What is a Philippine centavo?
It does seem a bit odd that a coin from an Asian country would bear a denomination that is usually attributed to Spanish countries, but there is an explanation. The Philippines were held by Spain until the end of the 19th century, when the islands were ceded to the United States after the Spanish-American War. However, the monetary system remained unchanged. The islands were invaded by Japan during WWII. Originating from this time period we find occupation currency announcing the Japanese government, written in English, but bearing Spanish denominations. Although the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States in 1935, monetary reform did not occur until after 1965.
