Bank Sentral Pilipinas

We visited the Central Bank of the Philippines (BSP) for our institutional visit. More specifically, it was the Money Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Manila that we visited. These museums are both situated within the bank grounds. Both the museums are fascinating, one with collections of different types of money and the other of beautiful and interesting paintings, olden jewelery and other artefacts. The Money Museum told the history of Philippines in an interesting way of the changes in their currency.

This is money used in the olden times called knife money


Other forms came in bronze canons or belts or even, little crocodile figures.


The Money Museum also exhibits many extremely old paintings, such as this one of Queen Isabella of Spain.


And this one which I do not know the name. This painting is intriguing! I found her posture and the expression on her face captivating. The sense of fear was well-captured in fine brushes, I mean, look at her fingers as well!


These were initial drawings of designs to be used on note money. Ideas came from pictures of things that symbolise the country.


A group photo of SG D and we covered the three peculiar statues of women symbolising different stages of womenhood; maiden, wife and mother. The one in the middle was most shocking to me for she had several pairs of breasts (see below).




We walked around the compound of BSP where it was once a fort.


Before we went to another building for lunch, we took another group photo. It was one of the few that had the complete group.