If you’ve seen yet another banknote circulating the web that looks different from the ones we currently use as legal tender, then that’s likely to be fake. Case in point: a fabricated PHP150 bill (US$2.79) featuring national hero Dr. Jose Rizal that has been making the rounds.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP; Central Bank of the Philippines) released a statement to set the record.
“Images of the said banknote circulating on social media are fictitious,” it said, and reminded the public to verify information found on social media about banknotes and coins.
To be fair, the BSP did release a PHP150 commemorative coin in honor of the Filipino priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora (Gomburza) on their 150th year of martyrdom.
The coin is non-circulating legal tender and retailed for PHP2,200 (US$40.99)
BSP reminded the public to verify legitimate banknotes and coins under the central bank’s website. They may also report persons who make or distribute counterfeit Philippine money to the SP Payments and Currency Investigation Group at [email protected] or through telephone numbers +63-2-8988-4833 and +63-2-8926-5092.
