Starting 1991, Philpost has issued a set of stamps for every Chinese New Year, featuring the animal associated with the coming lunar new year. The first set of 2 stamps was issued in December of 1991 to usher in the year of the Monkey, which starts on February 4, 1992. From 1992 to 2003, a set of 2 stamps and 2 souvenir sheets (one perforated and the other imperforate) were issued.

Since a complete cycle has been issued already (each with 2 stamps and 2 souvenir sheets), it is just appropriate for Philpost to issue a collective sheet featuring all the 12 animals in a complete Lunar New Year Cycle. The 2 special souvenir sheets have adjoining labels listing the dates that each Lunar New Year begins and ends in the Western calendar. These 2 souvenir sheets each has total face values of P36 but they are being sold at P75 each. The premium is earmarked for the Philpost Philatelic Reserve Fund (PPRF), which will be used for the development and promotion of Philippine Philately.

The origin of the 12 animal signs is not very clear. But most legends credit Buddha (circa 563 - 483 B.C.) with the creation of the 12 animal cycle. Supposedly, he invited all the animals in jungle to visit him, but for some reason, only 12 animals showed up. To thank them, Buddha gave each animal a year which would be dedicated to that animal alone. The years were allocated in the order in which the animals arrived. The 12 animals appeared in this order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, cock, dog and pig.

The cycle of the animals repeats itself every 12 years.

The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year (orbits of the moon around the Earth). The Western calendar is based on the solar year (orbits of the Earth around the Sun). The two do not correspond exactly. Each Lunar New Year, therefore, begins on a slightly different date of the Solar Year.

The sheetlet of 12, the 2 souvenir sheets and the 2 first day covers will be available starting 9 September 2004 at the Philatelic Service, Door 203, Liwasang Bonifacio, 1000 Manila and all Regional Offices of the Philippine Postal Corporation.

Snake is well thought of, even venerated, for his wisdom, his sagacity, and his goodwill. As far as those born under this sign, the Snake male is romantic and charming. He has a sense of humor and the female is usually beautiful and successful because of it. The Snake dresses with the great deal of affection and even with certain ostentation: men born under the sign always have a bit of dandy about them, and women rave, for example, over smart accessories. The Snake never wastes time in idle gossip. Very often he thinks deeply. He is an intellectual, a philosopher, and a celebral person. Yet he could dispense with his acquired wisdorn because his intuition is quite remarkable, if cultivated, it is something like clairvoyance. Similarly, he often relies on first impressions, on his own feelings, on his sympathies, rather than on facts, advice and opinions of others, or on his own experience and that of his colleagues. He seems to have sixth sense in this way. Determined to follow through anything he undertakes to the bitter end, the Snake detests being left, as it were, in mid-air. He decides quickly and firmly. He will move heaven and earth to attain his goal and nothing will be allowed to stand on his way. As you might expect, he makes a very poor gambler.

He's a bit tight when it comes to lending money, though his sympathy for others often leads him to offer help. The help will be in kind rather than in cash. The Snake is freer with himself than he is with his money! The fatal flaw in his character is, a tendency to exaggerate -- in helping friends as with everything else. If he does others a favor, he becomes possessive 'towards them in an odd way, so that finally he is more of a hindrance than a help; his serpentine nature leads him to coil and cling to the point where he can suffocate the object of his attention. Think twice, before you accept an offer of help from a Snake: you could regret it!

In money matters, the Snake has good luck. He is always ready to lay his money when he needs it. Once he got it, though, he's a little stingy: that's why he never lends. What's his is his; and in old age he can become quite miserable. The Snake should stick to careers that are not risky. The truth is,he's a bit lazy! In love, the Snake is jealous and possessive. Those coils will twine and twine around her until she can no longer move. People born under this sign tend to be afflicted with "the wandering eye" especially the Snake males who delight in women. But both sexes tend to complicate their lives with extramarital affairs. They would be well advised to struggle against this trait. Snakes who succeed in channeling their affections towards their own families gain enormous serenity and inner harmony of their lives. The Snake will often have a large family -- for him, it's just one more way of making sure that his wife has no time to play around like he does. He will be happy with the Cow, who is content to be overrun by this family on condition that the Cow is always accepted as boss -- a role that the Snake willingly concedes in the home.  The fight between the Snake and the Rooster-- if they are married or associated in bussiness or friendship -- will work toward the elimination of their mutual faults.

For the poor Pig, though, one can only have pity if he should fall into the clutches of a Snake. The Pig will allow himself to be imposed upon, immobilized -- and the Snake will wallow in his own faults, knowing that he can escape with it. The Snake have nothing to do with the Tiger, who will destroy him. The first two phases of the Snake's life will be relatively calm. But beware for the final phase! For it's then that his sentimental and passionate nature, and his taste for adventures, play him tricks even if there is the possibility of an undisturbed old age in him! But everything depends on whether the Snake was born in summer or in winter, in hot weather or Cold,during the day or during the night. He's best off in the heat, for he's frightened of squalls, of April showers, of the cold. The Snake born at midday in the heat of a tropical summer will be a happier Snake than those born in the middle of an icy night in winter. The destiny of those born under this sign is, in fact, sensitive to the inclemencies of climate and that a Snake born a stormy day will be in danger throughout his life.

The United Nations has declared 2006 the Year of the Turtle in an effort to save the gentle species. Twenty-five countries in the Indian Ocean Southeast Asian (IOSEA) region, including the Philippines, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) dedicating 2006 to the protection of sea turtles, locally known as pawikan.

5 of the 7 known species of marine turtles in the world are found in the Philippines: the loggerhead, leatherback, olive ridley, hawkbill and green turtle. The IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU is working to conserve six of the world's seven species of marine turtles inhabiting the IOSEA region, including the Flatback turtles (Natator depressus).

OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLES (Lepidochelys olivacea) - are famous for their regular nesting on Indian beaches in enormous groups called "arribadas". Beginning around February or March, tens of thousands of these turtles may nest on a single beach in just a few days, though large numbers also perish in offshore fishing nets every year.

HAWKBILL TURTLES (Eretmochelys imbracate) - are known for their attractive shell, have a distinct parrot-like beak which helps them eat tough poisonous sponges, helping to keep coral reefs healthy.

LOGGERHEAD TURTLES (Caretta caretta) - can crush enormous mollusks with their powerful jaws. Preferring temperate waters, they can travel impressive distances, even crossing the 12,000 km-wide Pacific Ocean.

LEATHERBACK TURTLES (Dermochelys coriacea) - are the largest of the marine turtles, growing to nearly a ton. They have tough, rubbery skin instead of a hard shell, allowing them to dive great depths.

GREEN TURTLES (Chelonia mydas) - are widespread, preferring tropical and sub-tropical waters. Named after the green color of their body fat, they feed on algae and sea grass very efficiently.

The importance of Philippine coastal resources for food security, poverty alleviation and employment, cannot be overemphasized. However, they are under serious threats from over-exploitation, causing both the depletion of resources and degradation of natural habitats, and other unsustainable uses such as pollution and fishing with explosives and poisons.

In response to these threats, there are efforts underway and by now increasingly adopted through the Local Government Units, with the support by different line agencies, the academe; and non-government organizations. Coastal resources management activities are implemented with the intensive participation of communities and their people's organization. Important aspects or components of coastal resources management are illustrated in the souvenir sheet:

1. Marine sanctuaries or marine protected areas (upper left). Marine sanctuaries are at present the best hope to conserve fish resources and protect the natural habitats of fishes. Community capability building, information and education activities, as well as advocacy are also part of the process.

2. Reef monitoring (lower left). This information is necessary to make decisions not only on the selection of reefs for establishment of marine protected areas, but also to monitor the increase of coral cover and to assess the positive impact of conservation efforts.

3. Mangrove reforestation (upper right). Philippine mangrove resources have decreased dramatically over the last decades due to production of firewood, charcoal or other uses, and conversion into coastal fishponds. Mangroves are beneficial in stabilizing coastlines, trapping sediments, and providing essential feeding and nursery grounds for a large number of economically important fish species.

4. Seaweed farming (lower right). Coastal communities depend on coastal resources for food and income and they are more likely to protect and conserve if they also gain sustainable benefits from these resources like seaweed farming and other alternative livelihood or income diversification backed by technical and entrepreneurial advisory services.