P50 bills bearing Asean logo to be circulated to commemorate the bloc’s anniversary

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario will spearhead the launching of the issuance of special edition P50 bills bearing the logo of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) as part of the Philippine’s efforts to promote public awareness of the bloc.

“This is part of the Philippines’ contribution to ASEAN’s efforts to boost the spirit of community among peoples across the lands and seas of Southeast Asia,” Del Rosario said in a statement Wednesday.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) noted that the special edition currency project, spearheaded by the ASEAN-Philippines Secretariat and in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), would be conducted as part of the nationwide activities in celebration of the 45th founding anniversary of ASEAN. 10 million pieces of the commemorative P50 bill had been printed by BSP for public circulation.

ASEAN came under hot water after it was not able to issue a joint statement for the first time because of a conflict between China and some ASEAN-member states’ claims on the West Philippine Sea.

The ASEAN was established on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration. Its ten member states are the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Nationwide activities

The celebration would commence on August 10 at the DFA offices in Pasay City with the parade of the ASEAN flag and the flags of the bloc’s 10-member states, the DFA said in its statement.

Del Rosario would also be distributing souvenir copies of the 50-peso bills to the ASEAN ambassadors from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The said ambassadors would also join the parade of colors. Photo exhibits on “Water Festivities of Southeast Asia” and “ASEAN Heritage Parks” would also be featured during the celebration.

As part of the nationwide celebrations, ASEAN week would be designated in schools and universities in cooperation with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the ASEAN University Network, which would include the University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and De La Salle University (DLSU).

University of Santo Tomas, meanwhile, would hold a seminar entitled “Preservation of ASEAN Culture: The Role of the Youth in Fostering its Cultures and Traditions” on August 22.

The People’s Television Network (PTV) would showcase stories about ASEAN through its “ASEAN Muna Tayo” news program.

Music from the ASEAN Region and ASEAN in Action would be featured by the DZRP Radyo Pilipinas and the Philippine Broadcasting System (PBS) while DZRB Radyo ng Bayan would host an ASEAN Quiz segment and ASEAN infobits.

The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and PTV would hold a seminar-workshop on ASEAN Community Building: News Perspectives for Communication and Information Materials and would launch a text blast campaing.

In Cebu, an “ ASEAN Advertorial Video” would be aired over PTV 4 and the Sugbu Cable TV in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Cebu’s Provincial Capitol.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) would also present a film showing of “Rice” in October.