House probe on NY dinner sought

Aside from the Office of the Ombudsman, the House of Representatives may also investigate the controversial $20,000 dinner President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her entourage had at a posh New York restaurant last week. Party-list Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna and Liza Maza of Gabriela filed on Thursday a resolution asking the House committee on good government to probe the reported "lavish" dinner at Le Cirque restaurant, saying it raises serious issues of ethics, accountability, and good governance. "Even if no people’s taxes were used to pay for the bill, all government officials are prohibited from accepting any substantial gift – such as a million-peso dinner – on any occasion. It is not only unethical, but also criminal to have had that embarrassingly expensive dinner," the resolution read. "It is also not the job of those in the legislative (branch) to grant favors and defend the extravagances and excesses of the executive branch," it added. The militant lawmakers said the committee should look into whether Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and Presidential Decree No. 46 — which makes it punishable for any public official to receive gifts on any occasion by reason of his or her official position — were violated. On Wednesday, Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello lodged a complaint letter asking the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the controversial New York dinner. [See: Ombudsman urged to probe controversial NY dinner] Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni said Thursday that while there are no set of standards for what constitutes "lavish" lifestyles, the Office of the Ombudsman would look into the matter. [See: Ombudsman official: No standard on lavish lifestyle] The New York Post's Page Six section reported the controversial dinner on August 7, saying, "The economic downturn hasn’t persuaded everyone to pinch pennies. Philippines President Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was at Le Cirque the other night with a large entourage enjoying the good life..." [See: Arroyo dined lavishly in US before attending Cory's wake] While Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez paid for the dinner, Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, one of those who attended the dinner that was supposedly in celebration of the President's 41st wedding anniversary, said it was unclear whether Romualdez or Romualdez's brother Daniel — a well-established architect in New York — footed the bill. Romualdez himself has kept mum on the issue, and did not approach reporters waiting for him at the sidelines of the plenary Tuesday. His spokesman Jun Pisco, however, has earlier confirmed Remonde's statements regarding the controversial dinner. - GMANews.TV