WHEN the film Heneral Luna made waves sometime in 2015, earning praise not just from historians but also from the movie-loving public, a few tweets caught my eye, one of them from actor Epy Quizon.
In the film, Quizon played the role of Apolinario Mabini, dubbed by historians as the “sublime paralytic” for being the brains behind the Philippine revolution. According to the tweet, a couple was overheard walking out of the theater after watching the film and the girlfriend asked “Bakit daw nakaupo lang si Mabini sa buong movie? [Why was Mabini seated throughout the movie?]”
A stupid joke? Probably not, because Quizon himself chimed in with his own tweet: “Actually I was asked by a group the other day why my character never stood up….” He added in lament, “Apparently some of the kids nowadays don’t even know who Mabini is…. That is sad…. What have we been teaching in our history classes?” If someone as iconic as Mabini (and who, I thought, was among the most popular of Philippine historical figures) isn’t even known by kids today, how much more World War II heroes like Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos, suffragette and Girl Scouts Founder Josefa Llanes Escoda, and Armed Forces of the Philippines Brig. Gen. Vicente Lim?
Yet the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas saw it fit to erase their images from the P1,000 bank note and replace them with the Philippine eagle. BSP Gov. Benjamin Diokno defended their decision by saying, “Heroes will remain heroes whether they are in the notes or not.” But what good are they remaining as heroes when half the population don’t even know who they are? And as a government entity, doesn’t the BSP also have a responsibility to make citizens aware of where we have come from, and how far we have gone in reflecting the ideals of our national heroes?
Look, I have no quarrel with the Philippine eagle. It’s a glorious creature that speaks to our strength as a people—never mind that it is a bird of prey, and in stark contrast to our nation being often preyed on by colonizers and other foreign powers instead.
But its image could have been very well put on the back of the paper bill, along with the country’s map, the South Sea Pearl and depiction of the Tubbataha reefs. I’m sure the brilliant artists at the BSP can design an excellent collage of all these images. (But, please, don’t blame them for the ugly, new Gold Eagle beer-like BSP logo; obviously, it was done to please their art-challenged bosses. The previous logo these artists designed under Gov. Amado Tetangco Jr. was stylish and more art-forward. There was no need to revise that logo, too.)
Was there some urgent need for the note’s redesign? For sure, our paper bills need to be improved to make them last longer, so I do applaud the BSP’s decision to switch to the stronger polymer material. This has long been the trend in other countries. The new P1,000 note will be more hygienic and be less prone to counterfeiting. But remove the national heroes too?
BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan, whose background is in financial technology or e-payments, is apparently on top of the currency redesign. He explained on ANC’s After the Fact the reason for the change, and why the monetary authorities wanted to bring back the flora and fauna series. “It’s a cyclic thing…. We believe the Philippine eagle really symbolizes the strength and the freedom of the Filipino character, for one. And, second, it communicates the message the independence and clear vision of the BSP in working to chart the course of a more inclusive economy.” Uhm, okay.
Diokno also claimed the redesigned P1,000 bank note had the approval of the National Historical Institute. This is patently false, of course, since the NHI’s functions have long been taken over by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Even NHCP chairman Rene Escalante told Rappler: “NHCP was not part of the process of approval,” and plead the media to leave the agency out of the mess. That the BSP governor wasn’t even aware NHI no longer existed is well, a joke, no?
I’m not sure if any of the reporters asked Diokno if he wasn’t just playing politics, ensuring the win of some candidates identified as agila or anak ng agila with the redesigned P1,000 bank note. He did say the new polymer bills will be test-circulated in April or May next year—or just in time for the elections. It’s important to note that this redesigned note is final, with the BSP having signed a contract with the Reserve Bank of Australia for its printing. Now, let’s see the details of that contract.
A few are none too glad glad the BSP committed this dastardly deed against history because it has revived discussions on national heroes, and how we teach our children to recognize and honor their memory. (Historian Dr. Ricardo Jose describes it as a “slap in the face of heroes.” See: bit.ly/33wlTl4.)
Tangonan did say the BSP will continue to print the old P1,000 bill with the heroes on its front. And he agreed the next crop of BSP officials and policymaking Monetary Board members can choose to change the Eagle note’s design.
Well, Diokno’s term ends in 2023. Small mercy for us, I guess.
If you want to know what Vicente Lim IV, the great grandson of Brigadier General Vicente Lim, thinks about this kerfuffle, check his Facebook page at bit.ly/3F50Rbe.
Image courtesy of BSP
