Nat’l Museum-Bohol launches ‘Sensilyo’ exhibit of wartime notes

By Elvira C. Bongosia

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) — In celebration of National History Month and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Month, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) Bohol launched ‘Sensilyo,’ an exhibit and public lecture tracing Philippine history through coins.

At the launch, visitors viewed a curated display of rare and historically significant coins, including gold piloncitos, barter rings, and Bohol’s wartime emergency notes.

These artifacts reveal the economic, cultural, and political history of the Philippines.

The exhibit is a collaboration between NMP Bohol, the SIGALA Arts and Cultural Heritage Research and Development Foundation Inc., and the Center for Culture and the Arts Development of the Provincial Government of Bohol, through the Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage Council.

The event was made possible by a partnership with Janssen T. Bantugan, chairperson of the SIGALA Foundation and owner of the former Von’s Money Museum in Loboc.

Established in 2016, the private museum housed a large numismatic collection dating back to the 1500s but closed after Typhoon Odette in 2021.

The new exhibit offers Boholanos and visitors—especially those unable to visit the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in Manila—a chance to engage with the country’s numismatic heritage.

“This is more than an exhibit; it’s a bridge to our shared legacy,” said NMP-Bohol Head Rachelle C. Lacea.

On August 5, Michael Amores, chair of the Philippine Cultural Heritage Research and Development Foundation and noted numismatist, gave a free public lecture.

“While textbooks, paintings, and replicas relay our past, coins are direct, tactile links to our ancestors. Each tells a story—of trade, governance, resistance, and everyday life,” Amores said.

His lecture covered seven key topics in Philippine numismatics, including early monetary systems like piloncitos, the evolution of the peso, colonial coinage, wartime emergency issues, regional currencies, and the symbols’ role in shaping identity and governance.

The Sensilyo exhibit runs through Aug. 31, 2025, at NMP-Bohol. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)

The launching of Sensilyo Exhibit was led by (L-R) Board Member Lawrence Xavier C. Ancla, NMP-Bohol Head Rachelle C. Lacea, Philippine Heritage Research and Development President and Numismatist Michael Amores, SIGALA Foundation Chairperson Janssen T. Bantugan and NMP Visayas Director II Atty. Ma. Cecilia U. Tirol at NMP-Bohol on Aug. 4, 2025. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)