Who doesn’t want to get their hands on a P1,000 bill? I know I do (para pang-gastos lol).
But kidding aside, the new P1,000 bill showcases smarter and stronger features. Despite being in under a lot of controversies for replacing the portraits of Jose Abad Santos, Josefa Llanes Escoda, and Vicente Lim with a headshot of a Philippine eagle, there is much to appreciate about the look and feel of the new bill. (Santos, Escoda, and Lim were three Filipino martyrs and civic rights activists of the resistance against the Japanese colonizers during World War II. On the other hand, the Philippine eagle, one of the rarest eagles in the world, is considered the country’s national bird.)
Interestingly, the Philippine eagle portrait present in the bill actually does exist!
Philippine eagle keeper Lohwana Halaq posted on TikTok a number of selfies with the Philippine eagle we see in the new P1,000 bill.
@lohwanahalaq 💰The Money Shot 💰 The head shot of the Philippine eagle species replaced the former 1000 peso bank note design of the three Filipino martyrs and civic rights actitivists of the resistance against the Japanese occupation of World War II. The Philippine eagle is the national bird of the Philippines 🇵🇭 and thus should recieve the recognition it deserves. From my experience working with these beautiful animals I can truthfully say that it shocks me much our own Filipino citizens do not know this eagle exists or what it even looks like. Despite its high profile status in media, culture and government. I’ve had many guest interactions in which local Filipino visitors come up to ask me: “ma”am, nasaan ang Philippine agila?” , “ma,am where can I find the Philippine eagle?” … I am literally holding the Philippine Eagle on my arm…. I look at them look at my eagle, Sinag, and look back at them and point out “You are staring at the Philippine Eagle”… I have conservations with Filipinos abroad in Canada and I explain to them that I work and live in the Philippines as an Animal Keeper and I help breed the critically endangered Philippine eagle species. Many of them comment: “I did not know we have this eagle in the Philippines”…. my response usually is “did you even open your Filipino passport?” As the Philippine Eagle is also featured in the Filipino Governing passport. It is clear that awareness plays a crucial role in species conservation from local to international recognitions. Education is key. There is improvement, and progress may be is slow, but saving this species from extinction is worth it. #philippines🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭 #philippineeaglecenter #philippineeagles🦅🇵🇭 #capcut
In the TikTok post entitled, “The Money Shot,” Halaq shares that it shocks her to know that most Filipinos do not know that the eagle exists, let alone know what a Philippine eagle looks like despite being consistently featured in the media or by the government. Moreover, she also mentioned some guest interactions where visitors often ask and look for the eagle despite her already holding them. Halaq ends with, “It is clear that awareness plays a crucial role in species observation from local to international recognition. Education is key. There is improvement, and progress may be slow, but saving this species from extinction is worth it.” The post now has 1.2 million likes and almost 12 million views.
Lowana Halaq is a Filipino-Canadian Primatologist. Once when she visited the Philippines back in 2017, she volunteered for the Philippine Eagle Center. Since then, she has left Canada and has returned to the Philippines to work for the Philippine eagle conservation.
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