“The war has been incited and guess what? You're all invited.

”
A lyric from a song called, “I’d love it if we made it”, by the 1975.

This lyric spoke very much in this controversy about the P50 million Cauldron—in a context that
not one realizes right away. Ever since the issue of this “overpriced” cauldron, numerous
opinions had been surfacing the internet. Violent reactions from people spread saying that it is
unnecessary to spend such large amount of our country’s fund only for a cauldron that will be
used for 11 days. The war has started in a sense that people became more rational in criticizing
the the government in spending our funds. We have arrived the point in our lives where we do
not fear voicing out what we believe is wrong and providing possible solutions.

The war has been incited, and although no drums were struck, a silent echo reaches many
households. A silent fire eats through a teacher's palm, as if the promise of the better salary
they are gripping tight was burning to a joke of smoke. A silent chain becomes heavier
everytime a farmer places down the rice, with the thought of the cauldron's price. A silent cloud
is blocking the view of the sunset's red, from a kid's outdated hospital bed.
“The war has been incited and guess what? You're all invited.” Teachers, nurses, engineers,
lawyers, call center agents, sales clerks, service crews, students, tax payers, citizens of the
Philippines. We are all invited to this war of price tags and citizens’ learning how to say “huwag”.
This issue with the overpricing of the allocated budget for the cauldron had become an eye
opener for each Filipino on how we are occasionally fooled by the government with the price
tags that they label each project. We are told that it was deemed necessary and we are
delivered multiple excuses when in fact, it is as clear as glass that there is indeed corruption
involved.
The budget for the cauldron is just the start of the lapses in the last 30th SEA Games. The
P359-million budget for all the marketing and advertisment materials and for a poorly designed
logo with 11 rings overlapping together to form the Philippines. Failure to comply with the
necessities of delegate athletes together with our own athletes. Rushing of several venues.
Nonfulfillment of the expected outcome of the SEA Games given the 2-year preparation.

As the fire gradually burns out, the smoke slowly spreads everywhere. The smoke whispers to
every ear, this is not yet the end but the mere beginning the war we all will engage in. Our finish
line is not in the cauldron—our starting line is there.