Senator Robin Padilla on Wednesday, October 19 urged the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to feature Philippine heroes in the country’s currency notes more in order to help continuously educate Filipinos of their legacy regardless of age or gender.
Padilla made the appeal during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies.
“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 (We people are always exposed to money, whatever age, or gender, you see money always and it’s very important that whoever is featured in it can remind us where we came from and whom we owe our freedom),” Padilla told BSP officials during the hearing.
“At mahalaga alam ng kababayan natin kung sino ang mga ito (It is very important we know, our fellowmen know, who our heroes are),” the senator further said.
Padilla lamented that the younger generation of Filipinos are not exposed or have limited knowledge of Philippine heroes when the country’s currencies could help them identify and remember who they are.
BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan, who was present during the hearing, explained that the designs of Philippine currency notes are “cyclical,” and that they used heroes as the theme some years back.
But currently, he said, they use the Philippine Eagle that he said is an “endangered indigenous species that we are all proud of.”
Tangonan assured the BSP can revert to using heroes as the theme of currency notes, noting that the design features “Filipino people and its culture.”
But Padilla said it is important that the country’s central bank takes the lead in teaching Philippine history through the country’s currency notes.
Earlier, Padilla filed Senate Bill 451 mandating the teaching of Philippine History in the high school curriculum.
"Kaya ang aking pakiusap sa ating BSP, na pagkatapos ninyong pagyamanin ang ating mga endangered species na ating ikinararangal at pinagmamalaki, at yan din po ay sa turismo din naman yan na kailangang kailangan din. Halimbawa may pumunta ritong turista at nagpapalit ng pera nakikita rin nila ito pala ang mga species sa PH maganda rin po yan (That’s why my appeal to the BSP is, after featuring endangered species which we also honor and are proud of, and since that is part of tourism also, since tourists who exchange money into peso can learn from the different species in the Philippines, that is also good),” Padilla said.
“Pero isang kahilingan ko po, huwag mo po tatanggalin ang ating bayani sa pera natin (But my only appeal is, let’s not replace our heroes in our money),” the neophyte lawmaker appealed.