Chiz: Palace could have declined dinner invite to posh NY resto

Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday said President Arroyo could have declined the invitation to dine in a posh New York restaurant where the bill for her entourage was reported at, by Philippine standards, an astronomical US$20,000.

"Sometimes, those in power forget to distinguish between the official from the personal. Unfortunately this was one of those times when bad taste won over plain decency," he said.

"At a time when many of our people go hungry every day, the least that could have been done was to decline the invitation and ask the host to donate the money to be spent to victims of Typhoon Kiko," Escudero said.

"Even if it was not taxpayers' money, it may very well be scandalous for the President to dine in style in these times and when one has just declared national mourning for the passing of a world-renowned leader," he pointed out.