Well most of us Filipinos idolize our national hero Jose Rizal because of his undying dedication and love to our motherland. That is why the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is issuing a special Jose Rizal P1 coin this month, in commemoration of the national hero’s 150th birthday. The BSP special Jose Rizal P1 coin has been approved to release by the office of the Philippine president and the BSP Monetary Board. According to BSP, ten million pieces of the new Jose Rizal P1 peso coin will be issued this December for our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. The new designed P1 coin will have a new angle of the national hero, having his face bigger to occupy most of the coin’s surface area. The Jose Rizal P1 coin is of the same size and weight as the one-peso coin now in circulation —24 millimeters in diameter at 5.35 grams. On the face of the grayish, nickel-plated coin is the portrait of Rizal, with the words “150 years,” “Republika ng Pilipinas,” and the years “1861-2011” etched on it. The reverse side carries the new BSP seal, “1-piso,” and “2011.”
Last October, the new security feature of Philippines “New Generation Currency” banknotes won the Best New Currency Feature during the 2011 Currency Conference which held in Singapore. The Philippines New Generation banknotes were launched last December last year, and featured new designs for the P20, P50, P100, P200, P500 and P1,000 notes and new security features to prevent counterfeiting.
