Catalog
5 Centavos
| Issuer | Municipal Government of Hindang |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941-1945 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress note with a decorated rectangular border incorporating hatched corner ornaments and numeral '5' counters at each corner. Three circular vignettes occupy the lower portion: at left, a seated allegorical figure; at centre, a large denomination panel reading 'FIVE CENTAVOS'; and at right, a coat of arms. The upper field carries the issuer's name in arched lettering, with an overprinted municipal seal at centre and the promise-to-pay legend below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE MUNICIPAL GOV'T OF HINDANG MA-BA HI-HIN-IN WILL PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND FIVE CENTAVOS |
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| Comments |
Hindang is a small municipality in Leyte, and like dozens of other local governments across the Philippine islands during the Japanese occupation, it issued its own emergency currency when centrally produced notes became unavailable or untrustworthy. These municipal guerrilla or emergency notes were sanctioned — loosely — by the Commonwealth government in exile and produced with whatever printing resources were locally accessible, which typically meant crude typography, inconsistent paper stock, and hand-signed authorizations.
The 5 centavos denomination suggests this was meant for genuine small-transaction use, not just symbolic assertion of civil authority. Low-denomination Leyte municipal notes were heavily circulated and are disproportionately scarce today because the paper simply did not survive.