THE August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM), who questioned last week the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) removal of the faces of the country’s national heroes on the new polymer bills, is asking until when the central bank will continue paper banknotes.
In a statement on Monday, the group called out BSP’s explanations for the removal of the three wartime heroes — Jose Abad Santos, Vicente Lim and Josefa Llanes Escoda — from the P1,000 bill, which became the “first casualty” of the “hero-less” polymer banknotes.
“Although we appreciate the BSP’s statement, the clarification only raises more questions [than answers]. Will they continue to print the bills with the faces of heroes alongside the new bills bearing the animals, and for how long? Isn’t that going to confuse our people more, especially in our day-to-day dealings? Does the polymer technology only work for animals and not the faces of humans?” the group said.
“This means they are not printing new ones anymore for the heroes. If this trend continues, sooner or later, the Philippine eagle will be the only P1,000 bill in circulation. And this will soon happen also for the new roster of heroes being replaced in the new polymer bills,” ATOM added.
ATOM said this issue is hurting many Filipinos because it seems like the central bank is removing memories that are a big part of the Filipino identity.
ATOM’s president, Volt Bohol, also said that all the heroes represented in Philippine money were also resisting tyranny.
“Previously, before being relegated to coins now, Andres Bonifacio & Apolinario Mabini represented the resistance against the Spanish occupation. Manuel Quezon represented opposition to America. Jose Abad Santos, Vicente Lim & Josefa Escoda resisted the Japanese Occupation,” the group said.
“[Former senator Benigno] ‘Ninoy’ (and former president Corazon) Aquino fought the Marcos dictatorship. Even Manuel Roxas served a purpose. He was the transition President from the Commonwealth era,” they added.
Furthermore, they said, “[Our heroes’ legacy is our legacy. Whatever achievements they may have accomplished in their lives became our own accomplishments as a people. And the government wants to change them? They are part of our Filipino identity.”
ATOM said that while there’s importance in the protection of the country’s endangered animals, they are not the same as the heroes.
“Our endangered species are of utmost importance, and these should be protected, but do they outweigh the blood and sacrifices that were shed and offered by our past martyrs and leaders so that others may live and experience the freedoms that we have enjoyed as a people later on in our history? With the current actions of this government, it seems that this is the case for them,” ATOM said.
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