Is Japan behind removal of war heroes from P1,000 banknote, but keeping ‘top collaborator’ on P100 bill? – Walden Bello

Vice presidential aspirant Walden Bello is dismayed with the government’s attempt to erase the country’s “real heroes” following new design for the P1,000 banknote.

In a Facebook post, Bello questioned the government’s decision and raised concern if Japan was involved in the removal of three World War II Filipino martyrs from the P1,000 banknote but retaining its “top collaborator” on the P100 bill.

The former Akbayan lawmaker claimed that Japan has been on a campaign to dismantle war memorials, including those remembering the comfort women during World War II, in the region.

Central Bank authorities earlier bared the new design of P1,000 bill where a Philippine eagle has replaced Josefa Llanes-Escoda, Gen. Vicente Lim and Jose Abad Santos in line with the bank’s focus on flora and fauna. Many groups have slammed the government for supposedly dishonoring the memory of these martyrs. The government decided to continue to print the existing P1,000 banknote featuring the three heroes while circulating the new polymer bills.

“Will this regime’s war against the country’s real heroes never end? One of its first acts was the burial of a national villain in the Libingan. As it nears its end, it seeks to erase the memory of three martyrs in the war against Japan–Josefa Escoda, Jose Abad Santos, and Vicente Lim–by effacing them from our 1K notes,” Bello said on Facebook.

“Meanwhile the face of top collaborator Manuel Roxas, who managed the rice procurement system for the Japanese occupation forces (then pirouetted to the Americans when they came back) continues to grace our 100 peso bill,” he said.

Bello, former Akbayan lawmaker, asked banking authorities whether or not the Japanese embassy in Manila persuade the latest redesign of the country’s banknote.

“As did one of Escoda’s descendants, I would like to ask Central Bank Governor Ben Diokno if Japanese Embassy pressure had something to do with the decision,” he said.

“This is important since the Japanese government has been on a crusade to eliminate statues honoring comfort women and other World War II-related memorials in Asia,” he said.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)