LITERARY | What Is Scarier Than Tomorrow in the Philippines?

The sky is dark, and the roads have never known warmth. 

Crowds rise against the men in blue, green, orange and red 

The smell of smoke reeks of garbage,

And the screams of damned souls wait to be fed. 

What’s scarier than tomorrow in the Philippines?

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The horror of being admitted to a public hospital—

Afraid not of ghosts but of the piling bills?

Or the struggle of fitting yourself in a public transpo,

Almost swapping faces with a stranger?

Who’s who—and who to blame still?  

When we stand, the blue-armed men are always ready to aim,

Yet the green, orange, and red ones remain.

Have the crocodiles from our zoos been set loose?

Why are they collecting seats in the Senate and offices?

Aren’t the zookeepers responsible for caging them too?  

What is scarier than tomorrow in the Philippines?

Knowing that even your wittiest joke...

Might one day be taxed?

While all our taxes are kept by names unknown,

Their wallets and bellies grow fuller than our own.  

The scariest shows and movies could never compare

To the horrors we encounter today.

Greedy and dishonest, they play unfair—

Stealing chances meant for future promises...

Will these horrors end? No one can tell.