SOURCE: PDI
MANILA, Philippines—Next time you get hold of a new, crisp P200 bill, don’t be surprised if you find it difficult to locate the picture of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. It has been relegated to a small corner of the bill and the new dominant photo is that of the tarsier, a specially protected animal species found in a few places in the Philippines.
Due for circulation this month, the newly designed peso bank notes will showcase on the reverse side the country’s top tourism spots.
The picture of Arroyo’s inaugural ceremony in 2001—printed at the back of the existing P200 bill—will still appear on the bill, this time on the front side, although a bit too small for anyone to even decipher her face.
It is on the side dominated by the picture of her father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal.
“The swearing in of GMA is on the front side of the [new] 200-peso note,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said in a text message to the Inquirer, answering insinuations that the former President was downgraded in the new design.
The new notes were launched the other day in Malacañang.
‘New generation’ bills
A major feature of the “new generation” bank notes is the inclusion of the portrait of the late former President Corazon Aquino in the P500 bill. The new bill shows her face side by side with that of her husband, the assassinated former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
Soon after the death of Cory last year, the BSP announced it planned to add her portrait to the design of the P500 bill featuring Ninoy.
“We want to show the best that can be found in the Philippines, like the Tubbataha Reef, the Subterranean River, rice terraces, etc. Many of these places have been declared world heritage sites,” Tetangco said.
All bills—P20, P50, P100, P200, P500, and P1, 000—were redesigned but personalities featured in the existing notes have not been changed.
This is the first time in 25 years that the central bank has come out with a new design for all the peso bills, the BSP said.
The old bank notes will remain valid until they are retired.
Tetangco said the BSP will be printing less and less of the old notes and more and more of the new ones until the old bills are demonetized, possibly three years from now.
The front side of the new P20 bill still features the portrait of Manuel Quezon. The reverse side now features the Banaue Rice Terraces, replacing the picture of Malacañang Palace.
The front side of the new P50 bill still carries the portrait of former President Sergio Osmeña but the reverse side shows Taal Lake, which replaces the picture of the National Museum.
The new P100 bill, which still carries the photo of former President Manual Roxas on the front side, now also features the Bicol region, with emphasis on Mayon Volcano and the famous butanding (whale shark) found in that region. The old bank note featured the BSP building.
The reverse side of the new P200 bill features Bohol, with emphasis on the tarsier and Chocolate Hills found in the province.
Dubbed the world’s smallest monkey, the tarsier is a shy animal which prefers to live alone after mating, conservationists say. A nocturnal creature, it is said to prefer to live in the wild.
Conservationists say the tarsiers may seem cuddly and defenseless but they do bite and a tarsier’s bite could be fatal.
The new P500 bill also features the Subterranean River National Park in Puerto Princesa in Palawan.
Lastly, the new P1,000 bill, which still carries the portraits of Josefa LLanes Escoda, Vicente Lim, and Jose Abad Santos on the front side, now also shows the 130,000-hectare Tubbataha Reef.
Hard to fake
Tetangco said the security features of the peso bank notes were also enhanced, making it difficult for unscrupulous individuals to fake the money.
“As a matter of best practice, central banks change the look and security features of their currency ... to reflect significant milestones in their country and to stay ahead of counterfeiters,” Tetangco said.
“We made the decision to incorporate the latest bank note security features to make it difficult and expensive for counterfeiters to copy ... while making it easier for our people to identify counterfeits,” he added.
The BSP said the enhanced security features include the use of embossed prints, different sizes of the digits of the serial numbers, the use of security fibers, watermarks, see-through marks and security threads.
The BSP said the new notes are antibacterial, meaning these do not gather as much bacteria as the old ones do.
“The paper (for the new notes) is treated with a substance that kills bacteria,” Tetangco said.
The picture of Arroyo’s inaugural ceremony in 2001—printed at the back of the existing P200 bill—will still appear on the bill, this time on the front side, although a bit too small for anyone to even decipher her face.
It is on the side dominated by the picture of her father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal.
“The swearing in of GMA is on the front side of the [new] 200-peso note,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said in a text message to the Inquirer, answering insinuations that the former President was downgraded in the new design.
The new notes were launched the other day in Malacañang.
‘New generation’ bills
A major feature of the “new generation” bank notes is the inclusion of the portrait of the late former President Corazon Aquino in the P500 bill. The new bill shows her face side by side with that of her husband, the assassinated former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
Soon after the death of Cory last year, the BSP announced it planned to add her portrait to the design of the P500 bill featuring Ninoy.
“We want to show the best that can be found in the Philippines, like the Tubbataha Reef, the Subterranean River, rice terraces, etc. Many of these places have been declared world heritage sites,” Tetangco said.
All bills—P20, P50, P100, P200, P500, and P1, 000—were redesigned but personalities featured in the existing notes have not been changed.
This is the first time in 25 years that the central bank has come out with a new design for all the peso bills, the BSP said.
The old bank notes will remain valid until they are retired.
Tetangco said the BSP will be printing less and less of the old notes and more and more of the new ones until the old bills are demonetized, possibly three years from now.
The front side of the new P20 bill still features the portrait of Manuel Quezon. The reverse side now features the Banaue Rice Terraces, replacing the picture of Malacañang Palace.
The front side of the new P50 bill still carries the portrait of former President Sergio Osmeña but the reverse side shows Taal Lake, which replaces the picture of the National Museum.
The new P100 bill, which still carries the photo of former President Manual Roxas on the front side, now also features the Bicol region, with emphasis on Mayon Volcano and the famous butanding (whale shark) found in that region. The old bank note featured the BSP building.
The reverse side of the new P200 bill features Bohol, with emphasis on the tarsier and Chocolate Hills found in the province.
Dubbed the world’s smallest monkey, the tarsier is a shy animal which prefers to live alone after mating, conservationists say. A nocturnal creature, it is said to prefer to live in the wild.
Conservationists say the tarsiers may seem cuddly and defenseless but they do bite and a tarsier’s bite could be fatal.
The new P500 bill also features the Subterranean River National Park in Puerto Princesa in Palawan.
Lastly, the new P1,000 bill, which still carries the portraits of Josefa LLanes Escoda, Vicente Lim, and Jose Abad Santos on the front side, now also shows the 130,000-hectare Tubbataha Reef.
Hard to fake
Tetangco said the security features of the peso bank notes were also enhanced, making it difficult for unscrupulous individuals to fake the money.
“As a matter of best practice, central banks change the look and security features of their currency ... to reflect significant milestones in their country and to stay ahead of counterfeiters,” Tetangco said.
“We made the decision to incorporate the latest bank note security features to make it difficult and expensive for counterfeiters to copy ... while making it easier for our people to identify counterfeits,” he added.
The BSP said the enhanced security features include the use of embossed prints, different sizes of the digits of the serial numbers, the use of security fibers, watermarks, see-through marks and security threads.
The BSP said the new notes are antibacterial, meaning these do not gather as much bacteria as the old ones do.
“The paper (for the new notes) is treated with a substance that kills bacteria,” Tetangco said.
