Aquino, BSP launch new generation of bank notes

MANILA, Philippines –  President Aquino and officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday launched the new generation bank notes, the first time a bank note was signed by a president with a photo of his parents on it.

Meanwhile, the inauguration of former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was taken out of the P200 bank note.

In his speech during the launching of the bank notes yesterday in Malacañang, Aquino said that it made him “happy” to sign a P500 bank note with a photo of his parents, the late Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and President Corazon Aquino, on it.

“The last time I checked, I have never seen a banknote signed by a president with his or her parents on it,” the Chief Executive stressed.

He pointed out that the continued strengthening of the peso against the US dollar makes it more attractive for criminal syndicates to counterfeit the bank notes and paper bills.

BSP Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. said the release of the new bank notes and paper bills would make it difficult and expensive for counterfeiters to produce fake money. “This project took us three years from conceptualization to printing. Now we will be able to stay ahead of the counterfeiters,” Tetangco stressed.

All six banknote denominations – including P20, P50, P100, P200, P500, and P1,000 – have new designs but the old colors were retained.

The blue-colored P1,000 bill still features World War II heroes Jose Abad Santos, Josefa Llanes Escoda and Gen. Vicente Lim; the yellow P500 bill now features the late President Aquino and late Sen. Aquino; the green P200 with the late President Diosdado Macapagal; the purple P100 with the late President Manuel Roxas; the red P50 with former President Sergio Osmeña; and the orange P20 with former President Manuel Quezon.

On the reverse side, the P1,000 bill now features the 130,00-hectare Tubbataha Reefs National Park and the South Sea Pearl Pinctada Maxima, while the P500 bill features the eight-kilometer Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan and the blue-napped parrot known as Tanygnathus Lucionensis.

On the reverse side of the P200 bill, the inauguration of former President Arroyo was replaced with the Bohol Chocolate Hills and the tarsier.

The P100 bill features the Mayon volcano and the whale shark locally known as butanding, while the reverse side of the P50 bill features Taal Lake and the maliputo fish. The P20 bill features the Banaue Rice Terraces and the palm civet of the Cordilleras.