The Coin that Speaks Aloud

When I was still a child I used to think that a single peso does not have any worth at all compared to a thousand-peso-bill.  That is how I recognize the value of a thing until my teacher in Camp Tinio High School, Mr. Cesar Legaspi (I had to give him back the credit he deserved) has opened up my mind in a class discussion one day.

 I can not remember the topic  that we are discussing on that moment that brought us talking about the Philippine's one-peso coin.  This story will prove to us that we never have to look at a status to see the value of things.


The one-peso coin circulating in the country today bears the face of the Philippines' National Hero - Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal.  I liked him so much that I even used "Patriot's Daughter" as my pen name in the school paper when I was in college.  So I felt a little sad that he is just seen in a peso coin although the country has this one-thousand paper bill -the highest of our currency's denominations.






Was he(Dr. Rizal) valued that low or was he being belittled by the Central Bank?