Despite the hard times economically not only for the Philippines but for the rest of the world, there are still people who splurge without a care…worse, who splurge without a conscience, because it is not actualy their money that they are spending.
I will not name the person or the group who did that. But let us just say that a very prominent figure in Philippine government was reported by the New York Post to have spent about $20,000 or almost P1 million in a single dinner! Well, of course, she was not alone, but was with a very big entourage. They had dinner in the swanky Le Cirque Restaurant in New York, living like they are among the Forbes’ billionaires of the world. And this happened while the entire country was still mourning the loss of their beloved ex-president Corazon Aquino. I wonder what the occasion is that it called for a celebration that is about the cost of several classrooms (or houses for that matter, courtesy of Gawad Kalinga). Was the celebration because her staunch critic is already dead and was about to be buried at that time?
While the rest of the people are encouraged to save and make wise use of their hard-earned peso, leaders are not setting good examples to their citizens.
P.S.
In another light, the smell of Korean appetizer kimchee seems to be wafting through my window. Now, I am salivating.