New P1 coin commemorates Jose Rizal

Ten million pieces of the new one-peso coin will be issued this month to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of the Philippines national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Friday.   The BSP said its Monetary Board and the Office of the President approved the issuance of the commemorative coin as legal tender.

The coin is of the same size and weight as the one-peso coin now in circulation —24 millimeters in diameter at 5.35 grams.   On the face of the grayish, nickel-plated coin is the portrait of Rizal, with the words “150 years,” “Republika ng Pilipinas,” and the years “1861-2011” etched on it. The reverse side carries the new BSP seal, “1-piso,” and “2011.” — ELR/VS, GMA News