I know of some people who 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. They just stick it into their pockets, empty their pocket 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 in many parts of my economically-challenged country, loose change means life.

In one of my trips to the countryside, I boarded a ferry which docked at a port in Bicol region. It was a pleasant trip because the sea was quiet and I fell asleep an hour before the ferry docked. I was awoken by heavy splashes in the water so I peeked out of the window and saw children swimming. Some of them have started climbing up the sides of the ferry.

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 then, they would swim to the bottom looking for the coins. The more adventurous ones would climb up the ferry and dive to the bottom to get the tossed coins. I wondered how long does it take for them to stay in the waters 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 loose change. I wish they’d see how these children risk life and limbs for a couple of coins. They may 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.