THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas launched on Monday the 5000-Piso LapuLapu Commemorative Banknote and Medal to kickoff the 99-day countdown to the 500th anniversary of the “Victory at Mactan.”
BSP Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Francisco Dakila, Jr. and Senior Assistant Governor Dahlia D. Luna presented the banknote and medal to Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea, who received the items on behalf of President Duterte.
On its obverse, the banknote depicts a young Lapu-Lapu, an image of the battle of Mactan, the Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (QCP) logo, and the Karaok—the large outrigger warships used by native Filipinos.
Meanwhile, the reverse shows the Philippine eagle, or the Manaol, which symbolizes clear vision, freedom, and strength; and which embodies the ancient Visayan belief that all living creatures originated from an eagle.
Also featured are a coconut tree—which was food the people of Samar provided to Ferdinand Magellan and his crew—and Mount Apo—the mountain where the circumnavigators found directional clues to their intended destination of Maluku or the Spice Island.
The BSP also presented a medal, which features the markings, “Lapulapu” above an image of the Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Cebu; and the logos of the QCP and the BSP on the obverse. Its reverse, meanwhile, shows the markings “Battle of Mactan,” a rendition of the said battle, and the date “27 April 1521.”
“The BSP and NCQ [National Quincentennial Committee] have collaborated on this commemorative banknote and medal to celebrate the heroism of Lapu-Lapu and his warriors, and to familiarize the present generation with the country’s rich pre-colonial history,” said OIC Dakila.
The celebration of the 500th anniversary of Lapu-Lapu’s victory and the special part the Philippines played in the world’s circumnavigation are collectively referred to as the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (QCP).
Image credits: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas