Some supporters of the president are copy-pasting a certain post in their own accounts and pages in response to criticisms for his attendance at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix over the weekend.
The Palace on Monday confirmed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. went to the city-state after photos of him, his son and his cousin at the event circulated online.
The trip came days after Typhoon Karding (international name: Noru) — the strongest storm to have hit the country this year — ravaged Central Luzon.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said that Marcos’ weekend Singapore trip was “productive” and that he “strengthened” his initial talks with the city-state last month.
“Pinagpatibay niya ang mga pangunahing usapan sa huling state visit sa bayan na ito, at pinatuloy ang paghihikayat sa pag-invest sa bayang Pilipinas,” she wrote before.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, meanwhile, shared a photo collage that included Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos with the caption:
“Happy to link up again with friends from both here and abroad. They were excited to be here, to watch the race and enjoy the good company.”
“I’m glad to see spectators from all around the world visiting Singapore just to attend it. It is yet another sign that we have emerged from the pandemic and are open for business,” Lee said in his overall Facebook post.
The Palace’s statement sparked questions from some Filipinos who said that the trip was unannounced, unlike Marcos’ previous visits abroad as president.
Others also asked why Rep. Sandro Marcos (Ilocos Norte, First District) and House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Leyte, First District) needed to be there if the trip was about strengthening bilateral talks.
Some wondered whether “public funds” were used following the Palace’s comment.
RELATED: Questions on transparency as Palace breaks silence on Marcos’ Singapore trip during F1 weekend
The Singapore Grand Prix, part of the Formula One World Championships, was put on hold for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city-state has since eased its COVID-related restrictions and allowed visitors from other territories.
Race tickets cost from SG$98 (P4,024) to nearly SG$10,000 (P410,629).
Marcos’ supporters defended the trip by commenting that the racing event is “not just an ordinary game or sports.”
A political blogger wrote the following last Sunday:
“The F1 Grand Prix is not just an ordinary game or sports [sic]. It’s attended to by big business leaders globally, not just Asians. It’s a very good opportunity for PBBM to be seen and introduced there by Singapore’s PM and other big business leaders.”
“The Philippines is the rising tiger in ASEAN, and as such, isn’t it ironic that such classification could not even afford him the opportunity to honor the invitation of Singapore’s PM?”
“The 2nd or 3rd highest investment partner of the Philippines?”
“Sobrang pathetic naman ng gusto niyong mangyari. Gusto niyo umunlad ang bansa. Maging tiger economy in Asia, pero ang ugali at mindset niyo naman ay pang third-world or under-developed country. To be a tiger, you must act as one.”
The text has been copied and pasted by some of his supporters on Facebook.
When a Facebook user shared that the blogger’s post was being copy-pasted on social media as a form of “script,” the latter answered:
“Ay ang saya. Ginagamit ng mga tao ang sinulat ko. Common sense lang naman kasi na wala ang karamihan.”
A former executive assistant of late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III shared that the latter has also received invites to F1 racing events.
Raf Ignacio claimed that Aquino “always” declined since “he felt that such a trip would be purely for recreation.” He added that “it was inappropriate to use the influence of his (Aquino’s) office and public funds for personal matters.”
RELATED: Singapore leader had invited Noynoy Aquino to F1, too
