Limited P50 Saint Pedro bills on Apr. 4

THE P50 commemorative bills bearing the image of Saint Pedro Calungsod is more than just a collector’s item.

Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Cebu Archdiocese, said the  limited-edition bills serve as a reminder to Filipinos to emulate the life of Calungsod.

“He (Calungsod) was a young man who offered his life for others. Why can’t we make it happened in our country? Perhaps, we don’t have to shed our blood but our sweat to do our responsibilities,” he said.

The P50 bills will be issued by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on or before Calungsod’s feast on Apr. 2.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the P50 Calungsod bills will help promote the Visayan martyr.

Henrietta de Villa, secretary general of the National Commission on the Canonization of Calungsod, said she has no idea yet on how many bills will be printed.

Binghay said Calungsod’s life has inspired a lot of Filipinos, especially young people.

“His virtues are easy to teach but difficult to practice. It needs consistency and perseverance,” he said.

Binghay said the government joined the Catholic Church in propagating the life of Calungsod, the second Filipino saint.

Calungsod was a teenage native from the Visayas, who went to the Marianas Island for a mission.

He along with Spanish priest, Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores, were killed by pagan  natives in Guam in 1672. Calungsod was canonized last Oct. 21. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol