With a special PHP3,000 note being a centerpiece with its reverse side being in portrait.
Last Wednesday, June 10, the Supreme Court formally launched at its Session Hall in Manila the special commemorative banknote and coin from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and commemorative stamps from the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost).
These were unveiled as part of the high court’s 125th anniversary celebration this year.
The said event was led by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, along with SC Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen and Associate Justices Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Amy Lazaro-Javier, Henri Jean Paul Inting, Rodil Zalameda, Samuel Gaerlan, Jose Midas Marquez, and Raul B. Villanueva.
The commemorative coin is minted in Nordic gold and bears a face value of PHP 125 and features Lady Justice on its obverse (front), together with the logos of the SC and BSP, encircled by 15 stars, which symbolizes the Justices of the Court.
Meanwhile, the commemorative PHP 3,000 banknote is the first to be ever issued by the BSP that adopts a vertical design for its reverse side, which shows Lady Justice, the SC New Building, and the names of the Chief Justices who have led the Court starting in 1901, from Chief Justice Arellano to Chief Justice Gesmundo.
The design of the banknote was made by Kenneth Arroyo, while the coin’s obverse was designed by BSP artist Abigail Cutaran.
Both are legal tender and can be legally used for payment and transactions and will soon be available for purchase at the BSP and the newly opened SC Gift Shop.
“Generally produced in limited quantities, commemorative banknotes are issued by the BSP to mark events of historical significance in the country. These are distinguished from regular circulation notes and bear distinctive emblems or inscriptions reflecting the theme or occasion being commemorated,” noted the Supreme Court.
Similarly, commemorative coins are produced to honor notable individuals or to recognize places or events that have made a significant mark in Philippine history.
“The Court, in the exercise of its power of judicial review, interprets those rules to ensure fairness and justice for all. When contracts are enforced and rights are secure, investment follows. Growth follows. Stability follows. The BSP pursues the same stability in prices and the financial system. And like the Court, we can only do so when we remain independent,” said BSP Governor Eli Remolona, Jr. in his statement at the ceremony.
As for the commemorative stamps, the first design features Chief Justice Arellano alongside the SC’s 125th Anniversary logo.
The second then highlighted the façade of the SC New Building, which was designed by Filipino architect Antonio Toledo and home to the En Banc Session Hall, the chambers of the Chief Justice and Associate Justices, and other key offices of the SC.
As for the third stamp, it depicts the historic SC Old Building along Taft Avenue, which served as the Court’s principal seat from the 1950s until 1991 and now houses the Office of the Court Administrator and the Judiciary Memorabilia Hall.
The fourth stamp features the SC Baguio Building, where the Court continues its long-standing tradition of holding summer sessions.
The stamps will be available for sale at the PHLPost’s Central Office in Manila and at the SC Gift Shop.
For his part, PHLPost CEO and Postmaster General Maximo Sta. Maria III told in his address, “[M]ost Filipinos may never appear before the Supreme Court. They may never read its decisions in full or walk through its halls. Yet by quietly and decisively upholding the rule of the law, the Court touches lives every day through the rights they enjoy, the freedoms they exercise, and the confidence that justice remains accessible to all.”
“That is why this anniversary is more than a celebration of an institution. It is a celebration of public trust built over generations and sustained through an unwavering commitment to justice,” he added.
During the ceremony, Chief Justice Gesmundo and Postmaster General Sta. Maria also signed the official First Day Cover issued by the PHLPost.