Philippine Political Opinions

Quezon 3rd District Rep. Danilo Suarez produced the receipt of the dinner of the President and her party at Washington DC's upscale Bobby Van's restaurant, which he claims he paid. The receipt Suarez showed that the total bill was around $15,000, and the itemized list showed various steaks, salads, drinks, and other food items the group ordered. "It so happened that we are such in a place na mataas ang standard of living. 'Wag na nating gawing issue na mahal, dahil talagang mahal doon," Suarez said. Meanwhile, Batangas 2nd district Rep. Hermilando Mandanas said he could not remember who footed the bill on two other meals the presidential entourage had while in the United States. In New York City, the group also dined at the Wolfgang Steakhouse for lunch and had dinner at the fine dining restaurant Bouley. Wolfgang's Steakhouse is associated with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, while Bouley is owned by another star chef, David Bouley. Mandanas said he remembers t...

I thought that my last post about President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s state visit entourage dined at the cost of $20,000 (about P1 million) at Le Cirque Restaurant in the New York City was the LAST of her "simple dining", later did I know that I was wrong. Wait, I was partly right, they didn't dine again at Le Cirque and that was their last in their "simple dining" when they are at the United States for their visit. Certainly that was their last because they have eaten at Bobby Van's Steakhouse on 15th Street, Washington DC, hours after Ms. Arroyo's meeting with US President Barack Obama. With Ms. Arroyo is about 65 people, including security and food tasters. Where according to the Washington Post's Reliable Source column with the title of "Heartburn Over Two Big Meals": "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 open...