President Bongbong Marcos surprised overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Singapore over the weekend when he stopped by the Lucky Plaza Mall.
The shopping center is a popular hub for OFWs during their rest days.
In a video shared on Marcos’ Facebook account, the chief executive was seen walking around the area waving at the Filipino community with his wife and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos.
Marcos arrived in Singapore on Wednesday to attend the 10th Asian Conference and to attend the finals of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix 2023.
The visit to Singapore earned the ire of many activist groups citing the timing of the trip.
The National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates-Youth (NNARA-Youth) 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.”
“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.,” the group said.
Marcos also attended the Grand Prix event in 2022.
“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,” the group added.
Marcos is back in the Philippines on Monday.
