Philippine money’s history goes on display in Oriental Mindoro

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — A collection of old Philippine coins and banknotes that illustrate the country’s monetary history went on display here Monday (October 5) as the Oriental Mindoro Heritage Museum opened a special exhibition for Museums and Galleries Month.

The exhibit features Philippine currency from different periods, inviting visitors to look beyond the monetary value of coins and banknotes and examine how the designs, symbols and images used in them reflect chapters of the country’s history.

A 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony formally opened “Salapi: The History of Philippine Money,” featuring the collection of Pinoy Museum on Wheels (PMOW), which was curated and brought to Oriental Mindoro by its founder, Brian “Ibrahim” Asinas Mendoza.

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The museum described the collection as a journey through the changing face of Philippine money—from coins that passed through the hands of earlier generations to banknotes used by Filipinos today.

“Every piece of salapi (Philippine banknotes) carries more than value,” the museum said, noting that currency can also preserve memories, identity and stories of the passage of time.

Mendoza, an architecture graduate who was born and raised in Calapan, began a hobby of collecting when he was a high school student, initially gathering unique stones from Oriental Mindoro. He later collected used stamps and postcards before expanding his collection to Philippine coins, banknotes and other cultural memorabilia.

Now based in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, where he has lived and worked for more than two decades, Mendoza launched the Pinoy Museum on Wheels in 2018.

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The project was inspired partly by the Philippine Embassy’s “Embassy on Wheels,” which brought government services to Filipino communities in Saudi Arabia. Mendoza envisioned a similar traveling concept for a museum that could bring Philippine history and culture closer to communities.

What began as a one-day exhibit eventually became a mobile museum that has brought Philippine memorabilia to schools, hotels, malls and Filipino community events in Saudi Arabia. Mendoza also became the first Filipino to mount an exhibition at Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Palace, according to Mendoza. 

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Among his favorite pieces are rare guerrilla notes issued in different provinces during World War II. His collection also includes stamps, postcards and everyday objects that evoke memories of Filipino life.

Mendoza has said the value of the collection is not limited to the rarity or cost of an artifact. Ordinary objects such as an old steel flat iron, “Lucky Plate,” sungkaan, tirador, palayok and bunot can remind visitors of their childhood and the everyday lives of earlier generations.

The PMOW exhibitions are generally offered free of charge, with Mendoza shouldering expenses and receiving help from volunteers and donations of collectible items.

His cultural advocacy has earned him several recognitions, including the Outstanding OFW Men 2020 Special Service Award, Dakilang Filipino Award 2022 for Best OFW Advocate in Promoting History, Culture and Arts, and the Dangal ng Lahi Awards 2023 for Natatanging Tagapagtaguyod ng Kultura at Sining. He was also a finalist in the Visual Arts category of the 2023 Gawad Pamana sa Sining at Kultura.

The “Salapi” exhibition runs through Oct. 9, giving residents, students, families and visitors an opportunity to explore Philippine history through the coins and banknotes that have circulated through generations.

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The exhibit is part of the observance of Museums and Galleries Month, which highlights the role of museums in preserving and making cultural heritage accessible to the public.  The exhibition at the Oriental Mindoro Heritage Museum in this city will run until Oct. 9 and is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. /jpv