5 Pesos Ley 30.11.1898 and 24.04.1899

The República Filipina — the short-lived Malolos Republic under Emilio Aguinaldo — issued these notes during the Philippine-American War, when the revolutionary government was already losing ground militarily. Pedro A. Paterno, who signed as El Delegado del Gobierno, was the same man who had brokered the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897, the agreement by which Aguinaldo accepted exile to Hong Kong. His return to prominence as a signatory on government paper reflects how quickly alliances shifted in that period.

Two decree dates appear on the note — November 30, 1898, and April 24, 1899 — because the second law amended and authorized the physical emission of currency already legislated by the first. The Malolos Republic's entire paper currency program was brief; American military advances effectively ended the functioning government by mid-1899.