THE VIRGIN OF CAYSASAY

In 1603, a fisherman by the name of Juan Maningcad caught a little statue of the Blessed Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, about 10 1/2 inches tall, in his net while fishing along the Pansipit River in Barrio Caysasay of the town of Taal, Batangas. On seeing this marvel, Juan did not know what to say or do. He prostrated himself before the image and began to pray. The news spread and when it reached the town, the parish priest and judge went to Juan's house. Upon seeing the beautiful image of the Mother of God, they knelt down to venerate it and decided to take the statue to Taal, where a grand fiesta was celebrated and to this day continues to be celebrated on December 8 in honor of the Virgin.

The Postman statue in front of the Main Post Office was conceived during the incumbency of Postmaster General Felizardo R. Tanabe with the recommendation of the former Postmaster of the Manila Central Post Office, Reynaldo R. Martinez as the symbol of the Philippine Postal Service. It was constructed on September 15, 1975 to coincide with the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the Bureau of Posts under the American regime but the inauguration was deferred indefinitely for the past 25 years.