First Couple Wines, Dines While Nation Mourns Cory

[Mr Lee]

I have to wonder how a representative of a poor country like the Philippines can afford to pay $20,000 for a dinner? Anyone care to venture a guess? lolWhile the nation was in mourning over the death of former President Corazon Aquino, President Arroyo, First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo and select members of her entourage in the United States visit were wining and dining in an exclusive French restaurant in New York which resulted in a bill of $20,000 or nearly P1 million, according to the New York Post. Malaca�ang was quick to react, saying it was Rep. Martin Romualdez of Leyte who picked up the tab for the group confirming that the expensive dinner did transpire.http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20090809hed1.html

[jamesmusslewhite]

The Philippine governments and the Filipino people did not pick up the tab. These were heads of State and representatives of a Government. Obama has a live in chief, how much does a plate of eggs and oatmeal, and ham cost us for his family of 3 every morning? Just because The former president dies during a scheduled trip to the USA of a president administration and officials, they are suppose to fast. How much did the Funeral cost the Filipino people? They paid for it directly. Life goes on. government goes on, and life goes on; this is life and the world keeps going on. The world does not evolve around one person. She were laid to rest, but the world goes on that is the way life goes. So what does it matter what they ate, or where they ate, they are representatives of their government and the people did not pay the tab.

[Old55]

Lee, I guess life must be very good indeed for Rep. Martin Romualdez of Leyte.

[Mr Lee]

The Philippine governments and the Filipino people did not pick up the tab. These were heads of State and representatives of a Government. Obama has a live in chief, how much does a plate of eggs and oatmeal, and ham cost us for his family of 3 every morning? Just because The former president dies during a scheduled trip to the USA of a president administration and officials, they are suppose to fast. How much did the Funeral cost the Filipino people? They paid for it directly. Life goes on. government goes on, and life goes on; this is life and the world keeps going on. The world does not evolve around one person. She were laid to rest, but the world goes on that is the way life goes. So what does it matter what they ate, or where they ate, they are representatives of their government and the people did not pay the tab.

Three things, the news reports said that the Aquino family refused a state funeral, so I think it was paid for by the family and second the people no doubt did pay for that dinner one way or the other and that was the point I was trying to make, corruption may have been what paid for that meal since their salaries surely did not. :23_11_62[1]: Also, if they were going to blow that much money on a dinner, then IMO they should have at least done it in the Philippines where the money would have been channeled back into the economy of their own country. Now as far as Obama having a live in chef, at least she is a Filipino so some money probably makes it back to the Philippines. :thumbsup:

[Mr Lee]

And the plot thickens. :23_11_59[1]: First it was $20,000 and now $15,000, but what I find interesting is the sentence about a woman with a pocketbook full of cash. I wish she would have given me some. :13_4_10[1]: :7500: Report: Arroyo entourage also had $15,000 meal in D.C.MANILA - Three days before allegedly spending $20,000 for a dinner in a Manhattan restaurant, President Arroyo and her entourage also reportedly spent another $15,000 for dinner at Bobby Van's Steakhouse on 15th Street, Washington DC, a major US daily reported Wednesday. A report titled "Heartburn Over Two Big Meals" in the Washington Post's Reliable Source column said Mrs. Arroyo and an entourage of about 65 people, including security and food tasters, had dinner at Bobby Van's Steakhouse on 15th Street NW hours after her July 30 meeting with US President Barack Obama."The group took over one of the restaurant's private rooms and dined on lobster, steak and fine wines; at the conclusion of the meal, an unidentified woman opened a handbag stuffed with cash, counted out bills and paid the $15,000 tab -- which included a generous tip," the column read. "The Philippine Embassy did not return calls for comment Tuesday," it added.The bill of $15,000 roughly translates to about P720,899,000 based on latest foreign exchange rates. Steaks at the popular restaurant are priced anywhere from $38 (P1,830) to $42 (P2,023), according to the Bobby Van's Steakhouse website. Half bottles of red and white wine at the restaurant are priced between $18 (P867) to $60 (P2,890) while the most expensive bottle on the winelist, a Louis Roederer Cristal Reims, is priced at $575 (P27,697). Arroyo's expensive dinner in Washington is the second to be reported by the US media recently. Last week, the New York Post reported that Arroyo and her entourage dined at Manhattan's Le Cirque on August 2, with the dinner bill amounting to $20,000 or almost P1 million. Malaca

[jamesmusslewhite]

Martin Romualdez who paid the bill. Romualdez is the nephew of former First Lady Imelda Marcos.It is nice to see the Marcos family still have some of the 14-16 billion Imelda's hubby stole from the Philippines Treasury back in 1980's. Did they ever pay the US people the tab for protecting the family in Hawaii when their own people wanted their heads on pikes? Well in a way I guess they just did...........hehehehehe

Edited August 13, 2009 by jamesmusslewhite