Save-the-tamaraw stamp launched

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Postal Corp. (PhilPost) and the Far Eastern University (FEU) recently issued two designs of the “Save the Tamaraw” stamp in a bid to promote the importance of the endangered animal.

PhilPost said it printed 144,000 pieces of the stamp, designed by Aaron Cedric Santos Manaloto and Ross Joseph Bolanos Copiaco, last Jan. 25. The stamps cost P10 each.

The project, in coordination with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), is part of the TAMS2 Project that aims to double the country’s Tamaraw population from 300 to 600 by 2020.

“We take great pride and pleasure in unveiling the Tamaraw commemorative stamp which celebrates our collaboration with both WWF-Philippines and the DENR. It dovetails perfectly with FEU’s advocacy to conserve the Tamaraw, an initiative we have been supporting for years,” FEU president Michael Alba said.

WWF-Philippines vice chairman and CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan said the goal is to double the number of wild Tamaraws ‚Äúand to ensure that forests remain productive enough to provide for Mindoro’s people.”

FEU’s advocacy to conserve the Tamaraw started in 2005 when it partnered with the DENR’s Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) and its Tamaraw Conservation Program to enable FEU students to be more involved in the endangered animal’s conservation efforts.

The university has since been sending students and faculty to Mindoro to render community service and participate in the annual Tamaraw count.

In July 2012, FEU formalized a partnership agreement with WWF-Philippines, resulting in the TAMS2 project.