Obverse. Photo © Stack's Bowers Galleries
  • 25 Piso 1982, KM# 235, Philippines , Marcos and Reagan
  • 25 Piso 1982, KM# 235, Philippines , Marcos and Reagan
Description

On the morning of September 16, 1982, on the South Lawn of the White House, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan welcomed Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos to the United States capital. Ferdinand Marcos, along with his wife Imelda, had presided over the Philippines since 1965. Though democratically elected in 1965 and 1969, Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and changed the constitution in 1973, which allowed him to continue in power until the People Power mobilizations of 1986. This particular state welcomes to the Philippine leader operated as a show of support to the beleaguered President of the Philippines. Filipino opposition media outlets and political leaders increasingly opposed the Marcoses in public. Rumours of Marcos’s ill-health had triggered succession controversies, and the regime had been repeatedly challenged in the international sphere for corruption and human rights abuses. As the national anthems for the United States and the Philippines played in the background, Ferdinand Marcos – attired in a Philippine barong – made small talk with the U.S. President on stage, suggesting an air of camaraderie between the two state leaders. Indeed, Marcos and Reagan were friendly on a personal level. However, this friendly banter also functioned to publicly reinforce the closeness of the two nations. The State Department had placed a high priority on establishing a strong personal rapport with the Philippine leader during this visit. A public display of intimacy between Reagan and Marcos would appease an important ally and help uphold foreign policy aims of stability in the region.

Obverse

Coat of arms of the Philippines, country name above, value below.

The Coat of Arms of the Philippines features the eight-rayed sun of the Philippines with each ray representing the eight provinces (Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Manila, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac) which were placed under martial law by Governor-General Ramón Blanco during the Philippine Revolution, and the three five-pointed stars representing the three primary geographic regions of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

On the field on the dexter side is the American bald eagle of the United States, and on the field on the sinister side is the lion rampant of the coat of arms of Castile and León, both representing the country's colonial past.

During the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa (One Nation, One Spirit) became the national motto of the Philippines. It was immediately incorporated into the national seal, replacing the words Republic of the Philippines, which were originally inscribed in a scroll beneath the arms.

REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS
ISANG BANSA ISANG DIWA
★ 25 PISO ★

Reverse

Depicts conjoined heads of Marcos and Reagan right, date below.

Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (1917–1989) was a Filipino politician and kleptocrat who served as the 10th President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. Espousing an ideology of "constitutional authoritarianism" under the New Society Movement, he ruled as a dictator under martial law from 1972 until 1981, and kept most of his martial law powers until he was deposed in 1986. One of the most controversial leaders of the 20th century, Marcos' rule was infamous for its corruption, extravagance, and brutality.

Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911–2004) was an American politician who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 and became a highly influential voice of modern conservatism. Prior to his presidency, he was a Hollywood actor and union leader before serving as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975.

MARCOS-REAGAN
1982

Edge

25 Piso

Marcos and Reagan

KM# 235 Schön# 76
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.500
Weight 25 g
Diameter 37 mm
Thickness 1.75 mm
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mint
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)

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