Currency in the Philippines From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Philippine fifty-peso note (Filipino: Limampung piso (formal), singkuwenta pesos (Vernacular)) (₱50) is a denomination of Philippine currency. Philippine president and former House Speaker Sergio Osmeña is currently featured on the front side of the bill, while the Taal Lake and the giant trevally (known locally as maliputo) are featured on the reverse side.
| (Philippines) | |
|---|---|
| Value | ₱50 |
| Width | 160 mm |
| Height | 66 mm |
| Security features | Security fibers, watermark, see-through registration device, concealed value, security thread, tactile marks |
| Material used | 80% cotton 20% abacá fiber |
| Years of printing | 1852–present |
| Obverse | |
| |
| Design | Sergio Osmeña, First Philippine Assembly (1907), Leyte Landing |
| Designer | Studio 5 Designs[1] |
| Design date | 2017 |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Taal Lake, Giant Trevally (Maliputo) (Caranx ignobilis), Batangas weave design |
| Designer | Studio 5 Designs[2] |
| Design date | 2018 |
The polymer version, first introduced in December 2024[3] features the Visayan leopard cat on its obverse side while its reverse side has similar design elements with the cotton-abacá version and it will be in circulation starting December 23, 2024, in limited quantities and in the Greater Manila area.[4]
| Philippines (1936-1941) |
Victory Series No. 66 (1944) |
Victory-CBP Banknote Series (1949) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obverse |  | ||
| Reverse |  |
Osmeña first appeared on the fifty peso note upon the release of the Pilipino series notes in 1967.
The obverse features the portrait of Antonio Luna, a general in the Philippine–American War. The reverse features a painting of his brother, Juan Luna, depicting the blood compact between Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna, the chieftain of Bohol.
In 1967, Sergio Osmeña replaced the portrait of Luna. The note is now predominantly red in color. On the reverse, it now features the Old Legislative Building. The design of the obverse was later revised, switching the positions of the "50" on the lower right corner with the Central Bank logo on the upper right, the signature of the Central Bank Governor was placed beside the signature of the President of the Philippines, the font for Republika ng Pilipinas was also changed and the text Limampung Piso was made into one line. This design was later used when the Bagong Lipunan series was released in 1973.
In 1973, the "Ang Bagong Lipunan" text was added and was overprinted on the watermark area.
In 1987, the bill was completely redesigned and new elements regarding Osmeña's achievement as the first Speaker of the Philippine Assembly, a precursor of the current House of Representatives were shown on the right side, namely, the mace and the gavel, the symbols used by the Philippine Congress. Also on the right side is the Fuente Osmeña located in Cebu City, Osmeña's birthplace. The reverse side featured the Old Legislative Building, the home to various legislative bodies of the Philippine government. The banknote was designed by Rafael Asuncion.
After the creation of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in 1993, its new logo was incorporated on all the New Design series bills.
In 1998, the year of printing was added at the bottom of the denomination value located at the upper left corner of the obverse.
In 1999, the names of the signatories on the bills were added starting with banknotes featuring the signature of President Joseph Estrada.
Starting with banknotes featuring the signature of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2001, the name of the Old Legislative Building (Dating Gusali ng Batasan, with the name was located at the lower-left side) on the reverse side was changed to the "National Museum" (Gusali ng Pambansang Museo) and the name was moved at the top of the building, to reflect the turnover made by the Congress of the Philippines to the National Museum. The name of the building's facade was changed from "Executive House" to "National Museum". Also, the serial number was moved at the top of the denomination that was located on the lower left side of the banknote.
In 2010, the portrait of Sergio Osmeña was revised, a picture of the first Philippine Assembly and Osmeña and General Douglas MacArthur's landing in Leyte was added on the lower left corner and bottom center of the note respectively. The reverse now features the Taal Lake and the giant trevally.[6]
In 2017, an updated version of the New Generation series 50 piso banknote was issued with changes in the font size of the year of issue and the italicization of the scientific name on the reverse side. The text "October 1944" was added after the word "Leyte Landing" on the obverse.[7]
In 2020, an enhanced version of the 50 peso banknote was released. It added one pair of tactile marks for the visually impaired, on both the extreme left and right side of the front of the note.
The new BSP logo, which was redesigned in January 2021 was adopted in all NGC banknotes starting with the 2022 issued banknotes featuring the signatures of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and BSP Governor Felipe Medalla.
| English Series (1951–1971) |
Pilipino Series (1969–1974) |
Ang Bagong Lipunan Series (1973–1996) |
New Design/BSP Series (1987–2018) |
New Generation Currency Series (2010–present) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obverse |  |
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| Reverse |  |
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| 50-Piso First Philippine Polymer series banknote | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Dimensions | Main Colour | Design | Year of First Issue | Usage in circulation | |||
| Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | |||||
| 160 mm × 66 mm | Red | Visayan leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis rabori), Vidal's Lanutan (Hibiscus campylosiphon) | Taal Lake in Batangas; Caranx ignobilis, maliputo (giant trevally); Batangas embroidery design | December 23, 2024 | In limited circulation | |||
| For table standards, see the banknote specification table. | ||||||||
Throughout its existence, the fifty peso bill have been overprinted to commemorate certain events, namely:
| Banknote series | Year | President of the Philippines | BSP Governor |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Series | 1951–1953 | Elpidio Quirino | Miguel Cuaderno Sr. |
| 1953–1957 | Ramon Magsaysay | ||
| 1957–1960 | Carlos P. Garcia | ||
| 1961–1962 | Diosdado P. Macapagal | Andres V. Castillo | |
| Pilipino Series | 1969–1970 | Ferdinand E. Marcos | Alfonso Calalang |
| 1970–1972 | Gregorio S. Licaros | ||
| Ang Bagong Lipunan Series | 1973–1981 | ||
| 1981–1984 | Jaime C. Laya | ||
| 1984–1985 | Jose B. Fernandez Jr. | ||
| New Design Series | 1987–1990 | Corazon C. Aquino | |
| 1990–1992 | Jose L. Cuisia Jr. | ||
| 1992–1993 | Fidel V. Ramos | ||
| 1993–1998 | Gabriel C. Singson | ||
| 1998–1999 | Joseph Estrada | ||
| 1999–2001 | Rafael B. Buenaventura | ||
| 2001–2004 | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | ||
| 2005–2010 | Amando M. Tetangco Jr. | ||
| 2010–2013 | Benigno S. Aquino III | ||
| New Generation Currency Series | 2010–2016 | ||
| 2016–2017 | Rodrigo Duterte | ||
| 2017–2019 | Nestor Espenilla Jr. | ||
| 2019–2022 | Benjamin E. Diokno | ||
| 2022–2023 | Bongbong Marcos | Felipe M. Medalla | |
| 2024–present | Eli M. Remolona Jr. | ||
| First Philippine Polymer Series | 2024–present |
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