Palace: President Marcos to attend F1 race in Singapore

SINGAPORE — President Marcos is attending the Formula 1 Grand Prix here this weekend, a move that Malacañang said would allow him to have face-to-face interactions with potential investors, but is assailed by critics who view it as insensitive to Filipinos facing economic hardships.

“He will attend,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said at a media briefing yesterday here.

“According to the President, it would be better for transactions if there are face-to-face meetings... The attendees see each other’s body language. Most of those who will attend are business executives, world leaders,” Castro added. 

She said Marcos had seen leaders like the late Lee Kwan Yew and key investors during the Formula 1 race.

Marcos is in Singapore for a five-day working visit, his 47th foreign trip since becoming president in 2022. It is also his sixth visit here, two of which saw him watching the luxurious sporting event in 2022 and in 2023.

Castro said Marcos would not pay for his ticket to the race because he was invited by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

“You can meet anybody, anyone you want, even some of the businessmen from the Philippines, I had meetings with them because they were there for the F1. So… happy coincidence” Marcos said.

While officials claimed that the race – which began yesterday and ends tomorrow – would allow the President to boost ties with fellow leaders and seize investment opportunities, critics described attendance to the event as a “shameless” act that would do nothing to alleviate the plight of the poor. ?