ONCE upon a time, Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant.”
So, I always ask the bank for change in denominations of P100, P50, and P20.
There are store cashiers who ask for change from the customer. Hmmm. Where did the “cash” in the word “cashier” go? Especially if the store owner owns a bank.
Philippine coins morphed from their former colorful selves to their current version—the shining, shimmering, silver splendor. Good thing the P20 coin has been spared from this attempt at minimalism. Amidst the darkness in a wallet, the rest of the coins can be recognized only through their sizes—the bigger the coin, the higher the denomination.
If a cashier asks for, say, P1, it may take me a day or two to search for it in my coin purse. Talk of pressure.
The Philippine banknotes have also been undergoing changes, with the new P500, P100, and P50 bills now looking as crisp and polymeric as the P1,000 bill.
But the more polymeric the Philippine banknote is, the lesser its value. P1,000 can easily disappear after a few hours at the mall. And you’ve not even bought anything. The P1,000 could go pfft after lunch, a movie, coffee, and a baked goodie.
Since it’s January, people are now trying to start their New Year’s resolutions which will always bring about some changes—from fat to thin, from sedentary to gym rat, from struggling to stable. But from poor to wealthy in a year may require some illegal deals though still possible since it’s an election year in Pinas.
Political candidates who will choose to keep their solicited campaign funds instead of giving them to potential voters, can easily have money that’s best kept in their house’s vault instead of deposited in the bank. AMLA, anyone? That’s the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.
The vault should be the size of a room, much like what banks have. Think Scrooge McDuck swimming in his sea of cold hard cash.
Meanwhile, people who don’t have to worry about AMLA are now trying to find funds for their business permit renewal. A business owner may be afraid to ask city hall if a yearly increase is standard operating procedure because he then has to show them his billing, and they’ll now be aware of his existence. Better unknown than known.
If he will find the nerve to ask city hall about the increase, I gotta feeling their answer will be, “Change is the only constant.” But a lower fee is also change, right? I mean, real change, as in coins.
Imagine a business permit renewal fee of P20. Wow! It’s a miracle!
Yes, miracles do happen. Who would have thought way back in February 1986 at the height of People Power that the Marcoses would make a major comeback? And that’s as president of Pinas. A huge slap on the faces of those who kicked out the Marcoses in 1986.
Meanwhile, the Pinoy is asking that question popularized by an ice cream ad: “Saan aabot ang P20 mo?”
P20 should have been the price of a kilo of rice by now if promises are not made to be broken.
