The Philippine fifty-peso note ( Filipino: ''Limampung piso'' (formal), ''singkuwenta pesos'' (

Vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

)) (₱50) is a denomination of Philippine currency.

Philippine president The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in- ...

and former

House Speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; zh, c=吳文釗, poj=Gô͘ Bûn-chiau; September 9, 1878 – October 19, 1961) was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, fourth president of the Ph ...

is currently featured on the front side of the bill, while the

Taal Lake Taal Lake (, ), formerly known as Bombón Lake, is a fresh water Volcanic crater lake, caldera lake in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The lake fills Taal Volcano, a large volc ...

and the

giant trevally The giant trevally (''Caranx ignobilis''), also known as the lowly trevally, barrier trevally, ronin jack, giant kingfish, or ''ulua'', is a species of large ocean, marine fish classified in the jack Family (biology), family, Carangidae. The gian ...

(known locally as ''maliputo'') are featured on the reverse side. The

polymer A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...

version, first introduced in December 2024 features the

Visayan leopard cat The Visayan leopard cat, known locally as maral, is a Sunda leopard cat (''Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus'') population in the Philippine Islands of Negros, Cebu and Panay. It has been listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in 2008 under ...

on its obverse side while its reverse side has similar design elements with the cotton-abacá version and it will be in circulation starting December 23, 2024, in limited quantities and in the Greater Manila area.

History

Pre-independence

Source: *1852: ''Banco Español Filipino De Isabel II'' (present-day ''

Bank of the Philippine Islands The Bank of the Philippine Islands ('';'' '','' commonly known as BPI; ) is a universal bank in the Philippines. It is the oldest bank in both the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is the fourth largest bank in terms of assets, the second lar ...

'') issued notes, features María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias. File:PHL - 50 pesos fuertes anverso.jpg, Obverse File:PHL - 50 pesos fuertes reverso.jpg, Reverse *1908: ''Banco Español Filipino'' (Printed by US BEP) *1912 and 1928: ''Bank of the Philippine Islands'' (Printed by US BEP) *1905 and 1916: ''Philippine Islands Silver Certificates'' issued with a portrait of

Henry Ware Lawton Henry Ware Lawton (March 17, 1843 – December 19, 1899) was a U.S. Army officer who served with distinction in the Civil War, the Apache Wars, and the Spanish–American War. He received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the American Civil ...

. (Printed by US BEP) *1920: ''

Philippine National Bank The Philippine National Bank (PNB, ; ; Hokkien in the Philippines, Hokkien ) is a major Filipino bank based in Pasay in the Philippines. It was established by the Philippine government on July 22, 1916, during the Insular Government, America ...

Circulating Note''. (Printed by US BEP). This note was never officially issued by the Philippine National Bank. 10,000 pieces were captured and issued during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

by the Japanese. The others were looted by

Moros In Greek mythology, Moros /ˈmɔːrɒs/ or Morus /ˈmɔːrəs/ (Ancient Greek: Μόρος means 'doom, fate') is the personified spirit of impending doom, who drives mortals to their deadly fate. It was also said that Moros gave people the abi ...

in the Province of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

who sold them at tenth of their face value. *1918 and 1929: ''Philippine Islands Treasury Certificates'' issued with a portrait of

. *1936 and 1944: ''

Philippine Commonwealth The Commonwealth of the Philippines (; ) was an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States that existed from 1935 to 1946. It was established following the Tydings–McDuffie Act to replace the Insular Government of the Phi ...

issued Treasury Certificates''. (Printed by US BEP). With a portrait of

. The 1944 (Series No. 66) banknotes had a blue seal and were later overprinted with the word "VICTORY" after the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese rule in 1944. *1949: 50 Peso Bill issues treasury certificates overprinted with the word "VICTORY, CENTRAL BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES".

Version history

Independence

Osmeña first appeared on the fifty peso note upon the release of the ''Pilipino series'' notes in 1967.

English series (1951–1974)

The obverse features the portrait of

Antonio Luna Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (; October 29, 1866 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipinos, Filipino army general and a pharmacist who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination on June 5, 1899, at the age ...

, a general in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. The reverse features a painting of his brother,

Juan Luna Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio (, ; October 25, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activism, activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recog ...

, depicting the

blood compact Blood compact ( Spanish: ''Pacto de sangre''; Tagalog: ''Sanduguan'') was an ancient ritual in the Philippines intended to seal a friendship or treaty, or to validate an agreement. The contracting parties would cut their hands and pour their blo ...

between Spanish explorer

Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as ''Adelantado, El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who financed and led an expedition to conquer the Philippines, Philippine islan ...

and

Datu Sikatuna Datu Sikatuna (or ''Catunao'') was a Datu or chieftain of Bo-ol in the island of Bohol in the Philippines. He made a blood compact ('' sanduguan'') and alliance with the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi on March 25, 1565 at Hinawanan Ba ...

, the chieftain of

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...

Pilipino series (1969–1974)

In 1967, Sergio Osmeña replaced the portrait of Luna. The note is now predominantly red in color. On the reverse, it now features the Old Legislative Building. The design of the obverse was later revised, switching the positions of the "50" on the lower right corner with the Central Bank logo on the upper right, the signature of the Central Bank Governor was placed beside the signature of the

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...

, the font for ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' was also changed and the text ''Limampung Piso'' was made into one line. This design was later used when the Bagong Lipunan series was released in 1973.

Ang Bagong Lipunan series (1973–1996)

In 1973, the "Ang Bagong Lipunan" text was added and was overprinted on the watermark area.

New Design series The New Design Series (NDS) (also known as the BSP Series after the establishment of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) was the name used to refer to the banknotes of the Philippine peso conceptualized from 1983 to 1985, issued from 1985 to 201 ...
(1987–2018)

In 1987, the bill was completely redesigned and new elements regarding Osmeña's achievement as the first Speaker of the Philippine Assembly, a precursor of the current

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

were shown on the right side, namely, the mace and the

gavel A gavel is a small ceremonial mallet/hammer commonly made of hardwood, typically fashioned with a handle. It can be used to call for attention or to punctuate rulings and proclamations and is a symbol of the authority and right to act officially ...

, the symbols used by the

Philippine Congress The Congress of the Philippines () is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is bicameral, composed of an upper body, the Senate, and a lower body, the House of Representatives, although colloquially, the term "Congre ...

. Also on the right side is the Fuente Osmeña located in

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...

, Osmeña's birthplace. The reverse side featured the Old Legislative Building, the home to various legislative bodies of the Philippine government. The banknote was designed by Rafael Asuncion. After the creation of the

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on January 3, 1949, and then re-established on July 3, 1993 pursuant to the provision of Re ...

in 1993, its new logo was incorporated on all the New Design series bills. In 1998, the year of printing was added at the bottom of the denomination value located at the upper left corner of the obverse. In 1999, the names of the signatories on the bills were added starting with banknotes featuring the signature of President

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...

. Starting with banknotes featuring the signature of President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

in 2001, the name of the Old Legislative Building (''Dating Gusali ng Batasan'', with the name was located at the lower-left side) on the reverse side was changed to the "National Museum" (''Gusali ng Pambansang Museo'') and the name was moved at the top of the building, to reflect the turnover made by the Congress of the Philippines to the National Museum. The name of the building's facade was changed from "Executive House" to "National Museum". Also, the serial number was moved at the top of the denomination that was located on the lower left side of the banknote.

New Generation series (2010–present)

In 2010, the portrait of Sergio Osmeña was revised, a picture of the first Philippine Assembly and Osmeña and General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

's landing in

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

was added on the lower left corner and bottom center of the note respectively. The reverse now features the

and the

. In 2017, an updated version of the ''New Generation'' series 50 piso banknote was issued with changes in the font size of the year of issue and the italicization of the scientific name on the reverse side. The text "October 1944" was added after the word " Leyte Landing" on the obverse. In 2020, an enhanced version of the 50 peso banknote was released. It added one pair of tactile marks for the visually impaired, on both the extreme left and right side of the front of the note. The new BSP logo, which was redesigned in January 2021 was adopted in all NGC banknotes starting with the 2022 issued banknotes featuring the signatures of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and BSP Governor Felipe Medalla.

Version history

First Philippine Polymer series (2024–present)

Commemorative issues

Throughout its existence, the fifty peso bill have been overprinted to commemorate certain events, namely: *100th Birth Anniversary of Sergio Osmeña commemorative bill - In 1978, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas introduced 50-peso banknotes with an overprint for the birth centenary of former President

. The words, "IKA-100 TAONG KAARAWAN 1878-1978" ("''100th Birth Anniversary 1878-1978''") are placed near the portrait. *''50 years of Central Banking'' commemorative bill - In 1997, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas introduced the 50-peso banknotes with an overprint commemorating 50 years of central banking. The overprint shows the Old BSP Building in

Intramuros Intramuros () is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...

and the New BSP Complex in

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ( ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. It appears on the watermark area in red. The second version, released on the central bank's 50th anniversary in 1999, has a year mark and with the signature of President Joseph Estrada. *''60 years of Central Banking'' commemorative bill - On July 9, 2009, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas introduced 12 million banknotes (2 million banknotes for each denomination) with an overprint commemorating 60 years of central banking. The overprint appears on the watermark area on all six circulating denominations. *''45th ASEAN celebration'' commemorative note - A total of 10 million pieces bearing the

ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...

logo were released into general circulation to commemorate the 45th ASEAN Day celebration held on August 10. Souvenir copies containing an uncut sheet of four notes were presented to the nine members of ASEAN during the celebrations. *''San Pedro Calungsod canonization'' commemorative note - On February 4, 2013, the BSP announced the release of a special limited edition note featuring the new Filipino saint, Saint Pedro Calungsod, this note was scheduled to be released on April 2, 2013, the month that the Philippines will celebrate the first feast of Calungsod as a saint. The overprint features a portrait of Pedro Calungsod, the dates 1672–2012, the words " St. Pedro Calungsod Canonization" and the quote "LIFE THAT IS OFFERED FAITH THAT IS PROCLAIMED". *''Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation 50th Anniversary'' commemorative note - Issued on June 20, 2013, to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the state deposit insurer Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC). The blue overprint consists of their logo and its customer philosophy "Committed to serve". *''Trinity University of Asia 50th Anniversary'' commemorative note - Issued to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of

Trinity University of Asia Trinity University of Asia (formerly Trinity College of Quezon City), also known as TUA or simply Trinity, is a Private university, private, Protestant (Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Anglican / Episcopalian) affiliated research university ...

. The commemorative note consists of the seal and the words "TUA @ 50: ACHIEVING OUR GOLDEN DREAMS".Philippines new 50-peso TUA commemorative note confirmed
BanknoteNews.com. September 7, 2013. Retrieved on September 7, 2013.

Printing years

Notes

{{Philippine peso history Banknotes of the Philippines Fifty-base-unit banknotes

History

Pre-independence

Version history

Independence

English series (1951–1974)

Pilipino series (1969–1974)

Ang Bagong Lipunan series (1973–1996)

New Design series The New Design Series (NDS) (also known as the BSP Series after the establishment of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) was the name used to refer to the banknotes of the Philippine peso conceptualized from 1983 to 1985, issued from 1985 to 201 ... (1987–2018)

New Generation series (2010–present)

Version history

First Philippine Polymer series (2024–present)

Commemorative issues

Printing years

Notes

New Design series The New Design Series (NDS) (also known as the BSP Series after the establishment of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) was the name used to refer to the banknotes of the Philippine peso conceptualized from 1983 to 1985, issued from 1985 to 201 ...
(1987–2018)