A Man who spent $20,000 a night in MGM Hotel in Vegas: Who is He?

[CLAVEL3699]

patay tayo dyan!!!

tuyo nga mahal na sa palengke eh.

[ts1n1ta]

hmm ewan ko lang ha. i may sound very naive. pero i don't believe that the FG would splurge a lot of money for a night on a suite. Sure, it is so easy to point to the FG pero alalahanin naten na the Arroyo clan is one of the richest clan in the country and hindi sha isa sa mga nouveau rich who spends their money foolishly. Mas madaming pedeng candidate jan other than the FG. imo.

[van_wilder]

hmm ewan ko lang ha. i may sound very naive. pero i don't believe that the FG would splurge a lot of money for a night on a suite. Sure, it is so easy to point to the FG pero alalahanin naten na the Arroyo clan is one of the richest clan in the country and hindi sha isa sa mga nouveau rich who spends their money foolishly. Mas madaming pedeng candidate jan other than the FG. imo.

i think yumamaman lang si GMA dahil sa dad niya... may pera ang arroyo but i dont think they belong to the rich society like zobel, cojuangco, rodriguez, madrigal, garcia, araneta, etc...

uhmm... actually hindi lang siya diyan gumagastos ng malaki, maliit yan compared to other things... even before GMA became president, kalat na corrupt and sugapa yan si mike arroyo, salbahe and gastador pa nga ang pagkarinig ko nun bata pa ako eh. kaya nun na-impeach si erap, mapapansin mo marami yun 'boos' than claps...

[ts1n1ta]

i think yumamaman lang si GMA dahil sa dad niya... may pera ang arroyo but i dont think they belong to the rich society like zobel, cojuangco, rodriguez, madrigal, garcia, araneta, etc....

hmmm mother side ni GMA ang alam ko ang may pera ang mga Macapagal are just a poor family from lubao, pampanga. Ang mga arroyo rich pero ang mother side ni FG ay part ng tuazon clan at yun ang mayaman. So that makes his family part of the "old rich". pero okaayyy... not important...

Haaayy, bat nde na lang kase ibunyag ang name kung sino man yang nagstay sa villa. Para matapos na. Kakairita kase sa news eh.

[van_wilder]

hmmm mother side ni GMA ang alam ko ang may pera ang mga Macapagal are just a poor family from lubao, pampanga. Ang mga arroyo rich pero ang mother side ni FG ay part ng tuazon clan at yun ang mayaman. So that makes his family part of the "old rich". pero okaayyy... not important...

thanks for clarifying... i think its TUASON or TUAZON... i dunno the spelling... i remember na, i have this friend yun ang surname niya... tita niya si GMA, but they dont look alike... he hinted (not said) corrupt si mike, pinagtatawanan pa nga niya yun eh...

kung sino man itong taong ito, masusunog rin siya... dibale matanda at pangit nanaman siya... hehehehehe

[odell]

pero bakit kaya ayaw padin ireveal... tagal! hahaha inip na ako!

[GlennSter]

hindi naman sa pinagtatanggol ko ang arroyo pero...isipin niyo naman mga chong.

sabihin na nating...si MIKE nga ang taong gumastos ng 20,000$.

sabihin na nating PERA niya yun.sariling pera niya.hindi sa bayan.hindi niya kinurakot.ok?kunyari lang.

sinasabi niyo na IMMORAL dahil naghihirap ang bansa..kesyo sana tulungan na lang niya ang mahihirap.

mga chong...ang tanong.alam niyo ba ang mga tinutulungan niyang mahihirap?may idea ba kayo? i dont think anyone here appreciates what he is doing.kasi puros mga paghihirap ang nakikita natin.puros sila ang dapat tumulong sa mahihirap. eh ni hindi natin alam na tumutulong na pala siya sa mahihirap.nakikita lang natin eh yung pagtaya niya sa casino o boxing at pag tira sa 20,000$ na suite.

i dont think na kahit tumulong siya sa mahirap eh yayaman na tayong lahat.kailangan tayo lahat magtulong tulong.

uulitin ko lang, hindi ko kaano ano ang mga arroyo.gusto ko lang magkaron ng ibang perspektibo ang mga tao..tingnan ba ang kabila.get my drift?

minsan narin kasi akong pinagbintangang ganyan.bili daw ako ng bili ng gamit sa kotse ko at mga rubber shoes....eh kung sana, tumutulong na lang daw ako sa mahihirap.eh heller...alangan namang ipamigay ko yung pera ko sa kanila noh?hindi nila alam, may mga tinutulungan ako, hindi nga lang financial na tulong.gets niyo?

esep esep.

[mbt]

yung point naman e hindi nababagay sa top public official (kung si FG nga) ng mahirap na bansa na gumastos ng ganyan kalaking halaga sa 'frivolous' expense.

just as hindi nababagay (in other words, improper) na maglasing yung isang pulis while in uniform, kahit na sabihin nating mabait siya at maayos ang trabaho.

[GlennSter]

yep..i agree.pero what makes me feel eeky is ginagawa pang gulo at madaming nakikisakay na politicians kesyo immoral...ek ek...tapos hahantong sa impeachment...ewan.labo ko noh.pero ginugulo pam kasi nila.

kung talagang immoral...sige kasuhan nila.siga sirain nila pangalan.sinong talo???

tayo.

[van_wilder]

yep..i agree.pero what makes me feel eeky is ginagawa pang gulo at madaming nakikisakay na politicians kesyo immoral...ek ek...tapos hahantong sa impeachment...ewan.labo ko noh.pero ginugulo pam kasi nila.

kung talagang immoral...sige kasuhan nila.siga sirain nila pangalan.sinong talo???

tayo.

the thing here is, pwede ka naman siguro magsalita kung hindi mo ginagawa yun. I see your point, some people judge others pero they dont see their own faults. Magastos rin ako pero I try my best to share my blessings, pero yun mga politicians na iba, tutulong at ibibigay ang credit sa sarili, pero in reality pera ng bayan ang ginamit, besides trabaho nila yun. ang problema sa mga politicians na sinasabihan si mike arroyo na immoral ay masimmoral sila hipocrito pa... they are just blaming mike para kunwari mabait sila at matago yun pinag-gagawa nila... pag may impeachment kasi andun ang attention, wala sa kanila...

ever wonder bakit may lifestyle check pero walang nahuhuli? they use it as blackmail sa mga politicians or officials na gustong mag-expose... kasi lahat sila may tinatago na baho... lacson style nun 90s...

[mbt]

naks, atenista ka talaga. hehehe. kaya pala sabi ni c. b. manaloto na "[he's] proud to have you as [his] student"

[imprezawrxsti]

Whoever that is, I think it's really stupid. How many percent of Filipinos are living below the poverty level now?..and you got the ****ing nerve to show off. You know what? The truth is walang bibilib sa Kanya dahil alam naman ng mga Real Rich People na galing sya sa third world country and questionable yong source of income nya. OMG lalo tayong naging kaawaawa sa paningin ng mga western people......

[odell]

ibinigay daw ng libre as per saksi sa GMA...

[Tifosi]

The rumor mill has it that PAGCOR funds were used for their "junket" in support of Pacman (Jose Pidal plus the congressmen). Ang sabi daw eh PAGCOR has become his "piggybank" and that he regularly dips his hands into his "funds".

If this is true, then it truly leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Even if we say that he used his own money (and not OUR money, that being PAGCOR), his actions are still open to accusations/allegations of corruption. He is a public figure, his wife is the President for God's sake; he should set an example

Ikanga ni Uncle Ben, "With great power comes great responsibility".

[boybi]

heard over the radio, confirmed daw na si FG Mike Arroyo yung nag stay sa $20,000-a-night villa!

[explorer]

President’s husband, opposition clash over luxury Vegas room

Mar 29, 2005
Updated 03:55pm (Mla time)
Joel Francis Guinto jguinto*inq7.net
INQ7.net Agence France-Presse

(UPDATE) FIRST Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo hit out at the country's political opposition Tuesday for hinting that he had rented a luxury suite in Las Vegas to watch a boxing match.

The allegation was "a hallucination and a falsehood of the highest order," Arroyo's spokesman Jesus Santos said in a statement.

"It could not be him. He's such a cheapskate. He doesn't know how to waste money," Santos told GMA Network's radio station dzBB.

Santos issued the statement after rumors spread that the President's husband was the one being referred to in an Inquirer sports column as the public figure who stayed in the luxury suite.

Arroyo stayed at a "complimentary" room at the MGM Grand Hotel, Santos said, though he declined to reveal the room's regular rate.

House of Representatives Minority Leader Francis Escudero on Monday called for a probe into the allegations floated in the local press by the political opposition that a public figure had rented the hotel room to see popular Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao fight Mexican Erik Morales.

The public figure who allegedly rented the room was not named, but broad hints have been made by the opposition that it was Arroyo's husband.

Escudero conceded that it was not illegal to rent an expensive room, but stressed that it was "immoral" to show extreme extravagance when the Philippines is in the throes of a financial crisis.

Santos challenged "publicity hounds and rumor-mongers" to come up with proof of the presidential husband's involvement.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye remarked that "it is difficult to say if this [allegation] is factual. We have to check this out."

Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo also came to his father's defense Tuesday, saying the elder Arroyo was not the "type of person" to stay at a lavish Las Vegas hotel suite.

The congressman at first said that he had asked his father about this issue, but he later withdrew his statement and said he had not discussed the matter with his father.??"In fact, it was the first time that I heard this thing from you," he told INQ7.net.

He said that his father was "neither an elected nor an appointed government official" and that "it's only wrong if they used government money." ?"He's insignificant to this discussion," the younger Arroyo said.??In a separate interview from the United States, Bacolod City Representative Monico Puentevella said he sympathized with the President's husband as his name was always being dragged into this kind of scandal.??Puentevella corroborated Santos's statement that the elder Arroyo had stayed at an ordinary room at the MGM Hotel at no cost.??"Like me, his room was also complimentary. It's unfair that he's being criticized for this. We should even thank him for going there to show his support to Pacquiao," he told INQ7.net??"Besides, I don't think there's a room like that [which costs 20,000 dollars a night]," he added.

Congressman Arroyo said he welcomed Escudero's call to investigate the matter but said that an inquiry should be in aid of legislation and not "in aid of grandstanding."

Corruption remains rampant in the Philippines, where two graft-stained presidents, Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada, were ousted by popular revolts in 1986 and 2001, respectively.

Estrada is in detention while being tried for allegedly plundering some 80 million dollars from state coffers. Marcos died in exile in Hawaii in 1989.

[luckytruck]

another question is, bakit complimentary ang rooms ni FG and ni Puentevella and the rest? bakit tayo wala?

andy

[gretzy]

Shitty people!

[shadow]

ito na yun part two ng blind items hinde na heavyweight, whale na!!!! go FG!!! go GMA!!!!

Bare Eye : Pacquiao failed, but did a Pinoy whale win in Vegas?

Posted 03:53am (Mla time) Mar 30, 2005
By Recah Trinidad
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A26 of the Mar. 30, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


LOS ANGELES, California -- An old book, "Havana," is a terrific read. There are still the original details, vivid as the bar and streets Ernest Hemingway had haunted while writing the "Old Man and the Sea," for everybody to enjoy and see.

To the first-time visitor, the most distinct pictures in Fidel Castro's Cuba are the vintage 1930 cars, perfect for the museum but still in full service oftentimes as taxis, on historic cobblestone streets over which loom monumental buildings totally untouched by modernity.

The continuing struggle, the life and longing of the native Cubano, is an altogether intriguing modern-day story.

In that Hemingway masterpiece, the old man Santiago finally landed a great marlin after having gone fishless for over 80 days out at sea.

What would follow was a long, bloody struggle, with Santiago finally landing his catch but succeeding to take it to shore only after the great fish had been devoured by sharks, reduced to bare bones.

This little tale will also be about a fishing expedition, not for a marlin but a whale, a most unusual species.

In a previous column, this whale had merely appeared as an unidentified heavyweight.

This very important fellow, a big backer of boxer Manny Pacquiao, had the great luck of having stayed in the exclusive Villa 1 inside MGM Grand, a sleeping place reserved only for kings and the richest of the rich.

Although that big-spending heavyweight was not named, his identity subsequently became known based on information from his visitors and friends in the $20,000 (P1.08 million)-a-night grand villa.

"No need to mention his name, alam na dito, napaka-immoral ng mga lintek na 'yan, daming naghihirap dito," texted one newswoman from Manila.

* * *

The story about this secret supporter of Manny Pacquiao was supposed to have ended before the boxer's homecoming.

In fact, the story should've been disregarded after aides and boot-lickers around the secret heavyweight claimed the Filipino's stay in the P1-million-a-night MGM villa was purely complimentary.

Case closed. Nobody was at fault.

This reporter -- after seeing Pacquiao wage a great losing battle -- sent his things home, filled a small bag with the barest necessities then took off for Havana to help select and pick a coach for a boxing program of the Governors' League of the Philippines.

Of course, before the Cuban trip, we invested and asked a trusted fellow to do some detective work.

His specific task was to determine the rare people that are granted complimentary stay in the opulent MGM Grand villa.

* * *

Here are the findings: No living Filipino could've qualified for that claimed complimentary stay.

Not even Pacquiao's heavyweight backer, no matter how rich he may be, would've been granted the distinction.

For one, the MGM Villa is offered free to high rollers with a table credit line of no less than $5 million.

Rarities ushered into the villa are fetched by Lear jet from anywhere in the United States.

They are serviced by stretch limousine anywhere they travel out and back into the hotel.

They are provided personal cooks, masseurs, the works, during their stay.

If Bill Gates, say, happened to have been a gambler, he would have qualified.

But definitely, no Filipino would've been in that class, claimed our detective whose services, by the way, were offered free -- complimentary.

* * *

Maybe if, say, MGM happens to be negotiating to buy an island to be developed into a casino in the Philippines, the secret Pinoy heavyweight, with his association and clout, would have gotten the villa free.

So I asked: What if MGM is trying to sell slot machines to the Philippines?

No way, explains my detective-friend, that deal is too small, peanuts.

So would you say Ferdinand Marcos himself would've not made it there?

No, he may have been one of the richest, but his riches were all kept secret.

So who among the rich entertainers could've lived at Villa 1?

OK, maybe Sinatra, or Elvis, but I am not too sure, either.

Who was the last guy known to have gotten a free stay at the villa?

Jim Peng, a Taiwanese communications mogul, who raked in millions dealing special radio sets for private use around the US.

* * *

Who's Jim Peng?

He was one of the great rollers. He impregnated his secretary in Taipei, took the girl to the US, where she gave birth, but the mistress was subsequently killed by Peng's wife who caught up with her in Orange County in the mid-1990s.

You really did your work, I commended my friend.

Peng was a rarity. He was pampered like a king. He's still around. His wife has been granted parole, but I don't think they're living together.

Now, are you saying that the claim about the RP heavyweight getting complimentary stay at the MGM villa was pure fiction?

Of course. Unless he also gambled very big in Vegas.

But the RP heavyweight was never seen even once around the gaming tables at MGM.

You don't get me. The great rollers do it upstairs, somewhere else.

What? This is getting to be crazier.

But there's such a place as Hidden Las Vegas where extraordinary gamblers do their thing, away from the eyes of the public.

So how do they call these big, rare gamblers?

Not mere high rollers, they are called Whales!

Why whales?

'Coz they're truly big, grand, not mere heavyweights.

[BlueBimmer]

whales...hey the FG looks like a whale! coincidence? hehe