Earlier this month, the Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) issued a stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
With a denomination of 12 Philippine pesos, the stamps measure 30 mm x 40 mm and were issued in sheets of 40. A total of 80,000 stamps were printed using four-colour offset lithography with special gold foil stamping. The issue was designed by Rodine C. Teodoro and features the Philippine national flower, Sampaguita.
A regional inter-governmental organization promoting Pan-Asianism as well as co-operation and integration amongst its members, ASEAN now includes 10 Southeast Asian countries; however, when it was formed on Aug. 8, 1967, it only consisted of five countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Today, it also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam—covering a land area of 4.4 million square kilometres and holding 625 million people, or nearly nine per cent of the world’s population.