BIZ BUZZ: Cash that speaks for nature

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is marking World Wildlife Day with an important reminder: Your cash can double as a conservation pitch.

The central bank’s First Philippine Polymer Banknote Series puts endangered species front and center, turning everyday transactions into a rolling exhibit of the country’s biodiversity.

Think of it as pocket-sized advocacy.

The P1,000 polymer bill features the Philippine eagle alongside the sampaguita. The P500 spotlights the Visayan spotted deer and the orchid Acanthephippium mantinianum. The P100 carries the Palawan peacock-pheasant and Ceratocentron fesselii. And the P50 showcases the Visayan leopard cat and Vidal’s lanutan.

Behind two of those images is wildlife photographer Floyd Bermejo, who captured both the leopard cat “Kyle” on the P50 and the Philippine eagle on the P1,000 note. His mantra: People don’t protect what they don’t know.

Bermejo donated his photos for the polymer series in hopes that Kyle’s cameo will spark curiosity—and, ideally, action. The goal, he says, is simple: Make Filipinos see what’s at stake so future generations encounter these animals in the wild, not just in framed photos or folded bills.