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(Photo from Wikimedia ^[2])

Jeepney drivers and sidewalk vendors must be armed with magnets nowadays. Everyone else should follow suit, too – considering that our coins are now being counterfeited ^[3].

Apparently, thieves have found a brilliant way to afford stealing: they’re making false coins (in P5 and P10 denominations) using air compressors and stamping machines. But one can easily tell the difference from the original, provided one has a magnet, and presuming that every Filipino, rich or poor, actually cares. The fake coins have altered metallic properties that make them attracted to magnets. I haven’t read what properties exactly, but it isn’t rocket science to conclude that today’s desperate times are calling for desperate (albeit criminal) measures.

So if you suspect that the contents of your piggy bank are only half-legit, you can have fun spreading them across your bedroom floor and testing their authenticity. Just don’t be surprised if to your magnet, one of the Emilio Aguinaldos sticks.