Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr’s visit to the Formula One (F1) Grand Prix in Singapore over the weekend has been criticised for his “untimely visit” when the nation is ravaged by Typhoon Noru.
The president later confirmed his trip after posting pictures on his Facebook post on Monday night, inviting a string of criticism on his online post.
“They say that playing golf is the best way to drum up business, but I say it’s Formula 1…What a productive weekend,” Marcos Jr. said.
The trip was reportedly unannounced, as Marcos Jr’s press secretary did not even issue a confirmation. It was revealed that he had gone to Singapore only after the local officials posted pictures of the Philippines’ president on Facebook.
Moreover, Singaporean Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng named the Philippines’ leader among the foreign dignitaries he met “to affirm our bilateral economic relationships and strengthen collaborations in energy cooperation as well as exchange views on manpower policies on the sidelines of the race.”
The opposition demanded more details from the government about the trip, asking if it was funded with public resources.
“We assert that the Singapore F1 weekend getaway was insensitive, unnecessary and irresponsible given the crisis that the nation is in,” Renato Reyes of the left-wing Bayan political alliance said in a statement, reports AP news agency.
“Only the utterly callous and shamelessly entitled would not get this point.”
According to AP, which cited a Philippine official, Marcos Jr., left for Singapore with his wife and two sons on Friday on a military plane for an overnight stay to watch the Grand Prix races.
Typhoon Noru has left at least 1 million people displaced and claimed 12 lives, disaster response officials said.
The landfall is estimated to have caused damages of nearly $51 million, leaving farmland flattened just before the harvest season.
(With inputs from agencies)
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