GMA Hit for Wasting Public Funds Chasing Obama

**Autobeat** · February 8th, 2009 11:08 PM

Kaya nakakawalang ganang bumayad ng tax. Lack of cost/spending awareness!

They could request for a proper meeting time and venue, based on Obama's availability, then plan for that trip instead, however late in the year they may schedule it.

**chua_riwap** · February 9th, 2009 03:30 AM

GMA daw......Obama stalker.

**chua_riwap** · February 9th, 2009 03:48 AM

May katuwiran ata si Praning dito ah.......

Pero sabi ng Malacanang, yung trip daw ni GMA is "a success". :rofl:

http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20090209hed6.html
The Tribune
9 Feb 2009

Miriam Says Gloria Erred in Attending US Prayer Meet

A strong ally of President Arroyo yesterday criticized the Chief Executive’s attendance in the national day of prayer in Washington D.C. where she risked being perceived as desperately trying to seek an audience with US President Barack Obama after reportedly being “snubbed” several times already.

“If you’re a president, you should not be made a mere part of the audience.

You shouldn’t be made part of the three thousand-strong audience of a president of another country,” Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said.

The administration senator and chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations, in a radio interview over at dzBB, noted that in such events, someone of Arroyo’s stature should have been given participation.

“Or at least she should be recognized as a head of state and not just be made to sit beside the (US) Speaker of the House of Representatives. She outranks him and even their secretary of state whose position does not equate with that of the President,” she said.

“Our President should be treated like a president by the other country,” she added.

It has been reported that Obama, who delivered a speech in the said event, made no mention or did not recognize the presence of Arroyo. Opposition Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero was also in the audience.

The lady senator practically berated the so-called handlers of Arroyo, pointing out that in such a gathering where the invitation came from Congress, an ambassador should have been sent to attend instead.

Santiago disagreed with the decision of Malacanang allowing Arroyo to attend it, especially as she was perceived to be pining for a meeting or a one-on-one with Obama.

There were reports that when Obama got elected in November last year, Arroyo tried at least twice to reach him by phone to personally congratulate him.

“If their Congress extended the invitation, our ambassador to Washington D.C. should have been sent. Our president should have been treated as a (head of state),” she said.

Santiago said that such was not humiliating at all, as far as Arroyo is concerned since nobody within the international community seemed to have taken notice of her presence.

“She went through all this trouble for nothing. That’s her call. She has the energy and she did not at all lose face because many countries did know that the Philippine president was present,” she said.

Arroyo, can not be faulted for her apparent faux pas, the senator said, noting the possibility that the President was misled by the country’s ambassador to Washington D.C. into believing that it could be her chance to finally meet Obama.

Knowing Arroyo, Santiago said, “she’s not the type of person who makes drastic decisions. She may have been given the impression that there’s a high probability of her having talk with Obama.”

When told that Arroyo, instead, reportedly managed to get a photo opportunity with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Santiago only had this to say: “So what!”

**LadyRider** · February 9th, 2009 04:31 AM

Hay naku mga Tsikot Friends, sa nakikita ko sa mga news, yung mga kuha ni GMA napansin ba ninyo lagi nakasabukot ang mukha?

Obvious na obvious naman sya na disappointed sya sa US "side-trip" nya eh! Dahil nga di sila nagkita ng big boss ng Amerika.

Syempre sasabihin ng Malacanang na success ang trip nya para lang to cover-up yung kahihiyang ginawa nya!

How pathetic! Echos! (hehehehe)

Pero come to think of it, kung inisnab ni Obama si GMA, para na rin nyang inisnab ang Pilipinas. Kawawa tuloy tayong mga Pilipino. Napaka-negative na tuloy ng tingin ng mga banyaga sa atin! Sa Performing Arts at Boxing na lang ata tayo bumabawi eh.

**ans_lim168** · February 9th, 2009 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by Gerbo

3 times na pala ini-snub si GMA? And she still did not get it?

Well maybe our little president still wants to establish some ties with the new US president...she had her way with Presidents Clinton and Bush...but she has to realize now that the US has shifted attention and she may no longer be at the forefront of those attention.

**chua_riwap** · February 12th, 2009 01:56 AM

Sino'ng may sabing may crisis? Sino'ng may sabing naghihirap ang Pilipinas...........

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nat...s-p123-million

Arroyo Trip Cost Taxpayers P123M
02/11/2009 11:42 PM

Umabot sa P123 million ang nagastos ng gobyerno para sa biyahe ni Pangulong Arroyo sa Davos, Milan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain at ang biglaang side trip sa Amerika.

**altec** · February 12th, 2009 02:03 AM

Basically nag around the world na si PGMA, nag middle east, Europe, and USA. PAL chartered plane siguro? Kung ganun, e baka hinahabol niya na maging million miler club member siya sa PAL Mabuhay Miles program.

Whatever she says that the US side trip was successful, it was unecessary. Biro mo, presidente, kaharap lang kung sino sinong congressman. The highest position she talked to was Clinton as secretary of state. For less than an hour? To talk about something that when you look at it, doesnt justify the US trip? Di ba pwede idaan na lang sa video link via internet?

Di naman siya inisnub ni Obama. Sa nabasa ko, di naman nakapagpakita sa maski kaninong presidente during that time. And as of now, Obama is not in any mood to make small talk with such heads of state like PGMA. Obama has his hands full trying to turn around the US economy.

Bottom line, P120M of Pinoy taxpayer's money, down the drain.

**ans_lim168** · February 12th, 2009 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by oliver1013

Di na kailangan habul habulin ni GMA si Obama actually nagkausap na daw sila at eto yung na pagusapan ayon sa isang source...

US President Obama finally called up Malacanang

Obama:Hello, could I please speak to that small but great Filipina who is the idol of all filipinos...

GMA:Speaking..

Obama: Congratulations Charice! can you please sing in the White house again for the diplomatic corps..?

GMa: Im sorry Mr president but this is Pres. Arroyo. How can I be of help?

Obama: aok, wrong number!

This one made my day.

**ab_initio** · February 12th, 2009 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by uls

haha

motilium

---

there's a pecking order pag dating sa world leaders

the Phils. is just a poor developing country

GMA is just a leader of a poor developing country

baket feeling important si GMA?

it's not like she's the Chinese leader

true...kaya trabaho siya para paunlarin niya Pilipinas, by then, she's gonna carry that national dignity and pride wherever she goes...at wag yung para siyang may ketong...or parang teenager na nabuntis na maghahabol ng sustento...

poocha...di na natuto....di talaga matututo...

**chua_riwap** · February 12th, 2009 01:27 PM

May nabasa pa ako na yung trip nya from Bahrain to Washington, aboard a 747 PAL, umabot ng P8M?

Eto naman ang reaction ng no. 1 ass licker ni GMA.......

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/20090212nat1.html
12 Feb 2009
The Daily Tribune

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the various economic benefits to be derived from the President’s trip outweighed the costs.

Saudi Arabia committed some $200 million in agriculture assistance. Bahrain pledged $300 million within the first quarter with possible benefits for the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Earlier, Malacanang reported that President Arroyo and His Highness Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Salman Al Khalifa signed memorandum of understanding on agricultural and fisheries cooperation between the Philippines and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The textile groups in the US also pledged to absorb up to $1.2 billion in garments exports from the Philippines, Ermita added.

The President did not take the 61-member delegation with her to Washington DC when she attended the National Prayer Breakfast, he said.

Ermita said that until this time, the Philippine government is still hoping that US State Secretary Hillary Clinton, with whom the President had the opportunity to discuss economic and security issues during her visit in Washington, will have time to visit the Philippines during her first official visit to Asia, including China and Indonesia.

Ermita said that although Clinton had a well-prepared schedule ahead of her official visit to Asia, “it is our wish that she will find time to visit our country.”

President Arroyo arrived on Sunday after a one-week, five-country trip to pursue her campaign for and behalf of the world’s poor and emerging economies, overseas Filipino workers, World War II Filipino veterans, and promote the Philippines as the best alternative investment site in the region.

The President left for Davos last Jan. 30 and arrived last Sunday from Washington DC, the last leg of her overseas trip after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland; and brief visits to Milan, Italy; Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

At Davos, the President also met with the political and business leaders of several countries.

She also met with members of the Filipino community in the countries that she visited and assured them of her government’s efforts to address their plight in the midst of the global economic crisis.