PGMA's formula: 1M = lavish dinner = hunger neglect

What can an astounding Php 1, 000, 000 do?

It can feed the hungry stomachs of more than 100 children in one whole year – just like what Pangarap Shelter for Street Children did.

It can construct three or four classroom buildings in public schools in areas where education is hardly accessed – just like what the Chinese Chamber of Commerce did.

It can purchase 6, 000 new textbooks which are supplemental to education – just like what the Department of Education did.

It can send 150 out-of-school youth to college and shoulder their educational expenses for one semester – just like what privately funded organizations did.

It can start the construction of a 1 km-or-so irrigation system in dry lands which is beneficial to the farmers – just like what the Department of Agriculture did.

It can fund free medicines for the poor and the sickly – just like what the Department of Health did.

Or…

It can pay for a luxurious one-night-only dinner at an exquisite and expensive restaurant in New York – just like what President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her cronies did.

In her recent US state visit, Pres. Arroyo and her entourage had dinner and ordered several expensive wines in a posh and fancy French restaurant in New York, putting their bill to a grand total of $20, 000 or almost Php 1, 000, 000.

One cannot help but formulate a myriad of questions and realizations form the issue: How could they possibly dine lavishly when a good number of Filipinos are suffering from hunger? How could they possibly enjoy fine dining when the entire Philippines was still mourning over the death of Mrs. Aquino? Who paid the bill, and more importantly, from whose money?

Fine dining vis-à-vis growling stomachs

With the first question, it rouses outrage among Filipinos knowing how our president and her entourage have swiftly used an amount as plenty as 1 M for personal gratification while the country is in the face of crisis, particularly hunger. Almost 50% of Filipinos are living below the poverty line and hundreds are incapable of eating three times a day. Think about how mouthwatering the caviar and the other dishes Pres. Arroyo and her associates ate; and think about the growling stomachs of the Filipinos who can barely eat. The thought of it makes you feel like puking (that is, if you really care). The incident has once again underscored the daunting fact that there are extremely rich and extremely poor in our country’s social stratification.

The president, whether or not she paid for the bill, should have thought about the plight of the Filipino people before she ate extravagantly. She should have preferred a cheaper dinner somewhere else; or if she was invited by some other politician (as purported by Malacañang), she should have advised the “host” to prefer a modest meal. Didn’t the dictum “lead by example” rang a bell on her?

By eating lavishly while hunger is still a recurring problem in the country, the President has only justified and showed how self-serving she is and how she care less for the people.

Celebrating Cory’s death?

It’s also bothering how the president managed to eat lavishly when she knew that a Philippine icon of democracy has just died. (They dined a couple of hours after they learned of Mrs. Aquino’s passing.) Was she in a celebratory mood of the former president’s passing?

Think about how Mrs.Aquino opposed and criticized some of the president’s decisions. Think about how Mrs. Aquino’s death meant the removal of a colossal foe for the president.

The president said that Filipinos should pay respects. Perhaps, her idea of paying respects comes in the form of enjoying an extravagant dinner and indulging on pricey wines. Talk about delicadeza.

Who paid what? From whom?

The issue on hunger and Mrs. Aquino’s death aside, the one big issue hounding the 1 M dinner is the money used to pay the bill.

Reports did not specify if it was Pres. Arroyo who took care of the bill. Malacañang, on the other hand claimed that it was Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez who paid the tab.

If it was indeed the president who paid the bill, shame on her. No need to expound.

If it was Rep. Romualdez, shame on him as well. Look at Leyte, it is consistently hit by typhoons and landslides, why don’t he use the money in sending help to the affected families and to prevent such massive casualties to happen again? He, as the representative of his district, has to focus locally and represent his people the way he is supposed to. Why did he have to come with the president’s state visit, by the way?

Maybe the president and the representative are really heavy on personal cash to give such a massive blow-out. But who would pay a hefty price for just a single dinner? Chances are, they used the taxpayer’s money for it or they corrupted some huge amount to call their own. If that’s the case, I wonder how brutal their punishment will be when they meet face-to-face with Satan. Maybe, more than a million’s worth.

It’s paradoxical how we, voters, choose our leaders in the hopes that they can put food on our tables and end up providing not only food for them, but also luxury, cars and free trip abroad. We become victims of our own choices.

Thank God there’s 2010 elections. We cannot afford to fall victims once more. It starts with our wise choice.



BY: RYAN LOUIE G. MADRID
Photo credit: http://images.google.com