Netizens find new Philippine coins confusing

On a jeepney ride, Bill Kevin Del Rosario handed over a 10-peso coin to the driver, who gave him his change. It was only after he got off at his destination that he realized that the driver got confused, giving him two five-peso coins instead of two one-peso coins.

In a Facebook comment, Del Rosario narrated how the driver got puzzled over the design of the coins.

“Nagbayad ako ng 10pesos sa jeepney and sinuklian ako ng dalawang 1peso coins. later on, narealized kong dalawang 5pesos pala yung ibinigay sakin nung driver.. Unfortunately, nakababa na ako ng sasakyan…Nakakaawa yung mga taong nabubuhay sa pabarya-barya,” Del Rosario said.

Like Del Rosario, other netizens are not impressed with the New Generation Currency (NGC) Coin Series released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), saying that the coins are hard to distinguish by touch and may also confuse those with poor eyesight.

A video teaser posted by the BSP showed the new coins, one side showing a national hero and another side showing a plant endemic to the Philippines. The one-peso coin has Jose Rizal and waling-waling, the five-peso coin has Andres Bonifacio and tayabak, and the 10-peso coin has Apolinario Mabini and kapa-kapa.

The smaller-denomination coins each show the sun surrounded by three stars, as depicted in the Philippine flag, on one side and native plants on the other. The one-centavo coin has mangkono, the five-centavo coin has kapal-kapal baging, and the 25-centavo coin has katmon.

Netizens said the new coins could not easily be distinguished and were not “friendly” for senior citizens and people who have bad eyesight.

One netizen even described the coin series as “horrible,” saying that the human-centered design and functionality were not considered in the design process.

In this tweet, a netizen branded the coin designs as “indistinguishable and non-inclusive” as it would not be appropriate for legally-blind and people with poor eyesight.

The designs are indistinguishable, esp considering ppl who are legally blind and have really poor eyesight. Very non-inclusive, ang hassle nito. Ano, natutuwa ba kayo sa sarili niyo?

— Una (@crunchyswan) 26 March 2018

“Maganda pero hindi praktikal. Hindi inclusive. Hindi accessible. Paano ang mga kaopatid natin na may kapansanan? Paano ang mga driver ng jeep, sari-sari-store at magtataho?,” another twitter user wrote.

Another netizen even called for the restoration of the colors of the old coin designs.

ANO GINAWA NYO? Ang hirap na nga mamuhay dito sa Pilipinas tapos papahirapan nyo pa lalo. Ang hirap idistinguish nyan ohh. You guys are not helping. Yung kulay please paki balik.

— KYOO (@markobopps) 26 March 2018

On the other hand, the BSP said the new design and details of the coins will provide better form and better security. /atm