amando m tetangco, jr : layon – money as vision of a nation speech by mr amando m tetangco, jr, governor of the central bank of the philippines ( bangko sentral ng pilipinas ), at the opening of the layon exhibit at the bsp money museum, manila, 3 july 2007. * * * monetary board members, officers and directors of the philippine numismatic and antiquarian society, mr. and mrs. angel cacnio, mrs. fely asuncion and other members of the asuncion family, fellow central bankers, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. the 14th anniversary of bsp finds us celebrating on several fronts – we have new facilities, an exciting exhibit at our main building lobby, and the grant of support for various social projects. another cause for celebration is the “ coming home, ” so to speak, of the designs for philippine currency that were proposed in the 1940s to the 1950s. these never reached philippine shores, had never been in private hands, and were seen by the public only for the first time when these were included in the catalogue of the american auction house h. r. harmer. interestingly enough, it was dr. benito legarda, the central bank official who started the money museum, who called our attention to the auction. i therefore ask all of you to join me in acknowledging dr. legarda by giving him a round of applause. while dr. legarda cannot join us today, we are assured he is celebrating this moment with us as well. dr. legarda retired from the central bank more than two decades ago, but the central bank remains close to his heart. as they say, once a central banker, always a central banker. the monetary board was quick to realize the significance of these pieces in the history of the bsp and indeed, of our country, and readily approved our participation in the auction. i therefore ask all of you to join me in thanking the members of the monetary board here with us today by giving them a round of applause. canadian numismatist douglas andrews describes the pieces as “ stunning in their use of proposed color schemes, vignettes, and different designs, many of which look contemporary even by present standards. ” he considers the bound volume containing an assortment of 3, 500 different trial and proof notes from the late nineteen - forties and early fifties as the largest single offering of color proof notes

new york or london, i would take out a few days to visit some of their baalwadis ( daycares ) in urban areas, and if travel plans permitted, also the delivery centers for accelerated reading programs in villages. these visits made my interactions with stakeholders more credible, engaging and vivid. but they were also personally rewarding. there are a few sights, if any, more uplifting than of a child figuring out the alphabet for the first time, reading the first book, flipping pages over and over again in boundless excitement and frenzy, or counting and adding up his or her collection of stones, subitizing them soon after – as in figuring out the exact count without counting, by merely glancing at the collection of treasures! it might be the innocent spark on the child ’ s face, or that “ aha! ” or eureka moment as the child discovers how to read, how to count, how to learn – whatever it is, it works like magic in bowling over the beholder. one returned from these visits with a shot in the arm to do more ; one felt like nurturing the umbilical cord to india further ; one realised that joyful learning is an essential groundwork for the journeys, the flights and the ascent that these children will undertake in due course. image three : i am usually en route in car to the office at rbi or bombay gymkhana during early mornings. i need to be on s v road before turning for the milan subway or now the flyover, which connects to the western express highway. just before the turn, before one reaches the hanuman temple and santacruz bus depot, on the left sidewalk, there is – always – a mother toiling away no matter what time of the day. it is clear she is homeless ; she has at least two children, both roughly of the same age. depending on the time of the morning, she has her work cut out. some days she is waking up the kids with some sternness on her face ; on others she is bathing them with water from an ingeniously figured out water - supply ; at times she is getting them dressed in school uniforms ; and then she is often running with the kids, who have their backpacks on, towards the neighborhood school. from a distance, she seems to be driven with a single - minded focus of ensuring that her kids get their chance to fly and soar. her role as a mother certainly seems a mighty one,