Showing posts with label extravagance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label extravagance. Show all posts

PostHeaderIcon Protesting Imelda Marcos & recalling those who were entombed in the quick-drying cement of the MIFF building

9/13/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


In giving honor to Imelda Marcos, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) opened old wounds and new controversies---- bringing memories of the excesses of Marcos decades ago. An overhyped supporter of arts and culture, the former first lady was feted by her CCP friends with a glittery tribute which mny believed wasn’t well-deserved. Irate critics and victims of human rights violations went out of the rain to denounce Imelda on Friday, Septermber 11, 2009.

In a pattern to make the shoe-loving woman acceptable again, CCP officials insisted on Imelda’s support for the arts as needing recognition. They said her political notoriety was a separate issue. But those who could remember the horrid past believed the woman known for the "true, the good, and the beautiful" must be jailed.

“Tama na linawin natin sa mga kabataan ang papel ng mga Marcos sa kasaysayan. Si Imelda ay bahagi ng conjugal dictatorship noong panahon ng kanyang asawa (It’s only right to explain to the youth the role of the Marcoses in history. Imelda was part of a conjugal dictatorship during her husband’s time),"

“Ang dapat sa kanya, ikulong at pagbayarin (She deserves to be imprisoned and made to pay)," ---Antonio Tinio, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) National Chairman, Philstar (09/12/09, Calonzo, A.C.)

Imelda Marcos was part of the notorious dictatorial regime that caused pain, suffering and deaths of many Filipinos. As Ferdinand Marcos' wife, she was whimsical---her interest in the arts could be regarded as incidental. There was nothing outstanding in what she did---as she wallowed in self pride and misplaced extravagance.

The tribute for Imelda coincided with her husband's birth anniversary bringing to recall the bitter memories of corruption and influence-peddling during the Marcos administration. It was reported that when Imelda rushed the building for the Metro Manila International Film festival (MIFF) in the cultural and arts complex near Roxas Boulevard, a horrible construction accident occurred. The MIFF building caved in and caused the demise and entombment of many workers in the quick-drying cement. The horrific incident was hushed for she needed the show to go on. The victims couldn't complain; they were poor and powerless. Imelda came out clean as if nothing happened. (Photo Credit: Angeles624) =0=

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PostHeaderIcon Keeping a tally on extravagance

8/14/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


According to Daily Tribune, the following astounding expenses have emerged in the shameful travel of Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo last July-August 2008 to see Pres. Barack Obama.

The US delegation of Filipinos that included lawmaker(s) who just wanted to have a “photo-op” with the charismatic black US president numbered to about 65, explaining the humongous amount spent to underwrite the trip. Sen. Lito Lapid complained he did no have a chance to have a picture with Obama and rued over the poor ambience and service at Le Cirque Restaurant in NY.

The expenses below are just the tip of the iceberg that boggles the mind of the poor Filipinos back home. What the public doesn’t know may be wildly greater---and more deplorable. Except saying that there are rich congressmen who paid the dinners, Arroyo can't come up with a coherent explanation to justify the outrageous expenses. (Photo Credit: yummyinthetummyblog)

Waldorf Astoria Suite for GMA in NY..........…$3,500/ day (P168,210/day)
Waldorf Astoria Suite for Congressmen.........$950/day (P45,657/day)
(> 60 rooms were occupied)
Bobby Van Steakhouse, Washington, DC..........$15,000 (P750,000)
Le Cirque Restaurant, NY.........................$20,000 (P1,000,000)

"A congressional investigation must be immediately conducted on whether a series of criminal and administrative laws have been violated by the President not only during her recent travel to the US but also on her previous 50 travels since 2001."---- Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares. Daily Tribune (08/14/09)

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PostHeaderIcon Transparency for RP, but not for GMA’s unexplained wealth?

8/13/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


After splurging in lavish dinners with her entourage abroad that had price tags close to $15,000 to $20,000(P750,000-1,000,000,) Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s assets an liabilities have been under close scrutiny.

The Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) say since her assumption of office, the president has accumulated properties 2000x than their original value. In spite of the over-hyped call for honesty and transparency by the administration, the lawyers of GMA and her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, don’t see the need to explain how the couple amassed such wealth. But obviously, the people want to know.

Corruption is the centerpiece of why the Philippines is mired in poverty, but even the president fails to follow the leads to know the extent government corruption! The public sees a collusion by the leadership to keep the status quo of defrauding the country. The “scratch my back, and I’ll scratch your back culture” is at work here----so almost no one gets caught; the few who are proven thieves are pardoned.

“A report by the PCIJ said Mrs. Arroyo’s declared net worth more than doubled from P66.8 million in 2001 to P143.54 million in 2008. The increase of P76.74 million represents a growth rate of 114 percent. If her SALNs were plotted from the time she was still senator 17 years ago, the rise in her wealth would have been 2,000 percent, according to PCIJ.”-----Philstar (08/13/09)

This questionable rise in assets of a politician in power is not uncommon. The accusations of theft, corruption, fraud, and abuse in government are pervasive even if there are laws that can be used to get into the bottom of the truth. It dates back since Marcos time whose descendants are inching for a come-back, hiding under the rug the outrageous graft and corruption of their parents.

In spite of calls for President Arroyo to comply on the Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees which when violated is punishable by imprisonment, fines, dismissal or suspension, just like any slicky politician, GMA allows the foul odor in her record to pester. It’s a common reaction of corrupt politicians to pretend nothing odiously bad is going on.

Arroyo’s discordant lifestyle and wealth are incompatible to her salary as president. She receives a measly Php 60,000.00 (about USD 1,333.33 at Php 45.00 to 1 USD exchange rate) monthly. The US president’s salary at about $400,000/year is about 3,000% higher. Therefore, there is always a good reason to compute and recompute how GMA came up with her assets in so short a time. Obviously, this goes true with other politicians who dodge showing the money trail of their wealth.

GMA's business interests, if laid bare are not hard audit. If there is any, let investigators see where the conflict of interest lies, which transactions she did in accord with the law or where fraud occurre which may explain why she and her friends have become so rich.

The stonewalling by the president and her husband to conceal the truth has caused despair and loss of credibility; it makes her a pariah of the people. At the waning days of her presidency come along, her job approval is poor---among the lowest a president ever received in tenure.

The furor resulting from her extravagance abroad and clever machinations is deplorable and very much compatible with corruption. It's contemptible. There is obvious failure of the checks and balances in the system. It’s time that Arroyo comes clean from the disgusting accusations which plague her leadership. (Photo Credit: sunnexfo) =0=

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PostHeaderIcon A $15,000 dinner tab in Washington DC adds more fire to GMA’s extravagance

8/12/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


It’s really easy to spend money when someone gets cash for a song. No matter how much Malacanang Palace says that not a single centavo come from the Filipino, when When Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo travels on official trips abroad, the expenses fall on the shoulders of taxpayers. She and her entourage don’t have qualms in the amount to spend for they think they are giving the Filipinos a big favor. In foreign land, they think of themselves as public servants who represent the best interest of the country.

With the estimated P8 billion already spent by GMA in her trips, there are ways to hide unbridled abuse and extravagance. Having a patron like Rep. Martin Romualdez to pay for a $20,000 dinner in their pricey splurge in NY’s Le Cirque Restaurant is a good way to confuse and divert attention. Stupefied by the irrational display of pomp and self-indulgence, New York Post can’t resist commenting on the GMA’s controversial meal about the time she declared national mourning for Pres. Cory Aquino.

Now it’s the Washington’s Post turn to tell another story. According to Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger, writers of the influential newspaper in Capitol Hill, Pres. Arroyo and her delegation dined on "lobster, steak and fine wines" in Washington and spent $15,000 for the meal on July 30, 2009.

In the column “The Reliable Source” they said an "unidentified woman opened a handbag stuffed with cash" and paid for the tab plus the sizeable tips for Arroyo and its bloated entourage of 65 people at Bobby Van's Steakhouse on 15th Street.

Surely these spectacular dinners are just the tip of the ice-berg. Many agree they are scandalous and deplorable when a third of Filipinos are languishing in poverty. So what more is there to say of corruption and abuse in the Pearl of the Orient Seas? (Photo Credit: Oustgloria) =0=

RELATED BLOGS: New York City's dining lesson for GMA: Le Cirque versus Elvie’s Turo-Turo Posted by mesiamd at 8/11/2009; GMA’s NY dinner and the discordant ritzy lifestyle of Filipinos Posted by mesiamd at 8/10/2009

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PostHeaderIcon Extravagant aircraft purchases face opposition

8/11/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post


With increasing public frustration over the extravagance of the current administration, a group of US senators including the Pentagon have opposed the purchase of jets for US government use---a luxurious fleet for traveling officials underwritten taxpayers’ money. The big spending speaks of the entitlement Capitol Hill has been used to.

The appropriation proposal of $550 million by house lawmakers to buy eight Gulfstream and Boeing planes for official use is being opposed the House Appropriations Committee, Pentagaon, and by Sens. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.). John McCain (R., Ariz.,) Jack Reed (D., R.I.), Richard Burr (R., N.C.), Christopher Bond (R., Mo.) and John Thune (R., S.D.). The amount being asked for the pricey aircrafts is double the amount of $220 million originally asked by the Obama administration to upgrade the aircrafts.

“The tension over the jets is erupting just as lawmakers embark on the high season for government travel. Traditionally, August is the busiest travel period of the year, since Congress usually recesses for a month. Since 1995, House lawmakers have disclosed a total of $6.2 million in travel expenses for all the months of August, according to a Wall Street Journal computer-assisted analysis of 60,000 travel records.” ----Wall Street Journal (08/10/09, Mullins, B; Farnam, TW )

This buying spree comes when US government spending, unemployment, healthcare debacle, and recession woes continue to plague the American people. A number of critics are saying, the leadership action at this time makes people madly disappointed and incredulous over where this country is heading. Some lawmakers however weakly defend this outrageous aircraft spending as “necessary”---- to those who travel in order to bring American goodwill throughout the world. (Photo Credit: www.artshole.co.uk) =0=

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