More Arroyo dinners exposed; Palace mum
MANILA - A Malacañang spokesman on Monday remained tight-lipped on other restaurants visited by President Arroyo and her entourage in the United States following reports that the group spent $35,000 (P1.69 million) for two meals in two differents restaurants in New York and Washington.
Deputy Palace Spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo did not confirm reports that President Arroyo and her entourage also visited Bouley restaurant and Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in New York. She said, however, that the dinners may have been one of several that Mrs. Arroyo went to while in the US from July 30 to August 4.
Fajardo said she did not know who paid for the dinners but said that if it was an official occasion, then the Office of the President paid the bill. "If the lunch or dinner was private, then private funds should have been used," she said.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante and Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas earlier confirmed that the group had dined in Bouley restaurant on August 2. Mindoro Occidental Rep. Amelita Villarosa, meanwhile, said the entourage also dined at Wolfgang's Steakhouse on Park Avenue, Manhattan.
The two dinners are separate from Mrs. Arroyo's two "lavish" dinners in Bobby Van's Steakhouse on July 30 and Le Cirque restaurant on August 2.
The Le Cirque dinner reportedly cost about $20,000 and the dinner in Washington, $15,000. Palace spokesmen said Congressmen Danilo Suarez (Quezon) and Martin Romualdez (Leyte) paid for the dinners.
At least two lawmakers have petitioned the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the dinners for possible graft violations.
Fajardo, meanwhile, urged the media to put the issue to rest after an alleged Filipino Reporter story quoted the Le Cirque maitre'd as saying that the President's dinner was not lavish.
Philippine Consul General to New York Cecilia Rebong also denied reports that the consulate's funds were used to pay for Mrs. Arroyo's expenses while she was in New York.
"I categorically state that these reports are not true. The funds allocated by the Department of Foreign Affairs to the Consulate General in New York are never used to pay for expenses related to official/working visits of the President. The Consulate funds were not used to pay for hotel accommodation, transportation, meals, or any expenses related to the recent New York visit of the President," Rebong said in a statement.
She added that nobody from the Consulate in New York contacted any media agency in Manila about this matter. "Therefore, all these allegations supposedly coming from a Consulate staff are false," she said.
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Kayo naman panay atake kay GMA re expensive dinners, Presidente sya ano, di ba dapat lang na kumain sa mamahaling restaurant even do 60 to 70 percent of her people can not even eat chicken or pork adobo at least once a month sa hirap ng buhay. Pabayaan na lamang ninyo sya sampu ng kanyang mga galamay. Ang Pinoy likas na makadiyos di ba, idalangin na lang natin sya.
Wala ng katapusan sa.........
katakawan sa pera, palibhasa ay hindi sa kanila kung hindi sa taong bayan na lalong naghihirap dahil sa karumal-dumal at labis-labis na korapsiyon na nagaganap pamula ng maupo sa puwesto etong si Gloria. Wala talagang delikadesa etong si Gloria, pati na ang mga membro ng kabineti at mga Tongresmen na kasama sa pagkain sa mamahaling restawran. Ang katakawan ng mga taong eto ay isa sa orihinal na 7 kasalanan sa mata ng tao at Diyos. Gloria, ikaw at ang mga katulad mong mapagsamantala sa kapuwa mong kababayan ay malapit ng umalis sa puwesto at pagdating ng panahon na iyon ay siguradong may maniningil sa inyo sa mga pangaabuso na ginawa nyo sa inyong mga mahihirap na kababayan at sa inyong pagyurak sa dangal ng bansang Pilipinas. Kung maligtas man kayo sa batas ng tao ay sigurado kong sa batas ng Diyos ay di kayo malilibre dahil pagpunta nyo doon sampu ng iyong mga korap na opisyales ay sa impiyerno ang magiging hatol sa inyo ng Panginoong Diyos.
Basta_lavish_sobra!
Basta_lavish_sobra!Kailangan busisiin o imbestigahan yan para malaman ng taong bayan...maging tapat kayo sa inyong pag-iimbestiga!
dinner and COA
please be informed that any government office has a budget at pag ginastos yan ayon sa patakaran ng opisina, puppet ka man o hindi wala nilabag na batas.IBIG SABIHIN PAG LAHAT GINAWA AYON SA BATAS WALA KANG KASALANAN O PANANAGUTAN KAYA ANG COA AY TAHIMIK. ibang usapan yong ginagawa ng opisyal ng pamahalaan ayon na sa batas at ayon pa sa konsensiya, bakit pwede ito kasi meron pagpapasya na gingawa ang tawag dito ay DISCRETION.kasama yan sa kapangyarihan ng opisina ( authority and power of the office whic is executed or exercised by holder of the office, sana maliwanag na ito Mr.Lee
eto na naman po kami...
First of all, I agree with your comment, Mr. Spencer. Thanks for the glaring facts and witty viewpoints. Sa pagkakaalam ko, pag isang delegasyon kayong kumain sa isang US restaurant ay kailanganang may reserbaasyon muna. Ang ko ang reserbasyon ay para sa 70 katao. Magdatingan man lahat o hindi, babayaran mo pa rin ng buo and in the case of Le Cirque dinner it was $20,000. Although it was reported na sinagot ni Romualdez yong bayad, marami pa ring duda. Whatever is the truth, kung hahatiin mo ito sa lahat nangangahulugang $284.71 lang ang kinain ni PGMA, di ba? Eh bakit naman natin pananagutin si PGMA sa buong halaga? Bakit naman pinagkadiindiinan pa rin ng ABS CBN yong buong halaga? Yong pangalawang dinner, sinagot mismo ni Suarez pero marami pa ding di naniniwala. Eh sa multi-millionaire si Suarez, anong magagawa nyo? Kung kaya nyang gumastos ng sariling pera para sa proyekto nya, yon lang pagkain ang hindi kaya eh, kasama naman syang kumain??? Sinabi ni Casino, na biglang nagbago ang tema; may kapalit raw yon. Para daw i-release yong pondo sa mga proyekto ni Suarez. Kung kayo ang malapit sa first couple, maglalagay pa kaya kayo ng pampadulas? Ang in this case, $285.71 para i-release ang pondo para sayo? Aba’y sinong lokoloko ang maniniwala dito?
Pumunta tayo sa isyong “corruption.” Under our Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. there must be a GIFT OR IN KIND AND FOR PERSONAL GAIN. Ang alam ko, a gift is something tangible. Hindi po pagkain na mawawala pagkatapos mong lamunin. At tsaka, di lang si PGMA ang kumain kaya di ko malaman kung saan natin hahanapin ang PERSONAL GAIN.” Secondly, contrary to common belief, our Criminal Law on BRIBERY says that a crime of CORRUPTION OF PUBLIC OFFICIAL is committed by the GIVER of the bribe and BRIBERY by the TAKER. These two acts must co-exist to constitute the said crimes. Saan natin hahanapin ngayon yong corruption on the part of the president, aber??? Yong ating magiting na senador na si Teodoro Casino wants us to believe that these crimes have been committed. Hindi pa nangyayari yong kapalit eh, may corruption na? Maliwanag kung gaano kamalisyoso ang pagiisip ng oposisyon at ng iba nating peryodista. Meron na naming nalalalathalang balita tungkol sa iba pang pagkain. Wala pang ebidensya ipinamamalita na. Ano ba talaga ang motibo ng ABS CBN? Kailan kaya kayo hihinto ng paglalason sa mga pagiisip ng taumbayan???
Tama na ang walang kwentang balitang ito - sa ngalan ng pagkain!
Dahil sa sinabi na ng Le Cirque na 'far from the truth' ang inilathala ng Ney York Post, hanap na naman kayo ng ipang pdeng maisulat related to dinner issue...what a shame! Mga immature journalists talaga. Tama na kaya kayo sa isyung ito - SA NGALAN NG PAGKAIN!
hahay! bobong abscbn
ah basta! half truth pa rin lagi ung ipinpalabas ng abscbn. may tono pa ung pagdidiliver nila ng news. bat di nyu kaya gayahin ung CNN. wala talagang pinapanigan, basa lang ng basa. sayang lang ung sweldo ng mga reporter na yan. d naman maganda ung ipinapalabas. ng brain wash pa!
wala ba kayu malaking balita? ung bang issue na pwede natin patulan. para kayung bata pinagaawayan ung pagkain.
sana may good news naman kayung ipalabas minsan. kahit minsan lang
response to marxc spencer
"there is nothing wrong, at any rate the COA is not barking at all. meaning everything is fine"
Are you nuts? No one is barking because these government agencies are run by puppets controlled by Arroyo? It is so obvious that this government is doing, yet a few turn a blind to these corrupt and unjust undertakings!
what kind of dinner is that?
So sad to see our country ran by leeches! No wonder the Philippines has become a laughing stock of the world and rated as one of the most corrupt country in the world. 15K and 20K US dollars for dinners? As if anyone in their right mind would spend that amount of money for a dinner? It just shows how much of the "Philippine people's" money they have pocketed for themselves instead of going to their constituents. How CORRUPT are these politicians? No wonder the Philippines wallow in poverty! These politicians are blood suckers, sucking the life out of the Philippine economy and its people. I'm sure there are some politicians there that are honest, hard working with their integrity intact, I just hope and pray that one day, they will bring all these corrupt officials to justice! I plead to those honest politicians, be brave and take courage in the fact that we have not lost faith in our county, I know one day, the Philippines will one day become once again 'The Jewel of the Pacific'
RE:president's dinner
Galing mo.....ikaw ha baka kasama ka sa dinner?