President Marcos hit for attending F1 Grand Prix in Singapore

MANILA, Philippines — Groups criticized President Marcos for attending the F1 series in Singapore amid economic crisis in the country.

The National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates-Youth (NNARA-Youth), a peasant advocacy group, said that Marcos’ attendance is a condemnation which came at a time when the Philippines is “grappling with a severe economic crisis characterized by skyrocketing prices and oil price hikes.”

Marcos, who also holds the position of Department of Agriculture secretary, spent the weekend in Singapore to attend the Grand Prix.

In a statement on Sunday, NNRA-Youth spokesperson Marina Cavan said that Marcos “should be ashamed of himself for enjoying the high life while Filipinos grapple with soaring prices and oil price hikes.”

“As the Philippines president, he is mandated to live a modest life, a concept that the Marcoses are evidently unfamiliar with, thanks to the ill-gotten wealth that they looted from the regime of dictator Marcos Sr.,” Cavan said.

The group pointed to Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Marcos has not missed attending an F1 race in Singapore, they claimed, since assuming office in 2022.

In October 2022, he was seen at the grand prix with his son, Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos, and his cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez.

NNARA-Youth asserted that the President should dedicate all his time and effort to finding solutions to the economic crisis the country is facing.

“The fact that Marcos spends more time abroad than in his office at the Department of Agriculture speaks volumes about his sincerity in addressing the issues faced by farmers,” Cavan said.

Meanwhile, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) president Renato Reyes also released a statement saying that the image of Marcos in a Ferrari garage during the F1 qualifying race in Singapore, while many Filipinos “are mired in crisis is indeed lamentable.”

“The F1 drivers were prioritized over the Pinoy motorists who were battered by the 11-week oil price hike,” Reyes said in Filipino.

Reyes claimed that the 3-day Paddock Club tickets, the most expensive VIP passes, cost $11,000 per person or approximately P425,000 per person.

He also questioned if such tickets were purchased for the presidential entourage.

“In the proposed 2024 budget, Marcos Jr. requested P1.4 billion in travel funds,” Reyes said.