The mindset of the Filipinos has always been to hoard US dollars. People have always bought dollars whenever they have spare change. Who can blame them? As far as the older generation can remember, the peso has always lost value against the dollar. The aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis also reinforced Filipinos’ preference for US dollars. Because of the sharp devaluation of peso during the crisis, many sought the refuge of the US dollar as a reliable store of value.

In recent year...
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