Robin to BSP: Feature heroes in peso bills
TO make sure we will not “forget” our debt of gratitude to those national heroes that forged us together as a country and as a people, it is proper that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) feature Philippine heroes in our peso bills, Senator Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla said Wednesday.
Padilla said it is important to continuously educate Filipinos on our heroes by using money, which all Filipinos – regardless of age or gender – regularly see every day.
“Ang alam ko ang pera lagi mo yang nakikita, anuman ang iyong edad, anuman ang iyong kasarian, ang pera lagi mong, siguro ‘di lang oras-oras kundi minu-minuto nakikita mo yan sa harap mo at napakahalaga ang nakalagay niyan ang nakapagtuturo kung saan tayo nanggagaling at sino ba ang pinagkakautangan ng ating kalayaan. At mahalaga alam ng kababayan natin kung sino ang mga ito,” he said at the hearing of the Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies.
BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan explained the designs of Philippine currency notes are “cyclical” and that they used heroes as the theme some years back. Currently, he said they use the Philippine Eagle, which he said is an “endangered indigenous species that we are all proud of.”
Tangonan added they can go back to using heroes as the theme of our currency notes, noting that the design features “Filipino people and its culture.”
Padilla noted it is sad that many Filipino youths now do not know who our heroes are. He earlier cited viral videos showing youths not knowing who “Gomburza” (martyred priests Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora) or Apolinario Mabini are.
Earlier, Padilla filed Senate Bill (SB) 451 mandating the teaching of Philippine History in the high school curriculum.
“Our appeal to the BSP is that after it features our endangered species on peso notes – which is also useful for our tourism – please do not remove our heroes from our bank notes,” he said.
