait hung on the walls of the Reception Hall in Malacanang. Most of the official portraits were painted by Fernando Amorsolo, Garcia Llamas and other noted artists.

Sergio Osmeña y Suico was born in Cebu on September 9, 1878, from a rich and prominent clan of Chinese-Mestizo heritage. He studied in San Juan de Letran College and took up law at the University of Santo Tomas, placing second in the bar examination in 1903.

While he was Governor of Cebu (1904-1907), he ran for election to the first Philippine Assembly of 1907 and was elected Speaker. He was elected an assemblyman in 1907, and remained a member of the lower house until 1922. In 1922 he was elected to the senate. He was the country's Vice-President from November 15, 1935 until August 1, 1944, becoming president of the Commonwealth on Quezon's death in 1944.

The back of the postcard reads:
President Sergio Osmeña, Sr., 1878-1961.
Speaker of the first Philippine assembly, 1907-1916.
Last Philippine Commonwealth President, 1944-1946

M1393: President Sergio Osmeña Postcard

He died of both liver failure and breast cancer at the age of 83 on October 19, 1961 at the Veteran's Memorial Hospital in Quezon City. He is buried at the Manila North Cemetery.

He married married Estefania Chiong Veloso on April 10, 1901, with whom he had eight children, namely, Vicente, Edilberto, Nicasio, Milagros, Emilio, Teodoro, José, and Sergio, Jr. In 1920, two years after the death of his first wife, he married Esperanza Limjap, and had three more children, namely, Ramón, Rosalina, and Victor.

SOURCE:
Sergio Osmeña Wikipedia Entry

M1391: President Ferdinand Marcos Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x5.5"
Postcard Type: View card
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City
Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore

** The postcard was printed in 1967, hence the year of his death was not included in the postcard.

The postcard shows the portrait of President Ferdinand Marcos, probably his official portrait hung on the walls of the Reception Hall in Malacanang. Most of the official portraits were painted by Fernando Amorsolo, Garcia Llamas and other noted artists.

Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos was born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte on September 11, 1917. Before he became president he was a member of the Philippine House of Representatives (1949–1959) and of the Philippine Senate (1959–1965).

He was elected president in 1965 and was reelected for an unprecedented second term in 1969. His greatest achievement as the president was in the fields of infrastructure development and international diplomacy. However, his administration was marred by massive authoritarian corruption, despotism, nepotism, political repression, and human rights violations.

The back of the postcard reads:
President Ferdinand Marcos, 1917-.A soldier and statesman. Sixth president of the Republic of the Philippines, 1965.

M1391: President Ferdinand Marcos Postcard

Marcos married Imelda Romualdez in 1954 with four children: Maria Imelda "Imee" Marcos, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., Irene Marcos, and Aimee Marcos, who was adopted.

Marcos fled the country on February 25, 1986 (after People Power I) and went into exile in Hawaii. He died on September 28, 1989 (age of 72) at Waikiki, Hawaii.

SOURCE:
Ferdinand Marcos Wikipedia Entry

M1384: Bougainvillea Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x5.5"
Postcard Type: View card
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City
Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore

Bogambilya or Bongabilya, Tagalog for Bougainvillea, was named after the French admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville, the first Frenchman to cross the Pacific. Bougainvillea is actually native to South America, but was probably brought to the country by the Spaniards.
Bougainvilleas are popular ornamental plants in the country. The first species recorded here was Bougainvillea spectabilis. The other species, B. glabra and B. peruviana were introduced much later.

The back of the postcard reads:
Bougainvillea, a favorite garden adornment.
Found in the Philippines in several colors. (Courtesy of Mrs. Purificacion A. Lopa)

M1384: Bougainvillea Postcard

TRIVIA:
Bougainvillea is the official flower of Tagbilaran, Bohol.

SOURCES:
Bougainvillea Wikipedia Entry
Philippine Medicinal Plants: Bogambilya
Symbols of the City of Tagbilaran

M1382: Ambuklao Dam Postcard

Postcard Size: 4"x5.5"
Postcard Type: View card
Printed by: JMC Press, Inc., Quezon City
Purchased at Goodwill Bookstore
The Ambuklao Hyroelectric Plant is located in the mountains of Bokod, Benguet. The dam was the country's first hydroelectric plant and was the highest and biggest in the Far East during the 50's.
On January 29, 1948, President Manuel Roxas submits a Bill to Congress which would authorize the expenditure of the proceeds of a loan for the construction of certain hydro-electric projects. The National Power Corporation, in cooperation with Westinghouse Electric International Company, took a survey of the country's hydroelectric potential and prepared the Philippine Power Program in 1948. It's major undertaking was the Ambuklao Power Project.

The back of the postcard reads:
Ambuklao Dam, source of hydroelectric power. Located in Mt. Province

M1382: Ambuklao Dam Postcard

Construction of the project began in July 1950. The contractor for the dam's civil works was the Guy F. Atkinson Company of San Francisco, while the Harza Engineering Company of Chicago was the engineering consultant. The work involved the construction of a dam, the second highest of its kind, rock-filled, 452 meters along the crest and 129 meters high; the width of the spillway is 124 meters. The reservoir, or man-made lake, runs 11 kilometers upstream from the dam.

The 75,000 kw Ambuklao Hydro-electric Development was completed on December 21, 1956 and was inaugurated by President Ramon Magsaysay at the sub-station at Balintawak, on January 19, 1957. The cost reached a reported P132,000,000.

The facility had to stop operation in 2000 because of uncontrolled and heavy siltation. After winning the bid in 2007, SN Aboitiz Power Hydro Incorporated (SNAP) is considering the possibility of expanding the generation capacity to 105 MW after rehabilitation.

SOURCES:
Ambuklao Dam
Journal of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, March 1948: The Business View, p. 77Journal of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, January 1957: The Ambuklao Development Inauguration, pp. 56, 58
SN Power: Ambuklao