President of the Philippines is criticized for using presidential helicopter to go to Coldplay concert

President of the Philippines is criticized for using presidential helicopter to go to Coldplay concert

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife received criticism for flying with official transport to the arena in Manila to watch Coldplay last Friday (19)

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.the president of Philippineshas faced criticism for using the country’s presidential helicopter to attend a Coldplay. The presentation took place last Friday (19), at Philippine Arenain the north of the capital, Manila.

According to the country’s presidential security department, the space was filled with an “unprecedented” flow of 40,000 people, “resulting in unpredictable traffic complications” along the route, representing a “potential risk to the president’s security.”

Marcos Jr.’s attitude ended up attracting criticism. To the The Guardianthe activist Renato Reyes described the situation as a “serious insult” to the Filipino population.

“We are dealing with a huge and debilitating mass transit crisis that causes terrible traffic and commutes that seem like a nightmare to ordinary people.”

The whole situation ends up being aggravated by the recent release of the 2023 TomTom Traffic, which identified Manila’s traffic as the slowest among the 387 cities analyzed, in 55 countries. According to research, it takes 25 minutes and 30 seconds to cross 10km in the capital. (Considering the data from the investigation, the distance between the presidential palace and the Philippine Arena would be 40 minutes by car or two hours by public transport, according to BBC.)

The country’s traffic was even mentioned by Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, during the show. During the presentation, the Brit joked with those present and thanked them for their perseverance in getting there:

“We’ve already hit some traffic. But I think you guys have number one in the world. Thanks for all the effort in getting through all that nonsense and getting here.”

Some critics even highlighted the inconsistency of the president and his wife, Liza Araneta-Marcosto attend the Coldplay concert by helicopter – a group that advocates reducing carbon emissions, including on their tours.

Source: Rollingstone

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