Charles Teves
Filipinos were outraged after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) revealed the new design for the P1000 bill.
The Philippine eagle will be replacing World War II heroes, as approved by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said the Monetary Board (MB) and the Office of the President had approved the issuance of the new bill.
“The new series will focus on fauna and flora in the Philippines,” said Diokno when asked why World War II heroes Vicente Lim, Josefa Llanes Escoda, and Jose Abad Santos are being replaced, adding that the new banknotes will be released in April next year.
Netizens were fuming upon hearing about the news, arguing that the new design doesn’t make much sense.
Fllora and fauna my foot. Gusto nyo lang tanggalin yung nasa P500? https://t.co/27EliHAVPC
— Raquel Fortun (@Doc4Dead) December 11, 2021
Aalisin yung mga bayani para sa eagle? Sadly, it is like saying that our martyrs and heroes are no longer worth our money.
Literal na nawalan na ng papel ang ating mga bayani. #NoMoreHeroes pic.twitter.com/69QRPJnl3b
— Senator Nancy Binay (@SenatorBinay) December 12, 2021
Josefa Llanes Escoda: Guiding spirit behind the organization of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines; alleviated sufferings of military interns during the Death March at San Fernando, Pampanga. She and husband rushed food to soldiers, and fed prisoners in a concentration camp… pic.twitter.com/VGmmbEO8U6
— Willard Cheng (@willardcheng) December 12, 2021
Former Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos, civic leader Josefa Llanes-Escoda and BGen. Vicente Lim fought and died resisting the Japanese occupation during the World War II. https://t.co/3X93ILZW16
— Roentgen (@ronaldgem) December 11, 2021
Imagine that, eliminating Jose Abad Santos, Vicente Lim and Josefa Llanes Escoda. The Monetary Board can get away with this sort of assassination because no one knows who they (its members) are anyway so they can cowardly sneak off. https://t.co/lgd9jginwQ
— Manuel L. Quezon III (@mlq3) December 11, 2021
Here is one of the 3 historical figures to be replaced by the Philippine Eagle in the 1000 peso bill redesign. Again we reiterate, this is not an either-or debate. Time for the BSP Governor to face the mirror & ask: Amidst the pandemic, what are your priorities? https://t.co/SLh47wmJd3
— Kristoffer Pasion (@indiohistorian) December 12, 2021
Mga hayop na raw ilalagay sa pera, hindi na mga bayani, tutal, wala namang bayani sa kasalukuyang gobyerno, puro hayop.
— Jerry B. Grácio (@JerryGracio) December 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/EngrsOfMNL/status/1469505876046520322?s=20
My father and his generation lived and fought during WW2,they are known as the greatest generation.That’s not a title they claimed,they were ordinary Filipinos fated to confront extraordinary challenges of war. How do we honor them? We can start by looking at a 1000 peso bill pic.twitter.com/Tteu9A5kBB
— Mgen Ramon P Zagala (@DemyZagala) December 13, 2021
Do you really need to change the design of the current bill? Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with it. This is politically driven. What I also don’t get is WHY ARE THE COINS SO FUCKING CONFUSING?!?! THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME!!! THE OLD DESIGNS WERE OK!!! https://t.co/295wzpwq09
— ЯΛM🇵🇸 (@ramityville) December 12, 2021
https://twitter.com/jcpunongbayan/status/1469906763302379523?s=20
Jose Abad Santos was the fifth chief justice of the Supreme Court and the acting president of the Philippine Commonwealth. He was executed on May 2, 1942, by the Japanese after refusing to cooperate.
Witnesses said Abad was “magnificently serene when he heard his death sentence.” Before his death, he asked to have a word with his son Pepito.
“Do not cry, Pepito,” Abad Santos told his son. “Show these people that you are brave. It is a rare opportunity for me to die for our country. Not everybody is given that chance.”
Vicente Lim was a Death March survivor and was the first Filipino to enter West Point and a brigadier general in the fledgling Philippine Army. He refused to be part of the puppet government by the Japanese and secretly funded guerrilla activities. Because of this, he was arrested and beheaded. His body was never recovered.
Josefa Llanes Escoda died a civic leader. She advocated for women’s suffrage and founded the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. She and her husband Antonio supplied medicine and food to Filipino and American prisoners in concentration camps.
She was last seen in 1945. It was presumed that she was executed.
