The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today slammed Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “Imeldific weekend getaway” in Singapore as the country reels from the effects of supertyphoon Karding and amid worsening of the Philippine economy.

“In a gross display of callousness, Marcos Jr, along with his entourage, indulged in a luxurious weekend getaway to Singapore to watch the Singapore Grand Prix, a car racing competition,” CPP Chief Information Officer Marco Valbuena pointed out.

Valbuena described Marcos’ Singapore getaway as “buhay mayaman sa gitna ng paghihirap ng bayan,” citing the rapid deterioration of Filipino people’s socioeconomic conditions amid rising prices of food, fuel and other basic commodities.

Marcos Jr was reportedly joined by his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and his son, Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos, who is also Senior Deputy Majority Leader. Reports say that they are staying at the exclusive F1 Paddock Club which charges 8,000 Singaporean dollars for a two-day access, or around ₱330,000.

“Marcos Jr found the time and opportunity to indulge in high-living entertainment while millions of peasants have yet to recover from the destruction of supertyphoon Karding,” Valbuena stressed. Agriculture sustained not less than ₱3 billion total damage after the typhoon hit last week. Marcos Jr concurrently heads the country’s agriculture department.

“Not even a hundred days in office, Marcos Jr reveals himself as a president who spends a lot of time to go to parties and indulge in extravagance,” Valbuena further said. “Not long after he sneaked to watch a concert while he was in New York for the UN General Assembly, ito naman!” he added.

Malacañang has neither confirmed nor denied the president’s weekend getaway in Singapore.

“As Philippine president, he is obliged to reveal to the Filipino people, whether he used government funds in his Singapore trip,” said Valbuena. “Are presidential discretionary funds being used for Marcos’ indiscretion?” Under the proposed national budget for 2023, the Office of the President is slated to receive a staggering ₱4.5-billion intelligence and confidential funds.

“Or perhaps, Marcos was treated by his friends in the big business community,” added Valbuena. “Who are these friends and what do they get in return? Anong kapalit?”

“Ang kapal kapal ng mukha! Walang kahihiyan sa taumbayan! Nanggagalaiti ang mga Pilipino! Habang hindi sila magkandaugaga sa paghahanap ng maihahain, nagpapakasarap-buhay at nagwawaldas ng pera si Marcos sa Singapore,” Valbuena ended. (CPP Information Bureau)