Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — © AP
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is under fire for using a presidential helicopter to avoid the (in)famous traffic jams in the capital Manila and attend a Coldplay concert.
The president has to take the punishment on social media. Scores of residents accuse Marcos of “wasting taxpayers’ money” and pointed out that they have to endure Manila’s notorious traffic every day during their commute.
The president’s security team said the concert had led to “an unprecedented influx of 40,000 people,” resulting in unforeseen traffic complications along the route. “The traffic situation posed a potential threat to the safety of our president,” it said.
Activist Renato Reyes described the decision as a “serious insult to the millions of Filipino commuters,” adding that a recent international survey ranked Manila as the city with the worst traffic in the world. Even Coldplay frontman Chris Martin joked about the traffic in the Philippine capital during the performance and thanked everyone present for their perseverance. “Thank you for putting in the effort to put yourself through all that bullshit to be here.”
Coldplay-frontman Chris Martin. — © REUTERS