By CoinWeek News Staff….
The Central Bank of the Philippines (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) announced today that it will release three new circulating commemorative coins starting December 22.
One commemorative, a 5-piso coin, will honor Filipinos who work overseas and are an important part of the Philippine economy.
A 10-piso coin will celebrate the 150th anniversary (or sesquicentennial, if you will) of the birth of Apolinario Mabini, a leader of the Filipino Revolution and the first prime minister of the Philippines.
A second 5-piso will commemorate the Leyte Landing, when Allied forces under General Douglas MacArthur invaded the Philippines in World War II in order to liberate the island nation from the Japanese. A picture of General MacArthur famously wading through knee-high water to the shore at Leyte is one of countless immortal images from the war; an image of that picture is featured on the obverse.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) previously honored Filipino revolutionary leader Andrés Bonifacio on a 2013 10-piso coin, and the 150th birthday of revolutionary and poet José Rizal on a 2011 1-piso circulating commemorative.
BSP is also preparing for Pope Francis I’s arrival in the Philippines, which will take place in January, 2015. The bank will Mint 50-piso and 500-piso commemoratives in time for his visit.