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Quite appropriately, I think it was around the time of Independence Day when I was asked what I thought genuine freedom meant. I usually pause before answering serious questions like this one but here I immediately blurted out: financial independence. True freedom is financial freedom.

Cash, as in physical notes and coins, has apparently been dethroned. According to the 2024 Status of Digital Payments in the Philippines report released by the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the share of online payments in monthly retail transactions has risen to 57.4 percent in terms of volume and 59 percent in value terms in 2024. The Manila Bulletin also quoted BSP officials as saying that the rise of digital cash “reflects the long-term impact of market developments, policy initiatives, and the growing trust and familiarity of Filipinos with digital payment options.”

When I was a young kid helping out my mother sell shrimps and fish in Divisoria, we would head out of the house around midnight so we can catch the auction and secure our “paninda” for the day. It was so early that my Nanay Curing would tell me to get some sleep. And so after we have set up our stall, I would lie down in a small bench and take a nap for about 15 to 20 minutes. When I woke up, I would be energized and ready to help out in selling our “paninda.”