THE Cultural Center of the Philippines’ celebration of its 50th founding anniversary continues with the launch of the special commemorative stamp and a digitally guided walking tour.

The special stamp was launched in partnership with the Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost). It features the facade of the main building of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the 50th anniversary logo.

The unveiling and signing of the commemorative stamp’s official first day cover was headed by CCP Chairperson Margarita Moran-Floirendo, CCP Vice-President and Artistic Director-Chris Millado, CCP Vice-President for Administration Rodolfo del Rosario, and Philpost OIC APMG for Marketing Maximo Sta. Maria III, on Oct. 15 at the CCP Main Theater lobby.

“Stamps contain a wealth of information. Postage stamps record and emphasize the importance of people, places, and other particulars of the certain part of the year for posterity, which is precisely why the [Philippine Postal] Corporation, with the participation of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, is issuing a stamp commemorating the five fruitful decades of one of the most prolific cultural institutions in our country,” PHLPost’s Mr. Sta. Maria III said, reading the message of PHLPost postmaster general and CEO Joel L. Otarra, during the ceremony.

“The CCP stamps encapsulates what the CCP is, what it has been doing in the past decades, and what the future brings. The stamps are our tangible promise that CCP will continuously be at the forefront in making arts matter to every Filipino,” CCP’s Ms. Moran-Floirendo was quoted as saying in a press release.

This is the CCP’s second commemorative stamp. The first was released in November 1969, two months after the CCP’s inauguration. The 1969 postage stamp, which featured the CCP building and grounds, came in a set of two stamps with 10 centavos and 30 centavos denominations.

PHLPost has printed 10,000 sets of the CCP 50th Anniversary commemorative stamp sold for Pl2 each. The stamps and official first day covers are now available at the Philatelic Counter of the Central Post Office in Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila and at area post offices nationwide.

QRated: The CCP DIY Tour

Visitors may now explore the CCP with QRated, a digitally guided walking tour prompted by QR code captions.

Noeny Gatarin, Senior Culture and Arts Officer of the CCP Visual Arts and Museum Division said that the tour was to help visitors know about the permanent collections and venues of the building.

“When visitors come mostly what they see are the changing exhibitions in galleries but the permanent collections that they see, they do not know what they are [about]. But because of the QRated tour they will know and be informed [about it],” Ms. Gatarin told BusinessWorld in a mix of English and Filipino, shortly after the tour on Oct. 15.

QRated brochures are available at the box office at the upper ground level. To go on a tour, the visitor has to connect their phone to the “QRated” wifi, then scan the first QR code on the QRated poster beside the box office. They must then select “log in” or “sign up” to begin the tour. They can use the digital or brochure map as a guide while exploring and locating the QR code captions.

Location markers found on the digital map appear in red — “need to scan”; green — “scanned already”; and blue — “you are here.”

QRated allows visitors to learn about 57 spots in the building, include artwork on permanent display, exhibition spaces, performance venues, and architectural details.

In the works are video content and language translations for the digital tour.

QRated: The CCP DIY Tour is available from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until 9 p.m. when there are shows in any of the building’s venues. The tour is free. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

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