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Aug 11, 2009
Old Fart panned for lavish meal
Rep Walden Bello of the left-wing Akbayan party said he would file a complaint against Ms Arroyo for accepting a dinner treat, which he called 'unethical and not legal under our anti-graft laws.' -- PHOTO: REUTERS
MANILA - PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's aides struggled to explain a reported US$20,000 (S$28,900) dinner bill racked up by her and her entourage in New York while the Philippines was mourning the passing of former leader Corazon Aquino.
A report by the New York Post's online edition Friday said Ms Arroyo was at Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan with a large group 'enjoying the good life.' Arroyo reportedly ordered several bottles of expensive wine, pushing the dinner tab up to US$20,000.
Arroyo spokesman Cerge Remonde on Monday called the report 'exaggerated' and rejected calls to apologise.
Opposition Senator Francis Escudero said, 'it leaves a bad taste in the mouth for them to spend so lavishly while so many are poor in the Philippines.' About a third of the Philippine population of 90 million lives on less than US$2 a day.
Mr Remonde said the president's entourage of about 30 had a 'simple late night dinner' from a set menu that included soup, salad, a choice of fish or meat, and a choice of drinks.
The restaurant's website lists two possible set menus for dinner - a 'Chef's Seasonal Menu' at $58 and a 'Chef's Tasting Menu' at $120 per person, with $60 wine pairings.
Mr Remonde said Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez - one of the richest members of Congress and nephew of former first lady Imelda Marcos - paid for the Aug 2 dinner. He said it would have been 'impolite' for Ms Arroyo or her husband 'to inquire from their host where they will be fed or what they will be fed.'
However, Mr Romualdez's office said it was the lawmaker's brother Daniel who footed the bill, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on Tuesday. He was described as one of the most successful Filipino architects in New York.
Rep Walden Bello of the left-wing Akbayan party said he would file a complaint against Ms Arroyo before the government's Ombudsman for accepting a dinner treat, which he called 'unethical and not legal under our anti-graft laws.'
At the time of the dinner, the Philippines was mourning the passing of former President Aquino, the democracy icon whose Aug 5 funeral drew the largest crowds since she led the 1986 'people power' revolt that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Ms Arroyo was criticised for not returning to the Philippines quickly. She finally visited Mrs Aquino's wake but only for several minutes. The two had a falling out over Mrs Aquino's calls for Ms Arroyo to resign on allegations of vote-rigging and corruption. -- AP
Aug 11, 2009
Old Fart panned for lavish meal
Rep Walden Bello of the left-wing Akbayan party said he would file a complaint against Ms Arroyo for accepting a dinner treat, which he called 'unethical and not legal under our anti-graft laws.' -- PHOTO: REUTERS
MANILA - PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's aides struggled to explain a reported US$20,000 (S$28,900) dinner bill racked up by her and her entourage in New York while the Philippines was mourning the passing of former leader Corazon Aquino.
A report by the New York Post's online edition Friday said Ms Arroyo was at Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan with a large group 'enjoying the good life.' Arroyo reportedly ordered several bottles of expensive wine, pushing the dinner tab up to US$20,000.
Arroyo spokesman Cerge Remonde on Monday called the report 'exaggerated' and rejected calls to apologise.
Opposition Senator Francis Escudero said, 'it leaves a bad taste in the mouth for them to spend so lavishly while so many are poor in the Philippines.' About a third of the Philippine population of 90 million lives on less than US$2 a day.
Mr Remonde said the president's entourage of about 30 had a 'simple late night dinner' from a set menu that included soup, salad, a choice of fish or meat, and a choice of drinks.
The restaurant's website lists two possible set menus for dinner - a 'Chef's Seasonal Menu' at $58 and a 'Chef's Tasting Menu' at $120 per person, with $60 wine pairings.
Mr Remonde said Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez - one of the richest members of Congress and nephew of former first lady Imelda Marcos - paid for the Aug 2 dinner. He said it would have been 'impolite' for Ms Arroyo or her husband 'to inquire from their host where they will be fed or what they will be fed.'
However, Mr Romualdez's office said it was the lawmaker's brother Daniel who footed the bill, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on Tuesday. He was described as one of the most successful Filipino architects in New York.
Rep Walden Bello of the left-wing Akbayan party said he would file a complaint against Ms Arroyo before the government's Ombudsman for accepting a dinner treat, which he called 'unethical and not legal under our anti-graft laws.'
At the time of the dinner, the Philippines was mourning the passing of former President Aquino, the democracy icon whose Aug 5 funeral drew the largest crowds since she led the 1986 'people power' revolt that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Ms Arroyo was criticised for not returning to the Philippines quickly. She finally visited Mrs Aquino's wake but only for several minutes. The two had a falling out over Mrs Aquino's calls for Ms Arroyo to resign on allegations of vote-rigging and corruption. -- AP
