500-peso note may tribute Filipino heroes in Korean War
MANILA, Philippines—When the 500-peso bank note was first issued in 1987, my late father, Johnny Villasanta, noted with pride that here at last was a tribute to the Filipino soldier who fought in the Korean War (1950-53), and who helped rebuild and protect Korea between 1954 and 1955.
The reverse side of the original bank note was replete with Korean War imagery: Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. in war correspondent garb, his portable typewriter inscribed with his initials.
Also reproduced was one of the many stories he wrote for The Manila Times while covering the 10th Battalion Combat Team (BCT), the first of five BCTs comprising the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (Peftok).
But as my father—who was also a war correspondent in the Korean War for the Evening News—noted with disappointment, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas had selected a story written by Ninoy that glorified the American instead of the Filipino fighting man.
The Ninoy story was headlined, “1st Cav knifes through 38th Parallel.”
The 1st Cav is the United States 1st Cavalry Division, one of seven US Army divisions that fought in the Korean War.
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