Only the P5.00 has a new design, the other three (3) are reissues of the 3 definitives originally issued on December 1, 2001 but with the year date changed to "2002".

The P5.00 definitive was actually issued earlier than the scheduled date, on February 27, 2002. Official first day covers has this single definitive, only as the other 3 were not considered new stamps and were issued as the need for that particular denomination arose. So the P17.00 was issued on March 13, the P21 ,00 on March 19 and the P22.00 on April 23, 2002.

T'BOLI T'NALAK ABACA CLOTH; South Cotabato. Distinctively T'boli, this tubular garment is woven using abaca fiber that has been burnished and tiedyed. Geometric patterns result from woven maroon and flesh-colored fibers.

B'LAAN FEMALE UPPER GARMENT; 38.5 x 120.5 cm; Davao del Sur. Long-sleeved female blouse or upper garment of the B'laan women of Davao del Sur, usually in red, white and blue color coordinates. Fully-beaded with handmade mother-of-pearl sequins that are sewn on the neck, shoulders, hipline and cuffs of the sleeves in attractive geometric patterns. (Ramon N. Villegas collection)

PORTRAIT OF LETICIA JIMENEZ by unknown artist from Sta Ana, Manila; Oil on canvas; 67.1 x 50.9 cm; Late 19th century. Dramatizing the epitome of feminine propriety and poise, this portrait painting of a daughter named Leticia conveys a full inventory of formal ladies' wear of the period: pifia baro (blouse); laced camisa (chemise); scalloped peiiuelo (neckerchief); plain or striped saya (skirt); and jewelry in gold and silver. (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas collection)

KALINGAIGADDANG COTTON LOINCLOTH; 12 X 206 cm; the Cordilleras. Handwoven, male cotton G-string in pre-dominantly red coloration with black and yellow thread designs. Both ends are heavily beaded using red, white, yellow and black glass beads to form geometric patterns. (Ramon N. Villegas collection)

PORTRAIT OF TEODORA DEVERA YGNACIO by Justiniano Asuncion; Oil on canvas; 87 x 68 cm; Circa 1880. Typical of a mixed-race elite, the sitter is dressed in baro't saya (blouse and skirt) of pifia, cotton and silk fabric. Other accouterments include rings, chest pin, earrings, comb, fan and handkerchief. The painting has emphasized a melding of qualities of fragility and personal strength of the sitter. (Private collection)

DETAIL OF TAWSUG SILK SASH; Sulu Archipelago. Called kambut in Tawsug language, this fine example of hablon or textile weaving employed distinct geometric patterns in yellow, green, orange, fuschia and lavender colors that are truly Tawsug.

Juan Novicio Luna was the Philippines' greatest painter during the 19th century. Born on October 24, 1857 in the town of Badoc, lIocos Norte, Luna studied under at the Ateneo de Manila and at the Escuela Nautica where he earned a mariner's license before becoming a painter. At the encouragement of Lorenzo Guerrero he studied painting at the Academia Real de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. With his professor Alejo Vera, Luna went to Italy where he did many of his paintings among them was the famous Spoliarium which won for him a gold medal at the 1883 Madrid Art Exposition. Luna specialized in portraits among which was that of his wife Paz Pardo de Tavera which is featured in this series. Luna was arrested by the Spanish authorities in 1896 for suspicion of his role in the Philippine Revolution. After the overthrow of Spanish rule in the Philippines, he was appointed as a diplomatic agent to work for the recognition of independence in the Philippines. Luna died in Hong Kong on December 7, 1899 while he was on his way to the Philippines.

Jose Joya (1931-1995) earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts, magna cum laude, from UP Diliman in 1953. He finished his masters in Fine Arts at the Cranbrook Academy of Arts, via a Fulbright Smith-Mundt Grant, in 1958. His American studies left a deep imprint on his art, as he embraced the exuberance of New York Abstract Expressionism, tempered by his academic background of careful composition, and brilliant coloration, especially the contrast between warm and cool colors. This merged with his concern for planar shapes, as in"House of Life" or in his more active use of verticals and bold combinations, as in "Dimension of Fear" The Expressionist motto of emotional content is processed along with the uniquely Filipino sensibility of formal balance and chromatic sensuality that results in Non-Objective Art that is peculiarly Asian. Joya was a longtime Dean of the College of Fine Arts of UP Diliman, and an active organizer of artists groups across the country.

Rodolfo Paras-Perez - Born 1934, Manila. Bachelor of fine arts 1957, University of the Philippines; master of fine arts 1961 and master of arts in art history 1962, University of Minnesota; Ph.D. in art history 1970, Harvard University. Graphic medium: woodcut. Has written books on art. Teaches at the University of the Philippines. (currently chancellor of the Asean Institute of Art).

Fernando C. Amorsolo - One of the landmark influences in Philippine art, he was born in 1892 in Paco, Manila. But he grew up in idyllic, rural Daet, Camarines Norte amidst rice field and abacca plantations. He started drawing at the age of five. He studied at the UP School of Fine Arts education at the Esucela Superior de Pintura, Escultura Y Grabado de San Fernando. He was considered the most important Filipino painter during the American period. His style and technique was adopted by a whole generation of younger painters. His best known works are landscapes done mostly in a mild tonal play of colors and thin impasto brushstrokes, peopled by gentle rice farmers,fishermen, and simple townsfolk. He died in 1972 and was posthumously conferred the National Artist Award by the Philippine government.

Cesar Legaspi - A native of Tondo, Manila Cesar Torrente Legaspi was a National Artist for Painting. Born on April 2, 1917, Legaspi obtained his Certificate of Proficiency in Painting from the School of Fine Arts of the Universtiy of the Philippines in 1936 and Studied at the Cultura Hispanica in Madrid, Spain and later at the Academie Ranson in Paris, France. Legaspi was in the same group of pioneering modernists which indluded Carlos V. Francisco, Galo B. Ocampo, Hernando R. Ocampo and Vicente Manansala. Legaspi's works were characterized by a sensuous chromatic ambience with a variety of subjects from dancers and flower gardens to street scenes. During the 1970s and the 1980s, Legaspi worked on paintings which dwelt on human experience in conjunction with aspiration, struggle and triumph. Aside from portraying the emotional images of the human condition, they were correlatives of human moods. Legaspi was proclaimed National Artist for painting in 1990 and died on April 7, 1994.

GERARDO DE LEON (B. September 12, 1913, D. July 21, 1981), Master Filmmaker. Gerry's first job was as a piano player at Cine Moderno during the era of silent movies. After finishing high school, he decided to become a doctor and enrolled at the U.S.T. College of Medicine. For a few years he concentrated on his studies; but the spell of the movies lured him. He became a professional actor and scriptwriter. His first directorial job came in 1939 via the movie, Ama't Anak. His biggest pre-war hit was Ang Maestra, starring Rogelio de la Rosa and Rosa del Rosario. De Leon went on to make over eighty movies from the 30's to the 70's. His last unfinished film was Juan de la Cruz starring Fernando Poe, Jr. in 1976. He was named National Artist in Film in 1982.

FRANCISCA REYES AQUINO (B. March 7, 1899, D. November 19, 1983). Champion of Folk Dance. In 1920, Francisca finished her secondary education at the Manila High School and in 1923 her HSTC at the U.P. She earned her BSE diploma the following year and her MA two years later after working on her thesis, "Philippine Dances and Games." On July 3, 1954, President Ramon Magsaysay presented her with the Award of Merit (The Dance) in Malacafiang. In 1962 she received the Ramon Magsaysay Award; being the first Filipina to receive such honor. She was cited for pioneering in the recording and research of native songs and cultural dances that were handed down through the generations among the ethnic groups in the country. She was named National Artist in Dance in 1973.

PABLO S. ANTONIO (B. January 25,1901, D. June 14, 1975), Pioneer in Modern Philippine Architecture. Young Pablo worked his way through night high school as a draftsman at the Bureau of Public Works. Then he enrolled at the Mapua Institute of Technology where he took up architecture. He became a full-fledged architect in 1927. His major works included the Far Eastern University Administration and Science Buildings (1934-1951) and the Manila Polo Club (1947). Antonio changed the landscape of the City of Manila and other parts of the country with two towering strengths: originality and integrity. He created buildings, houses, and other structures with a common yet uncanny sensibility that had withstood the test of time. He was named
National Artist in Architecture in 1974.

JOSE GARCIA VILLA (8. August 5,1912, D. February 7,1977), Consummate Artist of Poetry. Jose graduated from the U.P. High School and enrolled at the U.P. College of Medicine in 1925. But he never finished his medical studies. His first interest was painting but he turned to writing after reading Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, Ohio". He studied at the University of New Mexico and later at Columbia University. He taught poetry at the City College of New York (1964-1973). He also worked in the Philippine Mission to the United Nations (1954-1963) and became vice-consul in 1965. In the art of poetry, which he perfected, he introduced the reverse consonance rhyme scheme and the "comma poems" which glorify the punctuation mark by poetic use. He was named National Artist in Literature in 1972.

HONORATA DE LA RAMA (B. January 11, 1902, D. July 11, 1991), Queen of Zarzuela. At age seven, young Atang was already being cast in Spanish zarzuelas as well as the veladas, a literary musical program. In 1919, at age 14, she sang "Nabasag ang Banga" in the zarzuela Dalagang Bukid, which she later starred in the movie of the same title. Whence, she was the first female actress in the very first Tagalog film produced by Jose Nepomuceno, the "Father of Philippine Movies." The box-office provided proof that she became the inspiration and lifeblood of the more than fifty zarzuelas in which she starred. Atang did not perform only for a living, she propagated and popularized the zarzuela and kundiman because she believed that these two expressed the Filipino identity. She was named National Artist in Theatre and Music in 1987.