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Palace won’t lodge complaint vs NY tabloid over $20K dinner


Malacañang accused a New York tabloid Sunday of being part of “black propaganda" for an article saying President Gloria Arroyo and her entourage dined lavishly in New York before returning to Manila on August 5. But Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the Palace won’t take any action against the New York Post for its August 7 article about the $20,000-dinner at Le Cirque. “Again, part of ongoing black propaganda yan para magalit ang tao kay pangulo (Again, that is part of black propaganda so people will get mad at Mrs. Arroyo)," Remonde said in an interview on dzBB radio, but did not elaborate on this statement. He said he considered the article as “grossly exaggerated," “very unfair" and “very foul." But when asked what the Palace would do about the issue he said: “Wala. Well alam mo naman (None. You know), we cannot quarrel with the people who hold the pen or behind the microphone except to answer and explain," he said when asked what action the Palace will take. “It’s a tabloid, gossip-gossip section. Ang problema sa atin ang gossip ginagawang malaking istorya, that’s why I am explaining that is grossly exaggerated (It’s a tabloid, and the article came out in its gossip section. The problem with us is that we tend to make a big thing out of gossip. That’s why I am explaining it is grossly exaggerated)," he added. He also asked Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the administration congressman who he said footed the bill for the dinner, to explain the matter to the public. Romualdez is a member of Mrs. Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) political party. “I am asking Congressman Romualdez to come out in the open, para maliwanagan ang tao sa issue na yan. Sa panahonng ito may mga grupo talaga na kahit ano pinupulot para ipukol (I am asking Congressman Romualdez to come out and explain the issue. You know at this time, there are people who would pick on even the smallest thing to throw at the administration)," Remonde said. United Opposition president and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay on Saturday claimed the dinner happened “hours before" Mrs. Arroyo left for Manila to pay respects to Mrs. Aquino at the Manila Cathedral. Mrs. Arroyo cut short her week-long US trip to attend the final day of Mrs. Aquino’s wake last August 5. “What they did was deplorable especially if taxpayers’ money was spent. If they spent private money, what they did was in bad taste and again showed insensitivity to the millions of Filipinos who face hunger daily," Binay had said. But Remonde said Le Cirque dinner was not that exclusive, saying there were many Filipinos who were there at the time and had their photos taken with Mrs. Arroyo. He also belied the presidential delegation had a lavish menu, saying it was “set" with soup, salad, main course and dessert, and “not really extraordinary." He recalled he himself had a fish course, and a Diet Coke. “Not a single centavo of taxpayers’ money was used to pay for the dinner ... Ang sabi na si Pangulong Gloria nag-order [ng nag-order] (For the article to say Mrs. Arroyo ordered this or that), that’s very unfair, that’s very foul," he added. Remonde also took a dig at the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) for criticizing Mrs. Arroyo over the dinner, saying the group tends to hurl criticisms at any one in government who is a communist. “Basta di komunista babatikusin (It will criticize anything that is not communist) ... (Anything) from that group is like fruit from a poisoned tree," he said. - GMANews.TV

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