Lieutenant Colonel Hernando J. Corvera
By Federico R. Gaspar
(Philippine Journal of Philately, May-June 1950)
The man in whom the late President Manuel A.
Roxas placed his implicit trust about the safety of his life and
whom he designated as his Aide-de-Camp is our noted philatelist,
Lt. Col. Hernando J. Corvera.
A man of contrasting personalities he is genial
and pleasant when out of his uniform but masterful and peremptory
when acting in his official capacity. It is perhaps for this reason
why his subordinates at once fear and love him.
Col. Corvera was the only Filipino Regimental
Executive Officer in Mindanao with General Manuel Roxas; the man
who was with him in concentration camp; and his trusted companion in
underground activities against the Japanese (World War II). For Col. Corvera's valor and heroism in action and loyalty in service, he
was decorated by the United States with the Silver Star, Legion of
Merit and Distinctive Service Medals.
It would be interesting to recall the impulsive
boy stamp collector tearing the stamps out of his father's mails.
As far as he can remember he was only 10 years old at the time,
knowing absolutely nothing about perforations, centering, errors and
such peculiarities about stamps, unlike the well-informed junior
philatelists of today. He would just slap those what he calls now as
worthless stamps, on unused notebooks and that's all there was to
his collection.
In 1931, shortly after graduating in the
University of the Philippines, Col. Corvera was admitted to the bar.
Congressman Roy who was then a young lawyer but already an old hand
in philately was his close colleague who showed him the systematic
method of classifying stamps. Thus, when Col. Corvera had learned
scientific philately he began to gather stamps of all countries
which are now filed conveniently in stockbooks.
At length he specialized in Philippine singles,
mint and used; blocks of fours, mint and used; and Philippine
flight covers.
In his hobby room, besides the different gadgets
and cameras, he keeps a trunk-full of stamps and a library of splendid
covers in albums and other philatelic collections.
Later he felt the necessity of affiliating with
a philatelic club, so he joined the Philippine Philatelic Club,
attending its monthly meeting. At present he is also an active
member of the Asociacion Filatelica de Filipinas.
Mr. Corvera finds a keen brotherly relation
existing between members of philatelic clubs which, according to
him, he seldom finds in other organizations. The common bond of
friendship arising in such organizations, he said, must be credited
to the hobby of stamp collecting, which strangely promotes this
spirit.
He believes that Satan finds mischief for idle
hands to do, so to give him no chance he devotes his leisure to
worthwhile hobbies.
Col. Corvera has three
loves:
philately, photography and flower
culture. Col. Corvera's hobby room is equipped with the most modern
and complete gadgets for photography, and a space for his immense
stamp collection. For his flowers, of course, he has his spacious
gardens which never fail to delight on lookers. The colorful
gardens on picturesque landscape about his home which would inspire
poets and artists were designed by Col. Corvera himself. On
tranquil afternoons, if he is not occupied with photography or
philately, he strolls around and passes away his time in improving
his gardens.
Stamp collectors claim that beauty, art, and
philately are closely related to each other - is it any wonder
then, if Col. Corvera is a keen lover of beauty?
