Loose Change

Some people tend to take coins for granted or put lesser importance on their loose change. It seems that loose change have no use for them anymore. Barya lang kasi. They just stick them into their pockets, bring them out of their pockets when they get home, put the loose change somewhere in the house, and forget where they have put them. Most often, loose change just end up under the sofa cushions, on top of dressers, and in the consoles of cars. But for many people in my economically-challenged province, loose change means life.

Last December, on my way to Northern Samar, I had a pleasant very-early-morning trip while on board a ferry from Matnog, Sorsogon to Allen. The sea was calm and quiet. The air was cold. I easily fell asleep.

More than an hour later, I was awoken by the loud sound of the ferry’s horn. I also heard heavy splashes in the water so I peeked out of the window and saw children swimming and diving. I have noticed that they were really good swimmers. I think we could find swimming champs from among them.

But this is not all for fun. These children swim and dive for a living. Some of them have stopped going to school and instead spend most of their time waiting for ferries to dock. Once a ferry docks, they would ask the passengers to throw coins into the water from the deck. Then they would dive in, hoping to get enough coins to help bring food to their family’s table.

The more adventurous ones would show some daredevil antics, climbing into the ferry and leaping into the water to get the tossed coins.

Seeing these children, I wondered how long they had to stay in the cold water to earn an amount that’s enough to buy a decent meal for the day. Then I thought of those people who take for granted the value of their loose change. I wish they’d see how these children risk life and limbs for a couple of coins. This may be an eye-opener to them. I’m sure they’ll never look at their loose change the same way again.

My heart sanked as I watched these sunburnt children bobbed their head up and down the water. I turned my eyes away from the seashore, towards where the sun was beginning to rise over a ridge of mountains. Somehow, the calming orange beams of the sun created a distraction and soothed my heart.