THE OPULENT suite was for free.
This was First Gentleman Jose Miguel ?Mike? Arroyo’s defense to the “insinuation” that he had spent P1 million a night for a plush Las Vegas hotel room.
“It was a complimentary accommodation,” said Arroyo’s lawyer, Jesus Santos, in a press conference yesterday afternoon at the Lourdes Tuazon Arroyo building in Makati City.
“It’s just like whenever we fly abroad and we take economy seats. Once the airline sees his name, he is upgraded to first class,” explained his chief of staff, Juris Soliman.
Santos said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?s husband felt he had to air his side after Inquirer sports columnist Recah Trinidad wrote that a Filipino, specifically a “heavyweight backer” of Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, had allegedly splurged on a $20,000-a-night room at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.
The suite occupies a total of 12,000 square feet of floor space, has its own swimming pool, a front garden and other amenities.
Trinidad narrowed down his description by saying that the said public figure was not a congressman.
Apart from Arroyo, more than a dozen congressmen flew to Las Vegas to cheer for Pacquiao in his bout against Mexico’s Erik Morales. The First Gentleman felt the Trinidad piece had alluded to him.
Confirm with MGM
“He was not even identified but there was an insinuation. They could call up MGM if they want and confirm the report. This is despicable, ridiculous,” said Santos.
Arroyo, Pacquiao’s “benefactor” as described by Soliman, flew to Las Vegas on March 18 to catch Pacquiao’s bout, then flew back home on March 22.
Soliman said Arroyo was with his brother, Negros Occidental Representative Ignacio Arroyo, when he came to the MGM Grand Hotel, where the Pacquiao-Morales bout was also held. The younger Arroyo was already booked, and the President?s husband was inquiring about a room when he was informed of the complimentary accommodation.
“He was even surprised when he learned he had a complimentary room, and he just said ?Oh, thank you,”? said Soliman.
Not luxurious
This was confirmed by the younger Arroyo and Bacolod City Representative Monico Puentevella who said the First Gentleman was given a complimentary room by the MGM Grand but it was not luxurious.
“It was complimentary. I stayed with him in the room and it was ordinary,? the younger Arroyo said in a telephone interview.
But Arroyo and Puentevella denied rumors that the First Gentleman was the Filipino who had rented the $20,000-a-night suite in the Las Vegas hotel to watch the Morales-Pacquiao boxing match.
Congressman Arroyo revealed that it was Pacquiao who provided the First Gentleman his plane ticket to fly to Las Vegas for the boxing match.
“Manny gave us four tickets. You can check with him,? the younger Arroyo said.
Unfair
Puentevella scored the political opposition for allegedly dragging the First Gentleman’s name into the controversy.
“It’s unfair for the opposition to do this. They should come up with a name and identify who this person is,? he said.
Puentevella, who covered the boxing match for a radio network, said he did not know the identity of the Filipino who rented the $20,000-a night room at the MGM Grand.
“I don’t even think that it was the First Gentleman. It might be somebody else. As far as I know, what he had was an ordinary room,? he said.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Malaca?ang would look into the persistent rumors.
“These are just rumors but we will see who is being referred to by this information. As of now, we do not know how these rumors came about. Once we get the information on this, we will give you an official statement,” Bunye said. “It would have been better if the writers had identified their subject considering there are plenty of people patronizing that hotel.”
Live modestly
House Minority Leader Francis Escudero on Monday called for a congressional investigation into Trinidad’s column which reported that a Filipino, reputedly a public figure, had rented a $20,000 suite at the MGM Grand Hotel.
He said the investigation would not focus on determining the identity of the public figure but only on strengthening the country’s laws against ostentatious display of wealth by public officials or their relatives.
Escudero noted that the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees calls on government officials to live modest lives while the Civil Code bars ostentatious displays of wealth which might cause public unrest.
He cited Article 25 of the Civil Code which says that “Thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during periods of acute public want or emergency may be stopped by order of the courts at the instance of any government or private institution.? With reports Gil Cabacungan Jr. and Agence France-Presse.
