How Martin became a banker

SOME people continue to wonder how Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez could afford to treat the presidentita and her party of some 30-odd people at Le Cirque, one of the most expensive restaurants in New York. (Although his staff maintains it was his brother Daniel who did so. On the other hand, I've been told it is Martin who is the "galante" bet. the two.)

Remember that Rep. Romualdez' father is former Amb. Kokoy Romualdez, younger brother of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, and a beneficiary of some largesse from her family's good old days in Malacañang esp. via the Meralco Foundation, among others. It is through the family's supposed ownership of shares in the old PCIBank that allowed Martin, a lawyer, to eventually become chairman, then vice-chairman of Equitable-PCIB (merger of PCIB w/ Equitable Bank). (Btw, those PCIB shares that were sequestered by the PCGG from the Romualdez family (via ownership of Trans Middle East Equities) were also being claimed by the Lopez family.)

Curiously, graft cases vs. the elder Romualdez have been dismissed, the latest of w/c was just in May, 2009, while the PCGG has entered into compromise agreements with him re: his firms. Also, Martin has yet to be charged for unilaterally w/drawing some P138 million in cash from PCIB back in 2005, at the time he was chair of the bank. Can you guys think of better reasons why Martin and his family are such ardent supporters of the presidentita and have a need to constantly butter her up?

Meanwhile, here are the statements of assets and liabilities of Rep. Romualdez for 2008 and 2007, as gathered by the GMA News TV research team. To his credit, at least he bothers to detail his stock investments unlike his big boss in Malacañang.

SAL 2008
Rep. Martin Romualdez's SAL 2008

SAL 2007
Rep. Martin Romualdez's SAL 2007

Congen tries, but fails, in defending GMA

SORRY to interrupt your weekend, folks, but this story caught my eye today...

(RP Consul General to New York Cecilia Rebong. Photo from The Filipino Express.)

Apparently, New York Consul General Cecilia Rebong says the Le Cirque banquet story of the presidentita and her loyal band of sipsips, is false and cites a news report of the Filipino Reporter, just one of the dozens of newspapers/tabloids catering to Filipino-American communities in the United States.

According to the scanned report posted online here (thank you to whoever posted this upon the prompting of Manolo Quezon), the "contact manager" of Le Cirque, one Mario Wainer, was quoted saying: "President Arroyo had dinner here just like everyone else." (Now, what exactly does that mean? That she and her gang of thieves ate there as lavishly as its other patrons usually do?)

When asked if reports were true that the tab of the presidentita's party reached $20,000, "Wainer became furious and said it was not true." Of course, the reporter could not exact the real amount of said dinner from the manager, w/c begs the question, was he furious because the bill was too high, or too low from what was actually paid? And btw, was he referring to the first or the second dinner, bec. apparently, there were two held at said restaurant?

The story doesn't really say much and in fact, may be considered a dud, by journalism standards. It really isn't a credible defense for the presidentita either. How laughable and amateurish as usual, for GMA's minions to even quote a newspaper to protect her honor!

(Now, what's up with ANC and its North American bureau? Or the U.S. correspondents of the major Philippine broadsheets? Shouldn't they be snooping into this? Why so slow in getting to the bottom of this Le Cirque story?)

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Btw, if Rebong's name sounds familiar, it's because she was the Filipino diplomat who was exposed in 2005 for leasing a two-bedroom flat in Trump World Tower for $10,000 a month. Of course, NY apartment rentals are not the cheapest in the world. But I'm pretty sure, w/ more patience and a lot more looking, Rebong could've gotten a better deal for us Filipino taxpayers who are paying her salary and that lease. (At the present conversion rate, that is P500,000 a month.) Besides, the bulk of Fil-Ams in NY do not live in Manhattan, but in Queens!

With this kind of decadent lifestyle led by Rebong, I wonder if she was in the dinner party of the presidentita at Le Cirque. Hmmm...question is was it dinner 1 or dinner 2?

Did he or didn't he? (Updated)

(Daniel Romualdez w/ Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, granddaughter of Estee Lauder at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Hottest Pink Party ever, a fund-raising event, in April 2008 at the Waldorf Astoria. Photo from the New York Social Diary.)

WHILE Malacañang apologists are pointing to Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez as the one who paid the $20,000 dinner tab at Le Cirque of the presidentita, his own staff are now denying this. They say it was actually Romualdez's brother, celebrated New York architect/interior designer Daniel Romualdez, who picked up the tab.

I have it on good authority though that Daniel didn't pay for the dinner either. Apparently it's a well-known fact among those close to the Romualdezes that while Daniel may be generous in charitable events, he is "too kuripot" to shell out that much for a lavish dinner where he doesn't even personally know half of the guests. "It's actually Martin who is galante," as per a source. Martin is so galante, he is said to have gifted the presidentita a Rolex w/c costs anywhere bet. $3,600 to $11,000. Hmmm....

A bit of trivia: One of the most well-known design projects of Daniel Romualdez is the Manhattan apartment of fashion designer Tory Burch, w/c was featured in the Oct. 2004 issue of Vogue. Also, here's a story on Daniel in The Departures magazine published in 2001.

(Romualdez, far right, with friends Dan Moe, Brian Kinsella, and publicist James LaForce at the Sag Harbor fund-raiser of God's Love We Deliver, on June 30, 2007. Photo from the New York Social Diary.)

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(UPDATE 3:25 pm) Manolo Quezon gives a good rundown of the presidentita's activities in the U.S., including another dinner whose details are still-to-be uncovered, but revealed (unwittingly or sadya?) by Rep. Danilo Suarez. Btw, the good congressman now claims he paid for Bobby Vans steak escapade.

Comment ko lang, ang tagal naman na afterthought nito ni Rep. Suarez. What, he just woke up yesterday morning and suddenly he remembered he paid for the meal pala? Whatta joke!

Anyhoo, Bukidnon Rep. TG Guingona reveals that the presidentita has spent close to P3B in her foreign trips. Now accdg. to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, foreign direct investments into the Philippines are down $103 million as of the first quarter of the year. So how can Malacañang justify that GMA's trips abroad are benefiting the Philippine economy?

(UPDATE) Here's a list of the presidentita's trips abroad, and how much she spent on travel expenses, as per GMA News TV's research.

The propaganda

(Rep. Romualdez w/ GMA in New York. Photo from the congressman's web site.)

DOESN'T anyone find it strange that Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who supposedly foot the $20,000 Le Cirque tab of the presidentita and her band of loyal sipsips, is nowhere to be found? He's just keeping quiet about the whole affair, which I think is even more incriminating for the presidentita dontcha think?

(Btw, pls. be warned that the "tab" that supposedly has been posted by several bloggers and shared on Facebook is not real. The original post can be found in Manolo Quezon's blog and he clearly says there that it's a "theoretical" tab, an explanation how it could have reached $20,000. So quit posting it guys and stop spreading the disinformation.)

So, people are wondering how Romualdez could afford such a dinner. Well from what I hear, he was a banker and of course, a million pesos is just a drop in the bucket for bankers esp. if they're working for foreign institutions. And well, just read your history books and find out how the family became so wealthy. (Just for your added knowledge, Rep. Romualdez is the son of former Ambassador Benjamin 'Kokoy' Romualdez, a brother of former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos. The congressman is also the younger brother of Benjamin Philip Romualdez, chairman of Benguet Corp. who is married to the Inquirer's Sandy Prieto.)

I wonder what Rep, Romualdez's constituents now feel about him after reading that he spent $20,000 for a lavish dinner for his beloved president? You see, apart from progressive Tacloban, most of the municipalities in the congressman's first district are either 3rd class, 4th class or 5th class municipalities - meaning people there are dirt poor and don't have access to basic services. Imagine how P1 million could've helped his constituents! Tsk, tsk.

(FINAL UPDATE: The Presidentita and her loyal sipsips at dinner. Many have been asking if this is the photo of THE dinner - or dinners, as we are now hearing - at Le Cirque. I just confirmed that it is not bec. NEDA DG Ralph "Ate Vi" Recto, who is at the right of GMA, wasn't part of this last NY trip. As per a source, this is the dining room at the Townhouse, the official residence of our Philippines Permanent Rep. to the UN, Hilario Davide. This was taken sometime in Sept. 2008, when the presidentita made a speech at the UN. Rep. Romualdez is on the far left. I told my source that this room kinda reminds me of the private dining area of the Presidential Suite in Waldorf Astoria. Hmmm...)

In case Malacañang still doesn't get it (and yes, Le Cerge, we know you're just doing your job but you're really just making an A** of yourself doing so), the howls of protest from the citizenry are not about the dinner per se and who paid for it, but how the presidentita (and her loyal sipsips) can sleep soundly at night, having just eaten a costly dinner (about P950,000), when the rest of her kababayan here can't even eat one square meal a day? And pls. don't tell us Le Cerge that nobody among your crew knew how expensive dinner at Le Cirque would be - well maybe YOU don't - but that's exactly why nagkandarapa kayo sumama sa dinner na yan is bec. you know can't afford kayo!

No one is begrudging Mrs. Arroyo her good food and wine on her wedding anniversary at that, and by most accounts, Le Cirque is one of the best fine dining restaurants in New York, but yes, it is all about appearances. The leader of a third world country where most of its citizens earn less than $2 a day seen dining at an expensive restaurant just sends the wrong signals doesn't it? There she was trying to get some bit of good news for her and successful trip, hoping she gets a mention in the foreign media, but she just botches it by dining, unthinking, at Le Cirque. Even NY Post's Richard Johnson knew something was amiss in that picture. Then again, hey, at least she did get a mention in the US media. Oh aren't we all so proud of her!

(The presidentita and her minions sightseeing in LA in 2008. Is that Jaza I see on the right? My, my, we've put on the pounds haven't we? Rep. Romualdez's web site is such a treasure trove for photos documenting the presidentita's moves. We thank him from the bottom of our heart for all these photos.)

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Now I don't mean to waste your time or bore you w/ text messages. But I just wanted to let you read the kind of propaganda coming from Malacañang, especially in the light of the recent $20,000-dinner at Le Cirque. These are just examples of the kind of poor, inefficient thinking that goes on in the seat of power. And I feel insulted, because man, if this is the kind of sh** we taxpayers are paying for (to defend the presidentita's honor), then I want my money back!

From: 0935-1913-785 (Aug. 10, 5:36 pm): masyado nman sinesensionalays issue bawat galaw GMA. Ganito trabaho oposisyon. dpat linisin bakuran nyo alisin puwing mata b4 magma2linis s sambaynang pilipino

From 0916-9194-270 (Aug. 10, 4: 37 pm): BAKIT SI BINAY PAG PUMUPUNTA SA ABROAD SA JAPAN AT PINAPAKAIN SIYA KOBE BEEF NG MGA JAPON NA NAPAKAMAHAL D SIYA NAG REREKLAMO MAGPAKATOTOO KA NAMAN

From 0905-8381-099 (Aug. 10, 4:37 pm): C MAR ROXAS AT DRILLON DPAT MAHIYA SA LIBING NI PRES. CORY WLANG GINAWA KUNDI PAG HUMIHINTO CORTEGE BUMABABA AT NAKIKIPAGKAMAY S MGA TAO PRA KUMAMPANYA NAKA2HIYA (Me: teka na-late ata tong text na to a. Last week pa ang libing.)

And you don't want to know what Malacañang has been saying about Sen. Noynoy Aquino during the wake of his mother. Out of respect for Tita Cory, I'm not gonna publish it, but imagine how idiotic Malacañang's propaganda machine is, its handlers won't spare anyone, even the son of the deceased president. Tsk, tsk.

Oh and maybe, someone should shut up Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, who is probably doing even worse explaining the dinner away. Loose lips sink ships.