Aquino sticks to frugal lifestyle in New York

True to his word not to tread in the footsteps of his predecessor, President Benigno Aquino III and his entourage have not taken lavish meals so far in the US. A list of the president's agenda as of Tuesday evening in New York (Wednesday in Manila) showed that Aquino hasn't dined anywhere near the likes of Le Cirque restaurant in New York’s East 58th Street, where former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her entourage reportedly had a $20,000 (P960,000) dinner during her US trip last year. When Aquino arrived in San Francisco on Sept. 20, he and his Cabinet secretaries had burgers from In-N-Out Burger at the airport's holding area. "Hamburgers in San Francisco In-N-Out, so parang batang-bata 'yung ating mga secretary . Tuwang tuwa. First time ko nasubukan. Masarap naman talaga (Our secretaries were like young. Overjoyed. My first time to try. It was really good)," the President said in an interview. On Sept. 21 in New York, the president had lunch at Serafina Fabulous Grill between Park and Madison Avenue, where prices on the menu are capped at $30, according to the government's Official Gazette. The Official Gazette said the President went for a steak dinner at Keens Steakhouse in Manhattan, where a plate costs around $40, according to the restaurant's website. Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning office, told reporters that Aquino will likely stick to "comfort food." Prefers simple food "The president doesn't really like having fancy dinners in five-star restaurants. He likes comfort food, as we said before. Siyempre may pagkakataon na (Of course, there are times when) he will be hosted by certain people and they will have sit-down dinners but if it's his personal preference, you know him, he prefers simple food," Carandang said. The President trimmed down the number of his official delegation to 55 -Arroyo's was 107 – to save money. Malacañang pegged the budget for the weeklong trip at P25 million. Aquino decided to stay at the Sofitel Hotel, not at the Waldorf-Astoria where most world leaders in New York for the United Nations general assembly are staying. Arroyo's lavish dinner at Le Cirque last year sparked outrage - which happened around the time Aquino's mother, former President Corazon Aquino, died of colon cancer - as the Philippines was reeling from the pinch of global recession. An Arroyo ally, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, claimed he footed the bill for the Le Cirque dinner. Another lawmaker, Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, also claimed he footed the bill for the Arroyo entourage's dinner at Bobby Van's Steakhouse in Washington DC where the bill reportedly reached $15,000. Aquino flew to the US Monday night (Manila time) to witness the signing of the $434-million Millennium Challenge Corporation grant for anti-poverty programs during the UN summit. His agenda also included attending business conferences and meeting American businessmen with a view to attracting investments and generating jobs for Filipinos. —VS, GMANews.TV