2021-05-11 Tue

The Philippine commemorative 5,000-Piso note released 17th Jan celebrate the 500th anniversary of the “Victory at Mactan,” a facet of the country’s rich pre-colonial history.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Philippine central bank, in cooperation with the National Quincentennial Committee (NQC), launched the note and a medal on Jan. 17 to kick off the 99-day countdown to the 500th anniversary of the “Victory at Mactan.” Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in this battle, leaving the surviving crew to complete the world’s first circumnavigation without him.

1521 Filipino chief Lapu-Lapu is also on the Philippine 1-centavo coin obverse from 1967 to 1993, is now also the subject of a commemorative 5,000-Piso bank note becoming the central figure on both the country’s lowest denomination and its highest. The note’s face depicts a young Lapu-Lapu along with an image of the battle of Mactan, the QCP logo, and a karakoa, the large outrigger warship the Filipinos used.

The back shows a Philippine eagle, the manaol, a symbol of clear vision, freedom, and strength, and of, the BSP says, the ancient regional belief that all living creatures originated from an eagle. A coconut tree represents food the islanders initially provided to Magellan and his crew; and Mount Apo is where Magellan’s crew finally found directional clues to their intended destination, the Spice Islands (Maluku).

Image Courtesy: banknotenews.com