BSP holds virtual Numismatic Forum

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) partnered with the Philippine Numismatic and Antiquarian Society (PNAS) to mount the first virtual numismatic forum entitled “Money Talks: What Every Filipino Should Know about the History of Philippine Money.”

Proclamation No. 1486 Series of 1975 designates November 17-23 of every year as National Numismatic Week. Under the proclamation, PNAS is to take charge of the national observance.

“The BSP has been working closely with partners like PNAS to promote, protect, and preserve the country’s rich numismatic heritage through educational, cultural preservation, information sharing, and collections management initiatives,” said BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno.

The forum featured discussions on how Philippine currency captured significant historical events and personalities, the best among the Philippines’ numismatic treasures, facts about some Spanish era coins, the future of Philippine banknotes, and public reminders about the Philippine currency.

“Money plays an unquantifiable function outside of its textbook definition as a medium of exchange, unit of account, and store of value,” said the Governor. “Over time, our coins and banknotes have served as a silent witness to history and human development – all the while it has changed hands and enabled transactions on a global scale.”

The resource persons for the forum were historian and newspaper columnist Ambeth Ocampo, PNAS Chairman F. William Villareal, PNAS Director Paul Leonard De Jesus, BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan, and BSP Bank Officer Aileen Manansala.

Numismatics is the science, study, or collection of coins, paper money, medals, tokens, orders and decorations, and similar objects. (BSP)