Tale of 'suspicious' P10 coins stirs locals as cops await test results
Samples of the ten-peso coins believed
to be counterfiet stick to a magnet.
A. Chris Fernandez photo
From pirated and fake CDs, DVDs, fake apparel, fake medicines, fake doctors, fake nose, fake bills, authorities here now have to include in its operation the alleged spread of counterfeit coins in the city and province of Iloilo.
This, as samples of at least P29,500 worth of P10 coins were sent to the central office of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) following doubts on its authenticity. Thousands more are feared to have made its way throughout Iloilo as cops in Jaro Police Office kept custody of the "suspicious" coins.
The matter was first brought to the attention of the authorities in Jaro District by Elena Capio, a concerned employee of the Iloilo Coliseum. Capio apparently got alarmed after seeing on national television a police raid that recovered thousands of fake coins. Radio reports said two male workers of a cockfighting aficionado based in Mandaluyong City used the several bagfuls of P10 coins as bet for last week's derby.
The P10 coins packed in 59 plastic bags were paid by brothers Henry and Rene Hermogenes. The duo are working for Chito Patanindagat who joined the cockfight at the Iloilo Coliseum last October 17.
Capio sought police assistance to determine whether the coins she have are genuine or part of the counterfeit coins reported to have been reproduced by a gang in Metro Manila.
PO3 Rey Delos Santos in an interview over Bombo Radyo confirmed that samples were sent for the authenticity check in BSP Manila. It will take at least two weeks for verification to be completed.
Meantime, talks of the counterfeit coins stirred locals as vendors in the city's sidewalks and jeepney drivers expressed concern on coins in their possession. Local radio stations were bombarded with questions on how to detect and distinguish the real coins from the bogus ones.
PO3 Delos Santos said one of the ways to check is by using a magnet. While BSP has yet to issue the official guideline, it was said that original or genuine coins cannot be 'magnetized'. And counterfeit ones are pale gold in color too. Yet as PO3 Delos Santos admits, it is hard to determine the counterfeit one from the real ones by mere comparison of the two coins.
Off hand, Delos Santos said they will file cases against the three if the coins are proven to be counterfeit.
Earlier, BSP also warned the public about the spread of counterfeit P500 bills in the different parts of the country.