Catalog
50 Centavos
| Issuer | Philippine National Bank, Bacolod Branch (Negros Occidental) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1941 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears the issuing bank's name in bold script lettering at the top, reading 'Philippine National Bank,' with the designation 'Emergency Circulating Note of 1941' below. The central text states the promise to pay the bearer Fifty Centavos, with a notice of issue by authority of the President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines under the Negros Occidental Currency Committee. The denomination '50' appears in large numerals at each corner, with the serial number printed vertically along both side margins, and three signature lines at the bottom for the Provincial Fiscal Member, Acting Manager P.N.B. Bacolod Branch Chairman, and Acting Provincial Auditor Member. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse carries the 'Philippine National Bank' name in bold script at the top, with the place and date 'Bacolod City, Dec. 30, 1941' flanking a central arms vignette of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Below the vignette, the denomination 'FIFTY CENTAVOS' is set in large spaced capitals, with 'SECOND ISSUE' in italics beneath, and 'EMERGENCY CIRCULATING NOTE OF 1941' completing the central text. The note is framed by a decorative border with '50¢' repeated in each corner. |
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| Comments |
Issued under emergency wartime authority after the Japanese invasion cut off Manila from the provincial branches, the Philippine National Bank's Bacolod operation produced its own fractional currency to keep commerce moving in Negros Occidental. These emergency notes were locally printed with minimal equipment — the technical quality reflects exactly what was available under occupation pressure, not negligence.
Negros Occidental's sugar economy meant real transactional demand for small denominations. The S-prefix in the Pick reference designates Philippine emergency and guerrilla issues, a classification that covers a wide range of improvised wartime instruments from different provinces, each with its own authorization chain.