Some Observations on Current Philippine Banknotes

The Central Bank of Philippines was established on January 3, 1949 as the country's central monetary authority.  Forty-four years later, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) took over as the central bank of the Republic of the Philippines in accordance with the provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution and the New Central Bank Act of 1993.

The BSP oversees the circulation of the New Generation Banknote Series of the Philippine peso. Here are some observations about the six denominations, namely 20 pesos, 50 pesos, 100 pesos, 200 pesos, 500 pesos and 1,000 pesos:

* Of the nine persons whose portraits appear on these denominations, only three were born during the twentieth century: Diosdado Macapagal (1910), Benigno Aquino Jr. (1932) and Corazon Aquino (1933). Interestingly all of them were born in Region III or Central Luzon.
 * The other six were born during the nineteenth century: Sergio Osmena (1878), Manuel L. Quezon (1879), Jose Abad Santos (1886), Vicente Lim (1888), Manuel A. Roxas (1892) and Josefa Llanes-Escoda (1898).

* There are two persons named "Manuel" on Philippine banknotes. Manuel L. Quezon on the 20-peso bill and Manuel A. Roxas on the 100-peso bill. Moreover, both Quezon and Roxas died in 1944 and 1948, respectively, while serving as President of the Republic.

* Four persons who never became president appear in the banknotes. They are Benigno S. Aquino Jr. on the 500-peso bill. On the other hand, portraits of Vicente Lim, Jose Abad Santos and Josefa Llanes Escoda appear on the 1,000-peso bill.

* There are two persons prominently shown on the obverse side of in the 500-peso bill, while there are three persons in the 1,000-peso bill. There are two zeros in the number "500," whereas there are three zeroes in the number 1,000. Could the number of zeroes represent the number of heads?

* Six animals are represented on the reverse sides of these denominations. The only invertebrate is the pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) on the 1,000-peso bill. The rest are vertebrates.

*The palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus philippinensis) on the 20-peso bill and the tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) on the 200-peso bill are land mammals. The scientific name of that tarsier, however, should have been Carlito syrichta.

* Along with the pearl oyster, the maliputo fish (Caranx ignobilis) on the 50-peso bill and the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) on the 100-peso bill live in water.

* A stylized Philippine eagle, the national bird, is included in the BSP logo on these banknotes. The blue-naped parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis) is also present on the 500-peso bill.

*Similar with Mayon Volcano on the 100-peso bill, Taal Lake on the 50-peso bill is volcanic in nature.

* UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be seen on the lowest- and highest-valued banknotes: Banaue Rice Terraces on the 20-peso bill and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park on the 1,000-peso bill.

Ninoy Aquino in the 500-Peso Banknote

Former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino, Jr. would have been 72 years old today. In both the New Design Series and New Generation Banknote Series versions of the 500-peso bill, Ninoy's face is prominently shown.

The obverse side of the New Design/Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Series 500-peso bill has a pensive Ninoy with his fist touching his chin.  It also recalls Aquino's career as a journalist by showing the typewriter on which the initials "B.S.A.J." is embossed. The famous quote, "The Filipino is worth dying for" also appears along with his signature.

Obverse side of the 500-peso bill, New Design / Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Series

Some milestones in Ninoy's career are also highlighted in the reverse side. Aside from being a Manila Times correspondent during the Korean War, he was elected municipal mayor of Concepcion town then governor of Tarlac province. During his tenure as Senator, Aquino was a proponent of the Study Now, Pay Later program for students needing financial assistance. Everyone knows that his assassination was a prime mover of the 1986 People Power Revolution, so a snippet of this event is also shown. .    

Reverse side of the 500-peso bill, New Design / BSP Series

Notes on the New 100-Peso Banknote

In December 2010, the New Generation Banknote Series of the Philippine peso were released. Same with the New Design / Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Series, the 100-peso bill features Manuel A. Roxas, the first president of the independent Third Republic of the Philippines.

The obverse side of the New Design / BSP Series 100-peso bill features the lowering of the American flag and the raising of the Philippine flag. The reverse side depicts the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank) Complex. .

Obverse side of the 100-peso bill, New Design / Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Series

Reverse side of the 100-peso bill, New Design / BSP Series

Notes on the New 50-Peso Banknote

The New Generation Banknote Series of the Philippine peso were released in December 2010.  Among these banknotes, the 50-peso bill feature Sergio Osmeña. It can be recalled that aside from Osmeña was the only first Philippine president born in Visayas (Cebu).

The obverse side of the New Design / Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Series 50-peso bill has a mace and gavel representing Osmeña's role as Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives from 1907 to 1922. The reverse side of the New Design / BSP Series 50-peso bill features an image of the National Museum building, formerly the Legislative Building. Five palm trees, presumably coconut, can be seen at the front of the building.

Obverse side of the 50-peso bill, New Design / Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Series

Reverse side of the 50-peso bill, New Design / BSP Series

Notes on the New 1000-Peso Banknotes

The 1,000-peso bill is the currently circulating denomination of the New Generation Banknote Series of the Philippine peso released in December 2010.  Obverse sides of both versions feature the World War II heroes Josefa Llanes Escoda, Jose Abad Santos, and Vicente Lim.

Notes on the New 20-Peso and 200-peso Banknotes

The New Generation Banknote Series of the Philippine peso were released in December 2010.  Among these banknotes, the 20-peso and the 200-peso bills gained my interest.