Sinong gumastos?

From Conrad de Quiros:

GLORIA Macapagal-Arroyo has appealed to her foes not to politicalize the Manny Pacquiao fight. That is all very well, except for one thing. She should be addressing that message not to her foes but to her friends. She should be addressing that message not to her critics but to her family. She should be addressing that message not to her detractors but to herself.

I did not see Francis Escudero or Alan Peter Cayetano among the crowd on ringside wasting taxpayers' money to see the fight up close and personal. I saw Prospero Pichay and other congressmen do so. I did not see Francisco Gudani or Alexander Balutan clamber up to the stage to embrace the sweating Pacquiao the better to bathe in his glory, I saw Mike Arroyo and Chavit Singson do so. I did not hear Cory Aquino or Susan Roces call up Pacquiao to insinuate themselves into the picture, I heard Gloria Arroyo do so.

It would be interesting to know kung sino ang gumastos sa junkets ng mga politicians na ito. Did they use their own money, o pera ng gobierno? Or did somebody else pay for those? And if somebody else did pay for their expenses, sino sino sila? Full disclosure please.

Kasi, I believe there is no such thing as a free lunch in this town. Kung ginastusan ang isang politician ng malaki ng mga rich-but-unidentified characters na yan, usually may hinihingi silang kapalit in return. Not now, but later... maybe in the form of gov't contracts, tax breaks, favors etc. that are not exactly beneficial or advantageous to the Filipino people.

Tignan nyo yung ingay na na-generate sa Juetengate ni Erap. Corruption raw yan dahil erap was taking bribes.

Well, yung recent na junket ng mga politicians at mga big shots na yan--doesn't that have all the makings of a Jack Abramoff type of deal here?

So again, nagtatanong lang. Sino ba ang gumastos para sa mga napaka-mahal na expenses ng mga politicians na yan?