GMA's $20,000 Dinner At NY's Le Cirque

[shadow]

who was the host? Cong. Martin Romualdez...US$20k is nothing compared to more than P1.7B released to him for his Pork barrel

TADA!!!!!

Pro-Con-ass lawmaker gets P1.7-B pork

By Joey A. Gabieta, Leila Salaverria


MANILA, Philippines—It pays to be close to Malacañang and a proponent of Charter change through a constituent assembly (Con-ass).

The office of Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (1st district) reported that he had put up various projects and programs worth more than P1.7 billion since he assumed office in 2007.

Romualdez was able to get the funds for his projects because of his “closeness” to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and due to his lobbying for the funding, said Anjuli Larla Tan-Eneran, the lawmaker’s chief of staff.

The amount obtained by Romualdez’s office was said to be the biggest among the region’s 12 members of the House of Representatives, Tan-Eneran said.

However, she denied that Romualdez received the funding because he supported the proposed Charter change (Cha-cha).

‘Unfair’

“That is unfair. He’s been lobbying for the release of funds from various government agencies even before that issue (Charter change) came out,” Tan-Eneran said.

Romualdez had to ask various government agencies for additional funding as his congressional fund [pork barrel] of P70 million a year would not be enough, she said.

Tan-Eneran said the funds released by Romualdez’s congressional office were spent for projects, including the construction of barangay (village) roads, declogging of canals, improvement and rehabilitation of roads, and livelihood and scholarship programs.

Leyte’s first congressional district is composed of Tacloban City and the towns of Palo, Tanauan, Babatngon, San Miguel, Alangalang, Tolosa and Santa Fe.

Close to President

Tan-Eneran acknowledged that Romualdez’s being close to the President also helped speed up the release of these funds.

“The congressman is relatively close to the President. That is why the President often invites him to join her travels abroad. There is always an invitation from Malacañang and even from the House (leadership) for him to join the presidential entourage,” she said.

Romualdez is the regional chair of the President’s political party, the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) in Eastern Visayas.

[shadow]

ilan talaga yung kumain dyan?

^picture ng dining hall ng restaurant, I counted 8 chairs each table, ito sabi ng spokeperson ng Malacanang "the Malacañang group occupied only two tables "

so 16 persons for 2 tables US$20,000/16=US$1,250*...really a very simple dinner...

oh sige sabihin na natin pinoy, sanay sa siksik, napagkasya nila ng 20 persons sa dalawang table or sige gawin na natin 25 persons sa dalawang tables...

$20,000/25=US$800/* pa rin...

Palace: Just simple dinner
Remonde says report was grossly exaggerated
By Christian V. Esguerra, Christine Avendaño, Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:22:00 08/10/2009

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang is furious at reports that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her party spent close to P1 million for a dinner at a classy New York restaurant, which triggered denunciations of “brazen” spending at a time when many Filipinos have nothing to eat.
“Not a single centavo of taxpayers’ money was spent for that dinner,” an angry Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Sunday, referring to the dinner at Le Cirque restaurant on Aug. 2 during Ms Arroyo’s visit to the United States.
To quell speculation about Ms Arroyo’s supposedly wasteful spending, Remonde said he would ask the deputy executive secretary for finance to release this week a financial statement on all expenses incurred during the visit.
“The report was grossly exaggerated, really exaggerated,” Remonde said in his weekly media forum on state-run Radyo ng Bayan. “That’s what you call agitation propaganda to anger the people.”
Contrary to the report, Remonde insisted that the dinner was a “simple” one and was hosted by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer on Saturday contacted Romualdez by phone for comment. He said he would call back but did not. He did not respond to calls and text messages on Sunday.
“What we had in New York was a simple, late night dinner because it was already late at night when we arrived there from Washington DC and, of course, we were all hungry,” Remonde said.
He said the Malacañang group occupied only two tables and ordered a “set” meal consisting of soup, salad, a main course, drinks and coffee or tea.
“There was no truth to the report that many different types of champagne and fancy food items were ordered,” he said.

[KERSMcRae]

Sinasagad na ni Gloria Makapal-Arroyo ang lahat ng "karangyaan".
Sure hit na naman ang issue na ito para rumesbak ang Opposition matapos silang upakan ni bulilit sa kanyang SONA.

OT: This week ay nasa Ilocoslovakia yata si pandak. Sana pakainin din siya ni Cong. Bongbong ng fresh & juicy "[SIZE=4]papaitan[/SIZE]". ipasipsip din sa kanya yung bituka (dessert).

[cuecraftsman]

ka-awa awa na naman po tayo... fvr, joseph pidal, at macapal-arroyo

[tidus1203]

No wonder everyone wants to be President. Masakit mag spend ng $20,000 on a dinner pero kung Presidente ka walang sakit!

[pitbullz]

pera naman daw ni cong romualdez yan

[explorer]

Simple dinner palang yan and it cost $20,000!!!. Paano pa kaya kung naging magarbo yung dinner? Ang yaman ni Cong. Romualdez ah at kayang-kaya gumastos $20,000 in one simple dinner. He could have fed 18,000 people in Leyte if he spent that money to his constituents.

[shadow]

pera naman daw ni cong romualdez yan

yeah! yeah! lokohin nila mga sarili nila, as if meron naniniwala? for argument sake, sabihin natin pera nga ni Romualdez, since '07 more than P1.7B ang na release ng malacanang sa kanya for his pork barrel...siya ang pinakamalaking pork barrel na nakuha....hhhmmmm saan kaya galing yun pinagbayad ni Romuladez?

[LHV]

hindi na nakakagulat kung si erap nga 500,000 na chip tinataya lang sa isang round ng poker

[KERSMcRae]

sana nilakihan yung 'kubyertos'. yung kahoy na dini-display sa mga dining area.
plus caption na nakapost dito : "ang sharap sharap noh..!" :hysterical: