The removal of the three heroes sparked a backlash in social media, with veterans' groups, history associations and descendants of the three heroes urging the BSP to retain their portraits in the redesigned banknote.
RECENTLY, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) revealed its "redesign" of the P1,000 banknote, as part of preparations for changing the material on the banknote from paper to polymer.
The most radical change was the replacement of the three World War II heroes depicted in the bill - Vicente Lim, Jose Abad Santos and Josefa Llanes-Escoda - with a picture of the Philippine eagle.
The removal of the three heroes sparked a backlash in social media, with veterans' groups, history associations and descendants of the three heroes urging the BSP to retain their portraits in the redesigned banknote.
One of those who reacted to the decision is Vicente Lim IV, great-grandson of Vicente Lim, who took to social media to express his dismay.
"I understand that the BSP has explained that the reason for the choice of doing it on the ₱1,000 bill first, was largely cost-related. I guess it’s just ironic that those that paid the highest cost (their lives, no less) for their love of country were the first to go," Lim said in his Facebook page.
But what surprised many Lagunenses is the fact that Vicente Lim is actually a native of the province.
Born in Calamba City, Laguna in 1888, Lim - like national hero Jose Rizal - came from an illustrious mestizo family.
In 1891, the Lims were among the many families in Calamba City (which included Rizal's family) who were evicted by the Dominican friars who owned large haciendas in Calamba.
Military career
Lim first gained prominence by being the first Filipino graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1914.
Prior to the establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth, Lim was assigned to join the Philippine Scouts, a unit consisting of mostly Filipino-Americans.
Lim spent much of his Army career training and establishing the Philippine Scouts in order to develop them into a formidable fighting force.
As he rose through the ranks, he attended further military education classes across the United States and focused his studies on a hypothetical war with Japan.
Lim was appointed brigadier General in the Philippine Army in 1935, later becoming Deputy Chief of Staff in the Armed Forces. In this position, he campaigned fiercely for better equipment and training for his soldiers, while seeking to foster unique Philippine military traditions.
World War II martyr
When World War II broke out in the Philippines in 1942, Lim was among those who fought bravely in Bataan before being captured by the Japanese in April 1942.
After being incarcerated in Camp O'Donnell, Lim - along with some other Filipino POWs - were released on condition that they will not join resistance movements against the Japanese.
However, he continued to coordinate guerilla operations, feigning sickness and having himself confined to the Philippine General Hospital to avoid being conscripted to work for the Japanese military forces.
In 1944, he attempted to escape the Philippines and join forces with General Douglas MacArthur in Australia.
However, the boat he was riding was captured off the coast of Batangas. After a brief trial, Lim was listed as "missing" at the Bilibid Prisons; it was not until 50 years later that it was confirmed that Lim and 50 other Filipino prisoners were executed by the Japanese at the Chinese cemetery in Manila.
Aside from being on the P1,000 banknote, Lim was honored by the renaming of the former Camp Paciano Rizal in Barangay Canlubang, Calamba City to Camp General Vicente Lim in 1951. Today, Camp Vicente Lim serves as the headquarters of the Philippine National Police’s Police Regional Office 4.
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