By Civ Alonzo-Cruz
The University of the Philippines (UP) Department of History denounced on Thursday night (Dec.16) the removal of the photos of World War II national heroes Josefa Llanes Escoda, Jose Abad Santos and Vicente Lim from the new P1,000 bill of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). They likened the central bank’s move to the “Mickey Mouse money” issued during the Japanese occupation in the country.
In a statement, the UP Department of History said that the central bank’s move was a “slap in the face of our heroes” and accused BSP of trivializing the Filipino symbol of quest in nationhood and what it means through the heroes.
“The removal of the images of these three heroes from the new design of the P1,000 bill is a slap on the face of our national heroes. It appears by this act, the BSP is not only disregarding the Filipino symbol of its quest for nationhood and what it means through these heroes; the BSP is also trivializing this symbol,” the statement read.
UP Department of History
Statement on the Php1,000 Bill Controversy
16 December 2021 pic.twitter.com/ERwM3MhISz— UP Department of History (@UPDHistory) December 16, 2021
The department also said that BSP should hold a public consultation first on the redesigned bill, which sports an image of the Philippine eagle instead of the heroes Escoda, Santos and Lim.
The statement also noted that the only other time when a P1,000 bill was issued without public consultation was during the Japanese Occupation with its “Mickey Mouse” money bills in the 1940s.
“Today, in the twenty-first century under Filipino auspices, through the BSP, that act is being mindlessly repeated,” it said.
The BSP unveiled the new design of its polymer P1,000 bill on Saturday, Dec. 11 and got the ire of the public, including some members of the House of Representatives and Senate.
The three national heroes in the current P1,000 bill were lauded for their bravery and contribution to the country during the World War II era.
Llanes-Escoda founded the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. She was active in several charitable activities and was also a philanthropist. When the war broke out, she helped collect and distribute food and other items for prisoners of war (POW), which led to her arrest and execution.
General Lim is the first Filipino graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point. He was the Commanding General of the 41st Infantry Division of United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) during the Battle of Bataan and fought the Japanese until he was captured and executed.
Abad Santos was the fifth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and served as the Acting President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
He was also the Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during World War II, on behalf of President Quezon after the government went into exile to the United States. He was among the Philippine officials left behind when the war broke out in 1941. He was captured and executed for refusing to cooperate with the Japanese.
The redesigned P1,000 bill is set for circulation by April 2022. The BSP said the current bill will still remain in use for the public until stocks run out. -rir
