Anthony Nachor's Diary

While the memorial of former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino took place in Manila, President Gloria Arroyo went to New York City, along with some of her aides, for a business and state visit. She took part in a Mass while she was there to remember Cory, who died at the Makati Medical Center on August 1st at the age of 76. But, she had dinner that night, along with her aides, at a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, where she spent USD 20,000 (PHP 960,000) for dinner, including bottles of very expensive champagne!

For the news story: http://www.nypost.com/seven/08072009/gossip/pagesix/eat_and_drink_183333.htm

For the Philippine Reaction: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090809-219377/Arroyo-dined-for-P1M-in-New-Yorkreport

If ever she had the brains to think about the poor peasants living in shanty towns in Manila, she could’ve skipped the wine and ate instead in a Filipino restaurant wherein she could’ve checked into the conditions of Filipino workers. If ever she had the will for change in the society, she could have browsed more carefully on the choices she could have made to make her stay there more meaningful, such as  talking to the representatives of the United Nations on climate change and curbing the economic crisis. If ever she had fixed her priorities straight, she could have come home way quicker to Manila to catch a glimpse of President Cory Aquino’s funeral march, and she could have given a speech in her honor because she was the one who ultimately helped President Arroyo to be where she is now in the first place!

I think USD 20,000 worth of dinner is too much, especially coming from a country where 40% of the people live under USD 5 A DAY! That money could have been given to the poor in Manila, or it could have been saved to use for future peace negotiations and reconstruction in Mindanao. That money could have been spent in alleviating hunger in many public schools where the children get little to no food before going to school. That money could have been used instead to fix the ailing health and transportation system the country suffers from… Mrs. President, I demand an explanation on why you spend USD 20,000 just for dinner with your aides.

This is a clear-cut expample of misorganization of priorities, an example of lavish spending without thinking, an example of greed and glamor that they fail to recognize the condition of its own people. I think that this is the reason why the Philippines still remains a Third World country: despite the fact that the people work hard to earn a decent living, those who are in government are self-serving, corrupt, and greedy over how rich they can become, blinding themselves to the needs of its own people: food, water, shelter, clothing. It is a huge shame for the government to be spending an enormous amount of money dining in an extravagant restaurant while ignoring the facts that many Filipinos are getting sick of malnutrition and hunger, dying from treatable diseases, and hungry for political change and reform.

As one party leader said, “It is truly disappointing and disgusting”, so I say as such, but worse: “This is something the government should be really ashamed of. What they have done really tarnishes the Philippines’ reputation as one of the most hardworking nations in Asia, if not the world, because its people are doing their best to work for a living, while the government does none to encourage them to become better citizens. The government is nothing but a garbage bin that recycles its own ways without thinking of reform.”

I apologize if I use the garbage bin as a metaphorical comparison, but, I have lived in Manila for 18 years and I’ve seen little to no progress of government reform.

To President Arroyo: if you continue to mess our political system by spending money aimlessly for yourself and your officials, then it’s time for you to step down and face the facts of what you’ve done to the country. You have driven the country into deeper shambles, and what you’ve done is something worse than Marcos. If you desperately want change, do it sooner and quicker, or the people will run after you and put you in trial and impeachment.