New Coin Purchases, Slerk

Very nice!

Coins of the Republic of the Philippines

1. 1 Piso 1996 and 2017.
These are two different types of coins. The main difference is that the 2017 coin is magnetic. 1 piso coins issued from 2003 to 2017 are made of nickel-plated steel, making them magnetic.



2. 5 Piso 2001 and 10 Piso 2005.
The 5 piso coin was issued from 1995 to 2017. It was made of nickel-brass.
The 10 peso coin was issued from 2000 to 2017. It was made of bimetal. Bimetallic: aluminium bronze centre in copper-nickel ring

4. 10 Piso 2020.
Apolinario Mabini - the first ever Prime Minister and Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. He was a supporter of reforms and not brute force.
In 1895 he fell ill with polio, and as the disease progressed, both of the politician's legs became paralyzed.
During the Spanish-American War, he actively assisted General Aguinaldo, serving as his chief adviser. He drafted laws and edited Asia's first constitution (the Malolos Constitution).

From January to May 1899, he served as Prime Minister and Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines.
During the negotiations with the United States on a truce, he failed to achieve a ceasefire. In 1901, he was exiled to Guam, along with dozens of revolutionaries whom the Americans called insurrectos (rebels) and who refused to swear allegiance to the United States.
Two months before his death, he was released and returned to the Philippines, where he died at the age of 38.

On the reverse side of the coin you can see an image of the Kapa-Kapa (medinilla magnifica) flower.


5. 20 Piso 2020.
It is the largest coin in circulation.
Manuel L. Quezon - the second president of the Philippines (during its commonwealth with the United States) and the first president elected by popular vote.
In 1909, he was elected as one of two representatives from the Philippines to the US House of Representatives, where he advocated for greater autonomy for the islands. Following the proclamation of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935, the post of President was established, governing the islands jointly with the American Governor. In the 1935 elections, Quezon was elected president, receiving over 68% of the vote, defeating leftist candidate Emilio Aguinaldo. In 1941, in the next elections, Quezon was elected with more than 80% popular support.He was given only 3 years instead of 6 years, since the constitution had been changed a year earlier and his term of office was supposed to end with only one six-year term. In 1941, he was forced to flee to Australia and then to the United States due to the Japanese attack. He established a government in exile.

The reverse side depicts Nilad (Scyphiphora hydrophylacea), as well as Malacañang (Palace), the official residence of the President.

Great additions, Slerk!

Today I want to talk about the main national hero of the Philippines, Jose Rizal, or to be more precise, Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda.

It's difficult to describe this man in just one word. He was a scholar, writer, poet, artist, sculptor, Filipino educator, and polyglot. He could communicate fluently in seven to ten languages, including Russian.

Without his parents' consent, he left for Madrid alone in May 1882 and studied medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid, where he obtained a licentiate in medicine.

From 1888 until his return to the Philippines, Rizal was actively involved in the Filipino reform movement in Spain.

After returning to Manila in 1892, Rizal formed a civic movement called the "Philippine League." The organization intended to promote moderate social reforms through legal means, but was immediately disbanded by the governor. By this time, Rizal had already been declared an enemy of the state by the authorities due to the publication of his novels. During his stay in Europe he wrote two novels, Touch Me Not and El Filibusterismo

Rizal saw his mission in educating the Filipino people, developing free thinking and national consciousness. Initially, Filipino reformers, including Rizal envisioned the Philippines' future as a path of assimilation and demanded the islands become a Spanish province. But the Spanish authorities categorically did not want to carry out any reforms and gradually national views became more and more radical.

Rizal was accused of revolutionary activities and deported to Dapitan, a city on the island of Mindanao, in July 1892.

In 1896, an uprising started by the revolutionary organization Katipunan escalated into the Philippine Revolution. Rizal, unwilling to share revolutionary sentiments, offered exile to Cuba as a doctor to combat yellow fever. However, en route to Cuba, he was arrested and imprisoned in Barcelona on October 6, 1896. He reportedly had an opportunity to escape during the convoy, but did not. He was sent back to Manila to stand trial for associating with members of the Katipunan. While imprisoned in Fort Santiago, Rizal wrote a manifesto disassociating himself from the rebellion of Bonifacio and Aguinaldo. A military tribunal tried Rizal on charges of mutiny, sedition, and conspiracy. He was found guilty on all three counts and sentenced to death on December 30, 1896.

In his novel "Touch Me Not" (1887), the writer created a broad picture of life for his people in the second half of the 19th century. Colonial practices, and particularly Spanish monasticism, are depicted in the novel in a satirical and accusatory manner.

Nice notes, Slerk.

A lot of nice Philippines coins and notes, Slerk. Very interesting historical information, as well. Thanks for sharing!