The Philippine Eagle in the New P1,000 Bill Is Real and Very Much Alive

In April 2022, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas rolled out a new design for the P1,000 bill. We said goodbye to the familiar faces of World War II heroes Josefa Llanes Escoda, Vicente Lim, and Jose Abad Santos as they got replaced by a Philippine eagle, the country’s national bird. 

In case you didn’t know yet, it turns out the bird used in the photo actually exists in real life. It’s named Imbulog, meaning “to soar,” and is one of the four eagles housed in the Philippine Eagle Foundation in Davao City. Later on, this name was changed to Viggo. 

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Interestingly, the photo used in the bill was actually taken by a pilot-turned-wildlife photographer, Floyd Bermejo, who hopes that featuring the Philippine eagle in local currency will inspire conservation efforts for the endangered species. According to Bermejo, his passion for birdwatching led to the realization that many of the Philippine birds are actually endangered. 

“Some ornithologists are pessimistic about the future ng Philippine Eagle kasi very big ang kanilang forest requirement. Kung titingnan mo ang map ng Philippines, wala na tayong masyadong gubat na natitira. If we don’t protect our forests, mauuwi na talaga sa extinction ang Philippine Eagle,” says Bermejo.

Lohwana Halaq, an animal keeper at the Philippine Eagle Foundation, also posted photos of herself holding a P1,000 bill next to Sinag, the center's youngest Philippine eagle. In a post uploaded on Tiktok on July 28, 2023 that has since gone viral, she talked about how the Philippine eagle needs more recognition.

"From my experience working with these beautiful animals, I can truthfully say that it shocks me much our own Filipino citizens do not know this eagle exists or what it even looks like. Despite its high profile status in media, culture, and government,” wrote Halaq.

@lohwanahalaq ????The Money Shot ???? The head shot of the Philippine eagle species replaced the former 1000 peso bank note design of the three Filipino martyrs and civic rights actitivists of the resistance against the Japanese occupation of World War II. The Philippine eagle is the national bird of the Philippines ????????  and thus should recieve the recognition it deserves. From my experience working with these beautiful animals I can truthfully say that it shocks me much our own Filipino citizens do not know this eagle exists or what it even looks like. Despite its high profile status in media, culture and government. I've had many guest interactions in  which local Filipino visitors come up to ask me: "ma''am, nasaan ang Philippine agila?" , "ma,am where can I find the Philippine eagle?" ... I am literally holding the Philippine Eagle on my arm.... I look at them look at my eagle, Sinag, and look back at them and point out "You are staring at the Philippine Eagle"... I have conservations with Filipinos abroad in Canada and I explain to them that I work and live in the Philippines as an Animal Keeper and I help breed the critically endangered Philippine eagle species. Many of them comment: "I did not know we have this eagle in the Philippines".... my response usually is "did you even open your Filipino passport?" As the Philippine Eagle is also featured in the Filipino Governing passport. It is clear that awareness plays a crucial role in species conservation from local to international recognitions. Education is key. There is improvement, and progress may be is slow, but saving this species from extinction is worth it. #philippines???????????????????????? #philippineeaglecenter #philippineeagles???????????? #capcut ? original sound - lohwanahalaq

The animal keeper also mentioned that in her conversations with Filipinos abroad, especially in Canada, many have expressed that they did not know the Philippine eagle species exist. Her usual response to this is to ask, "Did you even open your Filipino passport?” noting that the bird is also featured in Filipino governing passports. 

Before launching the new banknote, former BSP governor Benjamin Diokno said that this change aims to highlight the flora and fauna of the country, as well as give a nod to the Filipinos’ strength and love for freedom. He added that they made the decision after studying the trends abroad, saying “Kasi pinagaaralan namin, sa ibang bansa ganon ang trend. 'Yung eagle symbolizes the whole country—isang ibon na endangered. Palagay ko makaka-unite sa’tin ito—young and old, male and female.”