Faith, River, Culture: Renacimiento Manila and PHLPost Celebrate Christmas with World’s Longest Stamp

Hello, Gelo and Bea of Renacimiento Manila! Congratulations on your collaboration with PHLPost on Simbang Gabi sa Ilog Pasig (Christmas Dawn Masses along Pasig River), which beautifully illustrates nine iconic churches along this historically significant waterway. To start, can you share how the partnership between Renacimiento Manila and the Philippine Post Office came about?

Bea Dolores, co-founder of Renacimiento Manila: Hello, Kanto! Our organization, Renacimiento Manila, has been collaborating with PHLPost since 2022 when we included indoor tours of the Manila Central Post Office in our weekend public heritage walks. These tours ran for almost a year until the fire that devastated the building we all cherished. In fact, the fire struck days before we were scheduled to hold a tour, making the tragedy even more personal for us, as we knew how much the employees regarded it as their second home.

Our deep attachment to this architectural gem along the Pasig River led to an invitation from the Senate Special Committee on the Rehabilitation of the Manila Post Office. There, we reunited with PHLPost to discuss the future of this iconic structure. Months later, as Christmas approached, PHLPost reached out for a creative collaboration focused on celebrating the Pasig River, resulting in this unique project.

I’m interested to hear how the collaborating teams developed the final design for the stamp. Were other illustration ideas, concepts, or executions considered before settling on these intricate renditions of beloved churches along the Pasig River? The resulting stamp measures a whopping 40mm by 234mm long! Was aiming for the world’s longest stamp record always been the goal?

Gelo Andres, Renacimiento Manila member and illustrator: Thanks for having us! Before our lunch meeting with PHLPost, I didn’t know what the design would be yet. Bea only told me they wanted to create a stamp about the Pasig River. During the meeting, they presented their vision of featuring churches on what could become the world’s longest stamp. Immediately, I understood their concept and even shared my initial idea of illustrating a map of the Pasig River Ferry. This map wouldn’t just include the churches but also other historical structures along the river.

Interestingly, the idea for Simbang Gabi sa Ilog Pasig was drawn from our 2022 Facebook art series with the same title, created by Diego Gabriel Torres, our president and co-founder. This series became the main inspiration for the artwork. With the guidance of Dr. Tiong Tak Ngo, a philatelic expert, the design process became straightforward. He advised us on stamp specifications and provided valuable input to enhance the artwork for collectors and consumers.

Several concepts and adjustments were considered:

1. As the canvas was small, we needed to scale and widen the river on the map so it would be visible even after adding the churches. The map had to cover the entire course of the Pasig River, from Manila Bay to Laguna de Bay.
2. To match the nighttime setting, we chose a deep blue background to evoke the evening while contrasting with the warmer tones used for the churches, the warm lights of the stars, and parols (Christmas lanterns).
3. The initial design featured a dark blue river, but since PHLPost envisioned adding embellishments and special executions to the river for printing, we opted for a lighter blue shade to accommodate these elements. (The PHLPost release furthers that the stamp comes with “…special embellishments [through a] four (4) colors process [with] blue iridescent ink on the river and suprametal-multilevel embossing on the churches.”)
4. We simplified the surrounding elements and made the churches larger for emphasis. While there were plans to create individual blown-up versions of the churches as separate stamps, budget constraints postponed this idea. Perhaps it will happen next Christmas.
5. The moon, a waning gibbous, was a late addition to reflect its phase on December 16, 2024, the first day of Simbang Gabi .

Although the artwork is primarily digital, it uses a traditional watercolor and graphite style, my signature approach. As for the world record, creating the “world’s longest stamp” has always been part of the goal. After the Philippines narrowly missed the record earlier this year (A 125^th anniversary of the First Philippine Republic stamp measuring 200mm by 30mm; A Sri Lankan-issued stamp at 205mm nabbed the record last August), this Christmas-themed stamp was a fitting contender, especially since our country is known for having the world’s longest Christmas season.

Now, choosing which churches to include must have been a challenge for you, Gelo, even with the stamp’s larger-than-average real estate. What criteria guided the selection process? Were there additional rules or limitations the team had to navigate to bring this design to life?

Gelo Andres: The process was relatively smooth because we based this year’s stamp on our earlier art series. Initially, we considered including more churches, such as San Miguel Church in Manila, Pateros Church, and Santa Ana Church in Taguig, all historically linked to the Pasig River. Ultimately, we focused on nine churches to align with the theme of Simbang Gabi’s nine masses, which also simplified the layout.

To differentiate this version from our 2022 series, we replaced San Miguel Church with Binondo Church for layout purposes and added other iconic landmarks along the river, like Malacañang Palace and the Manila Central Post Office. One challenge was accurately placing the churches on the map. We resolved this by adding parol location markers to approximate their real-world positions.

Now that the stamp is out in the world—and with a world record at that—what moments from this journey stood out for the both of you? What insights or truths did you uncover about heritage preservation, art, or culture while working on this project? What are you most proud of with this achievement?

Gelo Andres: For me, the most memorable part was the illustration process, both the research and the drawing itself. Even after four years with Renacimiento Manila, I continue to discover new aspects of our history and heritage. I have become a keen observer of details by intently studying the intricate designs and architecture of these churches. The whole experience deepened my appreciation for Filipino craftsmanship and the resilience of these structures, which have withstood wars, typhoons, earthquakes, and other calamities. They stand as a testament to the skill and unwavering faith of our ancestors.

Bea Dolores: We do everything we can to nurture a deeper love for the Pasig River among our fellow Filipinos. The more we value it, the stronger our collective resolve to protect it. This artwork fills me with hope and pride, as it celebrates something that unites us as Filipinos, no matter where we are in the world, represented and connected by our ilog (river).

Personally, I’m most proud of Gelo. His exceptional artistry, which often highlights Manila’s heritage, is truly deserving of this world record. Through this achievement, we’ve once again placed the Pasig River on the global stage, honoring its significance in our history.