OTWOMD | Bluepanjeet.Net

I was reviewing as usual when I heard this issue yesterday over the Radio. I guess I’m a sucker for satire because I won’t miss the world for this. And Yes I promised not to spoil your Christmas, so let me saturate you with my corny humor about this European trip by our “leaders” to our colonizers’ homeland. And surprise, I made a leap today in my deficient mathematical skills.

A contingent of close to 200 individuals left with Ms Arroyo and her family on Saturday night on board a chartered Philippine Airlines plane to France, Spain and the United Kingdom. They included Cabinet members, three senators, 34 representatives and a few of their family members. The PAL flight had 192 passengers on board – Inquirer.net

Now who among us Filipinos would not want this flight plummet to the Atlantic ocean when the cost of this trip can already feed 36.7 million malnourished Filipino children? I do!

Can you imagine the amount that Malacanang have to spend for the Spain-France-UK trip? It’s like sending a gamut of Athletes in an Olympic Event. Okay let’s do the math. I hate math, but I love it when I try to disclose the numbers of corruption.

Each flight (Philippines to Spain) is $500 (Take note it’s business class ha!)

There would be 4 flights all in all
1. Phil to Spain
2. Spain to France
3. France to UK
4. and UK back to the Philippines.

If they would be flying business class then roughly, one delegate would spend at least $2000 dollars. Of course not all of them would fit into the business class. But heck, would you really believe that a PAL chartered plane containing the Mamoth Philippine delegation to Europe would still bother to classify the foods to be served on a business class and the economy class? I beg (Please) to disagree.

So according to PDI reporters, they have unearthed from PAL a copy of the flight’s manifest listing a total of 192 people en route to Europe. So again let’s calculate with Reyna Elena’s Abacus:

$2000 x 192 = $384,000

Of course where in Europe would they stay? I doubt it if GMA and his hubby would stay in an inn. If Trillanes can afford to put up a station in a five star hotel, so does Madame and his Party of 191. So a single night in a European Five Star hotel costs about $500.

$500 x 192 = $96,000

But of course it wouldn’t be a one night stand. They would stay in Europe for 7 days of “Official Business”, but some of them might want to stay a little longer for some window shopping so let us make it an 8 day trip (7 nights)

$96,000 x 7 = $672,000

And heck, would you go to Europe without an allowance for food and shopping? You would not want to look poor would you? So the Philippine Delegation was given a $3000 allowance for the 8 day trip. According to a “bumblebee”, the allowance is for the Solons and Cabinet members… but do we really know “who’s who” in that plane? They all seemed so alike to me, because they are all cheapskate who devour public funds just to get a freebie. So let us again do an estimate:

$3000 x 192 = $576,000

Now Sasha told me once that I should ask her for help in my accounting needs. I told her, I will. But this time I think I can do it alone. You know me. I get “too” intelligent when Politics is the topic. So let’s do a basic accounting skill which I learned in High School:

CREDIT (They are all credit! They are our money! at ang iba dyan baka utang pa sa World Bank)

$ 384,000 - Fare via business class of PAL Chartered flight
672,000 - Hotel Accommodations
576,000 - Per diem (Allowance)
————–
$1,632,000 – Estimated cost of the 8 day European trip

x 42.759 – Dollar exchange rate in peso as of December 3, 2007
————–
69,782,688 Philippine peso-pesoses!

Whoa! That’s a lot of money. Even bigger than a Super Lotto prize for this week. No wonder Trillanes couldn’t wait to grab from the President her cherished position. By the way in case you asked, these came from our TAX money.

And behold, according to the Inquirer.net’s official list of “Representatives and Senators who tagged along with Madame”, the Faces of our 37 Solons who joined the European Junket:

3 Senators

34 Representatives

Profiles courtesy of the House of Representatives

Special Mention to the following who sat in “sitting pretty” mode in the business class with Madame:

“The President and her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, were seated in business class, along with their children, Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo and Evangeline Lourdes “Luli” Arroyo. The first couple’s grandchildren were also on the flight.

Other officials who enjoyed business class comfort with the First Family were Finance Secretary Peter Favila, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.”

The standard protocol in a diplomatic trip should be no more than 15 delegates per trip. George Bush when he visited the Philippines had no more that 30 people including securities with him in his trip. So what’s the fuzz in all of these nonsense that I talked about?

1. It is the people’s money they are spending
2. They are cocking about the World Bank’s denial of a loan by our country for a certain road project, yet they have the “face” to spend for this extravagant trip.
3. Reyna Elena has more class and decency when it comes to social climbing skills
4. It doesn’t matter if I my accounting and math is incorrect, the bottom line is they are spending the money of the people.

To ask what they are doing there is none of our business as ordinary citizens. But to ask “who” would pay the money is I think an obligation of all Tax-paying citizens. Reyna Elena taught so many things about social climbing skills that would benefit each Filipinos working hard for their moneys’ worth, but I say, the ones I mentioned above, aren’t one of them. I can’t believe that an ordinary OFW like Reyna Elena has a transcendental logic compared to these cheapskates! No wonder I am always hooked up on her blog! Our Leader’s “Social Climbing Skills” are shameless, utterly shameless!

Sasha, is my accounting bad or what?

Related blog entries on the Extravagant European Trip:

• Lawmakers on Junket with GMA
• GMA, 40 Politiko sa Europe Trip, Junket at Bayad Utang
• Happy People Again
• Militants Blast Arroyo’s European Junket trip
• Europe Pinoys slam Arroyo trip to Spain, France, UK