Philippine Money

IJsselstein, Friday, 28 January 2011

The currency in the Philippines is the Philippine peso (or officially piso), divided into 100 centavos (officially centimo). Its international abbreviation is PHP. Currently (January 2011), the U.S. dollar is worth about 44 pesos, and the euro about 60 pesos (daily update rates are on our Exchange Rate page). Current are coins of 1, 5, 10, and 25 centavos and 1 and 5 pesos, and bank notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 pesos. Five and ten peso note is no longer printed, but still legal tender. The coins can be seen on a separate page.

In 1997, all old Philippine currency was replaced by new banknotes and coins, which are now the only ones valid. Older notes cannot be used anymore. If you are interested in what the old notes looked like, just have a look at our old Philippine money page.

In December 2010, a new series of banknotes was announced. The old notes will remain valid for at least three more years. New coins have been announced for 2012.

Banknotes

(Click on the notes for a larger image.)

5 Pesos

The 5 peso note depicts Emilio Aguinaldo, a Philippine resistance hero who first fought the Spanish, and later the American occupiers of the country. The first president of the Philippines. On the reverse you can see the proclamation of Philippine independence, from the balcony of Aguinaldo's house. You won't find this note much in circulation today, as it has been replaced by a 5 peso coin.

10 Pesos

The 10 peso note depicts Apolinario Mabini and Andres Bonifacio. You can also get across an older version with only Mabini. On the reverse is the church of Barasoain.

20 Pesos

The 20 peso note depicts Manuel L. Quezon. On the reverse you can see the Presidential Palace, the Malakañang.

50 Pesos

The 50 peso note depicts Sergio Osmeña. On the reverse you can see the Executive House. Be careful not to confuse it with the 20 peso note, as the color is nearly the same.

100 Pesos

The 100 peso note depicts Manuel A. Roxas. On the reverse you can see the buildings of the Philippine National Bank.

200 Pesos

Introduced in 2002, the 200 peso note commemorates the the June 12 Independence Day, and the EDSA II uprising. It depicts president Diosdado Macapagal, the father of the current president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is also depicted on the back of the note.

500 Pesos

The 500 peso note depicts Beningno S. Aquino Jr.

1000 Pesos

The 1000 peso note depicts Jose Abad Santos, Vincent Lim, and Josefa Llanes Escoda. On the reverse you can see the rice terasses in Banawe, and some tribal artifacts. You won't come across this note very often, and you shouldn't expect your taxi driver to have change from it.

Jeroen Hellingman

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