Are you being "short-changed"?

People have pet peeves, and it's normal. Mine usually have something to do with principles of life and common decency. One pet peeve my hubby and I often encounter is public establishments that do not give us our due change -- as in, "sukli".

We recently ate in Pinoy Don at the Podium - which we usually do when in our fave mall - and got a major disappointment when the waiter did not give us our exact change. I don't remember how much it was but it still stung. You see, it's not really the amount but the principle. I have already asked a few waiters if they would mind us paying them short of the exact amount we ordered. I mean, if they don't feel a pang of guilt when giving us our "short-changed" change, then I guess they wouldn't mind us paying them 50 centavos or P1.00 less than our bill?

Some other establishments that didn't give us our due change are Mile-Hi Diner in John Hay Baguio City, Cabalen at Festival Mall, and even a cashier at SM Sta. Rosa. What is up with that? They got a telling-to from me, in a very civilized manner, of course.

Do we still need to wonder why our country just can't seem to rise above corruption and poverty? Corruption starts at the very bottom. These unlawful practices should stop and and be stopped by those of us who encounter them. Not saying anything at all makes us guilty of the same crime by allowing such corrupt practices to be propagated. We are not being polite by not confronting the matter -- we're just being accomplices to the injustice. Is this really what we want to teach the younger generation?

Please, countrymen, do us all a huge favor and teach good values by putting a stop to "short-changing".