MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang may have refused to apologize for the $20,000 dinner of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her entourage at the ritzy Le Cirque in New York, but Catholic bishops are not letting the issue die down.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, who champions the cause of landless farmers, Tuesday called on Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, who purportedly picked up the tab, to donate the amount (or close to P1 million) to the impoverished.
“We can challenge those who paid for the dinner to also give the same amount to feed the poor,” Pabillo said.
The bishop said it was not right to use money—“whether government money or the money of any rich person”—in wasteful ways.
“Even if it was not the government but someone else, whoever shouldered the dinner tab has a responsibility because money is not only for ourselves but also for others. We are mere stewards,” he said.
Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani said the Aug. 2 dinner “really leaves a bad taste in the mouth, especially for those who have nothing to eat.”
“The Filipino people should tell them, ‘Mahiya naman kayo (You should be ashamed of yourselves),’” he said.
Bacani also said that while Malacañang’s nonchalance over the dinner was unacceptable, the stance was “characteristic of the present administration—the lack of transparency, confusing the issues, and just ignoring even legitimate criticism.”
“Even in their defense, they cannot accurately say who paid for the dinner,” he observed.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde claimed on Saturday that it was Romualdez who had paid the $20,000 bill reported by the New York Post. But on Monday, the lawmaker’s legal and media liaison officer said it was his brother, New York-based architect Daniel Romualdez, who had done so.
The Romualdezes are nephews of Imelda Marcos, widow of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
‘Obvious story line’
In a briefing Tuesday at the Palace, Remonde assailed critics, particularly the media, for continuously raising questions about the dinner at Le Cirque.
Ms Arroyo flew to the United States on July 29 for a meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House. The dinner was held on Aug. 2, a few hours before Ms Arroyo and her party embarked on the journey back to Manila to catch the wake of former President Corazon Aquino.
Remonde accused the media of playing up a picture of Ms Arroyo at a luxury dinner in New York while the majority of Filipinos lived in abject poverty.
“It’s so obvious how the story will go. The people are being angered by the idea that while so many are going hungry, the President and her officials are eating rich,” he said in Filipino. “I think that’s already too much.”
Remonde maintained that Ms Arroyo—whose wealth reportedly ballooned from P66.8 million in 2001 to P143.54 million in 2008—was not unaware of the hunger and poverty in the country.
“It’s very hypocritical for people to accuse the President of not being in touch with the hunger situation [when] it is [she] who has done the most in this country to address the problem of hunger,” he said.
Still no talk
Nevertheless, the relevant issues remained unanswered.
Remonde insisted it was Representative Romualdez who had paid for the dinner despite the statement of Nick Esmale, the latter’s legal and media liaison officer, that the generous hand was that of the lawmaker’s brother Daniel.
Malacañang has also yet to state what was on the menu that merited the $20,000 tab, beyond saying that the dinner was “simple.”
And the fact that Romualdez, an articulate lawmaker and a close ally of Ms Arroyo, has yet to speak on the matter is not helping the Palace any.
Remonde explained: “Not all people are gifted with the ability to speak before the media or microphones or reporters.”
He sought to put the controversy to rest, reiterating an earlier statement that the Palace would no longer “glamorize” the issue.
Told that the dinner was a matter of public interest, Remonde said: “That’s a matter of perspective.”
He said that while reporters had that view, “for the many, the media are just whipping up the controversy.”
French food
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who was with the President’s entourage but skipped the dinner at Le Cirque, said it was not all that lavish for “a presidential-level dinner.”
“That’s why some of the congressmen [in the entourage] said, ‘Hindi naman masyadong masarap (The food wasn’t that delicious),” she said, adding:
“That’s because it was French food. Only the rich and famous go to that place because it’s prohibitively expensive.”
Santiago, a former judge, raised legal points that tended to release Ms Arroyo from criminal or administrative liability arising from the dinner.
The senator said the question was whether the dinner was “manifestly excessive” or “nominal or insignificant.”
But this question has become academic, Santiago said, citing two reasons—the President’s immunity from criminal suit and her control of the House of Representatives.
“After all, an impeachment is not a judicial but a political process,” Santiago said.
She pointed out that Ms Arroyo enjoyed immunity from criminal prosecution during her term of office and, thus, could not be charged criminally at the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Theoretically, she can be impeached for graft and corruption. But there were some representatives present at the dinner, and [they] would unite to dismiss an impeachment complaint in the House,” the senator said. With a report from Michael Lim Ubac
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