A new twist in swindle game

Early this week, a relative called me about a new twist in the swindling game. This time, the come-on is the Reader's Digest insurance scheme. The caller called her up and informed her about an extraordinarily beautiful offer for insurance by the magazine of P3,500 per day for hospitalization.

And later, it grew sweeter. Not just that. There were other benefits, including a P1 million benefit payment in case of death.

Suddenly, the caller managed to get from her credit card number, where she promised to deduct only P35 a day. Not much. And she, without thinking about it, gave the caller her credit card number.

It was only later that she called me up about that "good news" and aired her fears that she might have been had. Well, she had.

That's the thing that one should always guard against. Swindlers pass themselves off as innocent peddlers of bonanzas, including, sometimes, winnings in raffles or other offerings. The catch always ends up with a person being asked his credit card number. Or ATM card. Plus, sometimes, savings deposit number. The result invariably ends the same way. One discovers that all of one's savings had been lost to a swindler.

So, beware of variations of the sheme.

***

I have been disturbed on seeing the importation here of an American cultural tradition - trick or treat.

This involves children dressing up like witches and other wizards. And they are innocuous. They just ask a person to give them treats on November 1 or 2.

Actually, that is a prevalent custom in the U.S. But I just read a very disturbing (or thought-provoking) pastoral letter by Msgr. Vicente Hilata, PA vicar general of the Capiz Archdiocese.

While it dwelt principally on the archdiocesan objection to the holding of the "Aswang Festival", Msgr. Hilata also took a swipe at the clever trick of the devil in disarming the general faithful about witches and witchcraft.

In short, participants and bystanders "are sometimes fascinated and amused by the spectacles of evil characters unmindful of their negative implications," he said.

"Many are convinced that these sights are just for fun. But are these not cover-ups of evils with appealing wrappers? Will these not contribute to the mentality that witchcraft is no longer scary or dangerous? Do they not present the message that, after all, witchcraft is harmless, not anti-God and not anti-Christian? The manner of presentation greatly helps the increasing appeal and flavor of witchcraft to many people today," Msgr. Hilata said.

In short, the vicar general of the Capiz Archdiocese also came up with the rejoinder that All Saints' Day and All Souls' Days are solemnities that have nothing to with witches and witchcraft.

"They instead speak about our desire to meet, neither somebody nor something evil, but rather God Who is all good," he said.

In short the entry into our country of that American cultural practice, to a certain extent, represent an insiduous imaging maneuver by the Evil one to disabuse the minds of our young against witchcraft and other practices that ultimately end up as evil. That's why one the Pope lately admitted that the most successful lie by the Evil was to promote the idea that the belief in him is not true, but just a myth, that actually Satan does not exist.

It is good that Msgr. Hilata is one clergyman who had pointed out the danger of what may seem to be an innocent prank and cultural practice that may actually contain the seeds of doubt and unbelief.

***

One of the healthiest practices of Filipino Catholics is the tradition of visiting the graves of our loved ones during All Saints' and All Souls' Day.

Actually, before the war, that started on All Souls' Day. Later, it started off on All Saints' Day. Now, it is observed principally on All Saints' Day.

Somehow, I am inclined to believe that this is because every Filipino faithful believes that his loved ones may actually have become saints. Thus, the celebratory mode of our observance. The only problem is that our celebration often end up as banal and materialistic. Instead of praying for the dead, we end up getting drunk and tend to transform the cemeteries into fiesta sites. With all the decorations and the karaokes plus, at times, sending some of the celebrators to join their loved ones in the beyond.

My family and I often visit the graves of our loved ones before All Souls' Day or a day after, November 2. And we prefer to spend the time praying for our deceased family members.*

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