A President’s Favor (Grace Applied)

Felix Jardio, 60, a Filipino farmer had been saving his money for years to buy a carabao. He finally saved P1,300 and went out looking for the work animal, which he soon found. But alas, he did not know that the government had ordered all Philippine paper bills exchanged for the “Bagong Lipunan” issue, and his savings stashed up in the old currency issue were useless.

And so in 1975, he sent a letter—with the help of some schoolboys—to the President. After all, he was only a poor, ignorant rice farmer. The answer came back. It said: “The law must be followed. Because the deadline for exchanging bills has already passed, the government can no longer change your bills with the new ones. Even the President of the Philippines is not exempt from this rule.”

The letter did not end there. It added: “However, because I believe that you really worked hard to save this money. I am changing them with the new ones from my own personal funds. I hope that you will be able to buy your carabao.” The letter was signed: “Your friend, Ferdinand E. Marcos, President of the Philippines.”