Topical Collection: Macario Vitalis on Philippine Stamps

 

Topical Stamp | Arts | Painting | Macario Vitalis

 

Macario Vitalis
(1898—1989)

 

Macario Vitalis was a Filipino modernist painter whose career was largely spent in France. He was born in Lapog (now San Juan), Ilocos Sur, on March 8, 1898. He left the Philippines for the United States in 1918 and later moved to Paris in 1925, where he became associated with the avant-garde artistic circles of Puteaux. His work was influenced by Cubism, Impressionism, and Pointillism, and he became particularly known for his colorful and expressive paintings of landscapes, village life, religious subjects, and people. He developed a strong connection with Brittany, where he lived and worked for many years. He maintained close ties with the Philippines and returned several times to exhibit his works. He eventually returned permanently to the Philippines in 1986 and died in Iligan City on June 8, 1989.

 

Vitalis' painting Bayanihan portrays the traditional Filipino spirit of community cooperation. He presents this distinctly Filipino theme through his modernist style, using simplified forms, strong lines, and vivid colors. The painting reflects his continuing connection with Philippine culture despite spending much of his artistic career in France.

 

The painting was depicted on a 55-piso stamp (Scott #3732b), issued on June 26, 2017, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and France. As part of a joint issue with France, Bayanihan was also featured on France's 0.85-euro counterpart stamp (Scott France #5259), which was included in a two-stamp souvenir sheet (Scott France #5261) issued on the same date.

 

Note:

• Stamps are shown at approximately their actual size. However, due to space constraints, long images may be reduced to fit the available viewing area. To view an image in greater detail, click on it to display a larger version.
• Only Philippine stamps depicting artworks by Macario Vitalis are included in this list.
• Scott Catalogue numbers are provided when available. When no country is specified, the Scott Catalogue number refers to a Philippine stamp.
• Created: 5 October 2026

 

Joint Stamp Issue Omnibus

PHILIPPINE JOINT ISSUES

OMNIBUS

 

 JOINT ISSUE  • OMNIBUS •  ASEAN 

 

 UNILATERAL PHILIPPINES 

 

 UNILATERAL WORLDWIDE 

 

The postage stamps issued by the Philippines as part of its participation in omnibus stamp campaigns. ASEAN omnibus issues are excluded from this list and are presented on a separate page.

 

United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations

24 October 2001

 

 

The Universal Postal Union conducted an international design contest participated in by 28 countries. The winning design by Urska Golob of Slovenia features children of four races encircling the Earth with instruments of communication, including a letter, telephone, parcel and computer keyboard between them. Most countries that participated in the omnibus issue, including the Philippines, used this design.

 

Other countries and territories that participated in the omnibus issue are Albania, Algeria, Anguilla, Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, French Polynesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Iran, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vatican, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, and Zimbabwe.

 

 

20th Anniversary of the Express Mail Service Cooperative

10 September 2019

 

 

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Express Mail Service (EMS) Cooperative, the design for a commemorative stamp was created by the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union. This design includes the EMS logo at the top, a world map below it and the UPU flag in the lower left. The flag of the country that issued the stamp appears above the UPU flag.

 

The following participated in this omnnibus issue: Central African Republic, Chile, Cyprus, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Syria, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Wallis and Futunaa.

 

 

150th Anniversary of the Universal Postal Union

9 October 2024

 

 

 

The Universal Postal Union (UPU), founded in 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for coordinating international postal services. It became part of the United Nations in 1948 and, as of 2025, has 192 member countries. To mark its 150th anniversary, the UPU invited its members to release commemorative stamps featuring the anniversary logo created by Sonja Denovski, the Creative Lead at UPU. The design of the Philippine stamp featured the four winners of the stamp design contest conducted by the Philippine Postal Corporation in collaboration with Museo Orlina.

 

Among the postal administrations known to have joined the omnibus issue are Algeria, Andorra (French), Andorra (Spanish), Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia (Serbia), Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Central Africa Republic, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Faroe Islands, France, French Polynesia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portuga, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Nations Geneva, United Nations New York, United Nations Vienna, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Vietnam, and Wallis and Futuna.

 

 

 

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Images not shown to scale.

Images of stamps shown on this page are owned by StampWorld. Used with permission.

 

Joint Stamp Issue Philippines ASEAN

PHILIPPINE JOINT ISSUES

ASEAN JOINT AND OMNIBUS ISSUE

 

 JOINT ISSUE  •  OMNIBUS  • ASEAN

 

 UNILATERAL PHILIPPINES 

 

 UNILATERAL WORLDWIDE 

 

2007: 40th ANNIVERSARY OF ASEAN

8 August 2007

 

 

 

2015: 48th ANNIVERSARY OF ASEAN

8 August 2015

 

 

 

2017: NATIONAL FLOWER

8 August 2017

 

 

 

2019: NATIONAL COSTUME

8 August 2019

 

 

 

2024: GENERAL POST OFFICE

9 August 2024

 

 

 

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Images not shown to scale.

Majority of the images of stamps shown on this page are owned by StampWorld. Used with permission.