The kids' stores at the mall during the Halloween season were not exactly my favorite places to see. The scary masks seemed to grip my glances, making me loathe the season even more. At some point I have found it nonsense. I do not seem to get the logic of scaring yourself with costumes, decorations, stories and the like. These only escalated heart rates and blood pressures.
My view of things turned around this year as I joined a Halloween party at one of Cebu's upscale villages. It was a costume party. I didn't come to one yet but I enjoyed looking at the horrific get-ups of others. Adults were having fun scaring the kids who rang their doorbell in pursuit of sweets in the traditional trick or treat.
As an observer, the party was new to me but I enjoyed every bit of it. I realized that what we deem scary is only a trick of the mind and a play of art.
Even the international entertainment scene has turned the shuddery into a friendly image. Vampires are no longer pale men with fangs living in a coffin when the daylight comes. In fact, they are known to sparkle under the sunbeams. Witches too, no longer have long noses and a bushy room. They are portrayed as masters of spells and potions known to aid the good force.
Shows and movies like these exercise the creativity of the mind and thus do not have an intention to stir fear.
What we must be afraid of at this time is the whereabouts of our hard-earned money. There are people inside government institutions who sport dignified looks but are thieves in the making. They are those who pretend to craft laws of the land and care for the development of the country but at the back of it all they are usurping the country's treasury.
Laborers work hard for eight hours or more to take home a meager amount but they only get to bring less than 70 percent of their daily earnings, the rest goes to the country's treasury. Millions of laborers give a part of their salary to the government, yielding a large amount of money.
Logically speaking, the money is supposed to be appropriated to the different agencies and Local Government Units for their respective expenditures. It is supposed to be seen visibly in infrastructure, advancement of the education system and the people's state of living. Yet with a quick look around our country, there does not seem to be improvement.
We saw how this alleged stealing has affected some of the infrastructure in Central Visayas. When the earthquake shook, many of the "millions-worth" structures scored grave damage. It is quite a question why such would happen when they are just new and built at a very expensive price.
There are other things that we do not know about our hard-earned money which we could also call "tax". Word has it that there are other unexplained programs created by high officials to program funds into their personal pockets.
Imagine what would have happened if the billions spent by these officials were put into good use. There would have been more classrooms in the public schools and state-of-the-art health facilities in every city and municipality. Every Filipino would have been proud of their identity because the government looked after their welfare, as it is supposed to be.
If you ask me, I don't believe that we are poor - it's only that the national treasury has not been properly managed and appropriated. When this vicious cycle continues without a fight, then we must fear for the welfare of our nation.
Instead of screaming in horror, shout for words that will change this system.