While in the US, the Marcos family and their minions wildly spent the people’s money. They stayed in a hotel at $10,000–$15,000 per night (or more than ₱3.5 million per room for a week.) His wife, Liza Araneta-Marcos, visited luxury shops and watched pricey shows. During his departure and arrival in the Philippines, their chartered airplane was escorted by FA-50 jetfighter planes.

The Marcos’ profligate lifestyle did not end in the US. On October 1, Marcos, his son, and his cousin House Speaker Martin Romualdez flew to Singapore to watch a car racing event. They used the government’s Gulfstream jet, previously purchased by the Duterte regime to serve as a “command center” of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, like a private jet. They made the trip amid the suffering of more than 157,000 Filipinos devastated by typhoon Karding.