BSP releases 3 commemorative coins

MANILA, Philippines - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas announced yesterday the release of three commemorative coins to honor the overseas Filipino workers, to celebrate hero Apolinario Mabini, and to pay tribute to the Leyte Gulf Landing.

In a briefing, Central bank Deputy Governor Vicente Aquino said the new limited edition coins will be available starting Monday. The BSP will be minting 10 million pieces for each of the coins.

“As a matter of policy, the BSP commemorates significant events and heroic Filipinos in our country’s history through the minting of coins, medals or overprints on our banknotes,” Aquino said.

The P5 Bagong Bayani commemorative coin in honor of the overseas Filipinos will feature portraits of different workers, and the markings “Republika ng Pilipinas,” and “Bagong Bayani.”

The coin also carries a picture of a Filipino family with overseas Filipino worker parents as well as the BSP logo.

The P10 Apolinario Mabini commemorative coin, meanwhile, will carry the portrait of the hero along with the markings “Talino at Paninindigan.”

The third limited circulation coin is a P5 Leyte Gulf Landing commemorative coin, Aquino said. This one has an image Leyte Landing memorial monument as it stands in Red Beach, Palo in Leyte.

The coin, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landing, also carries General Douglas MacArthur’s famous quotation, “I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand together again on Philippine soil - soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples.”

MacArthur was a five-star general in the United States Army and a Field Marshal of the Philippine Army.

Last year, the central bank released commemorative coins to celebrate the 150th year of Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio. Back in 2011, a limited edition coin was also released to pay tribute to National Hero Jose Rizal.

Aquino said that the BSP is currently planning to mint special 50-peso and 500-peso coins in time for the Papal visit in January.