Earlier this month, a frustrated Facebook user shared her disappointment over SM Supermalls—the largest mall in the country—alleged refusal to accept her slightly folded PHP 1,000 polymer banknote as payment.
“’Wag na po kayo mag-ipon ng bagong 1k! Bawal daw i-fold o tupiin as per SM’s Management,” the user captioned along with the photo of the rejected folded PHP 1,000 polymer banknote.
“I-pang babayad ko sana ‘to, hindi nila tinanggap. Bawal daw tupiin. Hindi kami na-inform,” the user added.
The now-deleted post went viral and was shared by multiple social media users over the weekend.
The SM Supermall has addressed the issue, releasing a press statement clarifying that folded banknotes, including the new PHP 1,000 polymer bills, are still accepted in their establishments.
The mall wrote on its official Facebook page, “In response to the information circulating on social media regarding the new P1000 bill, we would like to assure the public that folded bank notes are still accepted in our SM Retail Stores.”
“Only those that are mutilated – stapled and ripped caused by removal of staple wire – will be deemed unfit and not accepted. Our policy has considered the guidelines set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,” they added.
They also encouraged the public to not engage with any misleading social media posts any longer.
As a response, the poster of the viral post shared on her Facebook account her agreement with SM’s statement. She wrote in her post, “Yes, tama naman po ginagawa ngayon ng SM Management. Kailangan ng assurance ng mga consumer nila na tatanggapin nila yung folded 1k new bill.”
Although she expressed that she did not regret writing her viral post, “Sa side ko naman, words have been said. Hindi po nila ako masisisi kung mag post ako ng ganoon. Bad experience ko sa kanila ‘yun! At wala naman pagsisi on my part, at least maraming na educate on proper handling ng new polymer bill,” she added.
Recently, the new PHP 1,000 polymer bill received several criticisms from Filipinos for its reportedly fragile structure.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) released guidelines on how to properly handle the new banknotes. This includes keeping the P1,000 bill flat and not folding it in half.
The new BSP Governor, Felipe Medalla, even encouraged the public to use longer wallets instead to prevent the sensitive bills from folding and creasing. This caused a backlash from Filipinos, as they felt inconvenienced by the demanding handling guidelines of the new PHP 1,000 polymer banknote.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/smsupermalls/, https://www.bsp.gov.ph/SitePages/CoinsAndNotes/PolymerBanknote.aspx#handling
