BATAC CITY – Got spare change? Exchange them for bills in newly opened counters across the province.

A project by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and local bankers on Saturday opened coin exchange counters at four commercial establishments in the province, a first in the country.

The project dubbed "Barya Ko, Barya Mo, Barya Natin Ito" led by BSP’s Batac Branch and the Bankers Association of Laoag City and Ilocos Norte (BALCIN) aims to end Filipinos’ habit of leaving coins at home instead of circulating or using them for everyday transactions.

It also hopes to curb inefficient coin circulation and an eventual shortage of change in the country, said Dr. Buenafe Alinio, head of BSP-Batac.

The BSP and the bankers association also hope the project would prevent people from discrediting the value of coins, leaving them at home as they see them as an inconvenience.

Coin exchange counters will be placed in different malls and business establishments in the province namely Robinsons Place-Ilocos, JTC Mall-Batac City, and SM Hypermarket and Puregold in Laoag City.

The seven denominations of Philippine currency coins such as one-, five-, 10-, and 25-centavo coins, and the P1, P5, and P10 coins can be exchanged with banknotes.

The proponents hope the public will patronize these coin exchange counters.

"We hope that a good result will come out from this project. One of the objectives is to change the perception or attitude of people na nakakahiyang gamitin ang barya at hindi acceptable,” Alinio said.

The counters opened on Saturday and will operate until December 23 this year.