Catalog
50 Centavos
| Issuer | Philippine National Bank, Iloilo City |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
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| Reference(s) | P#S304 |
| Obverse description | Orange note with geometric guilloche border incorporating repeated '50' numerals and 'CENTAVOS' inscriptions along all four margins. The central text panel reads 'EMERGENCY CIRCULATING NOTE OF 1941 / THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK / WILL PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND' surrounding a circular bank seal vignette, with 'FIFTY CENTAVOS' in bold letterpress below. Two manuscript signatures appear at the bottom, attributed to the Provincial Auditor and Provincial Fiscal of the Iloilo Currency Committee, with serial number printed vertically on each side. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | CENTAVOS 50 PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK FIFTY CENTAVOS EMERGENCY CIRCULATING NOTE THE ILOILO CURRENCY COMMITTEE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES ILOILO CITY, PHILIPPINES DECEMBER 20, 1941 |
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| Comments |
The Philippine National Bank's provincial emergency notes of 1941 are among the more historically loaded pieces of Filipino paper money. Iloilo City was a major commercial hub on Panay Island, and the PNB branch there was authorized to issue these fractional emergency notes as the banking system strained under wartime uncertainty — the Japanese invasion began in December 1941, just months after this series was dated.
Many Iloilo branch notes were destroyed or lost during the occupation. Survivors often show circulation damage consistent with the chaotic conditions of late 1941 and early 1942.