Issued to mark the Philippines' hosting of the 1996 APEC Leaders' Summit in Subic Bay and Manila — the first time a Southeast Asian nation had hosted the forum. The Subic venue carried particular symbolism: the former U.S. naval base had been vacated by American forces just three years earlier following the Philippine Senate's rejection of a new basing treaty in 1991, a politically charged decision that ended nearly a century of U.S. military presence there.
The .500 fineness is notably low for a commemorative gold issue, keeping production costs down on a coin whose face value of 2,000 piso substantially exceeded average daily wages at the time.
Issued to mark the Philippines' hosting of the 1996 APEC Leaders' Summit in Subic Bay and Manila — the first time a Southeast Asian nation had hosted the forum. The Subic venue carried particular symbolism: the former U.S. naval base had been vacated by American forces just three years earlier following the Philippine Senate's rejection of a new basing treaty in 1991, a politically charged decision that ended nearly a century of U.S. military presence there.
The .500 fineness is notably low for a commemorative gold issue, keeping production costs down on a coin whose face value of 2,000 piso substantially exceeded average daily wages at the time.