Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used a presidential helicopter to avoid notorious traffic jams and attend a Coldplay concert north of the capital Manila.

Many on social media criticized the president for wasting taxpayers’ money, and stressed that people have to endure Metro Manila’s infamous traffic daily while commuting, while the President simply used a helicopter to get around the traffic.

The Philippine Arena had "experienced an unprecedented influx of 40,000 individuals eagerly attending a concert, resulting in unforeseen traffic complications along the route," according to the Presidential Security Group, which labeled this as a "potential threat of security to the President." 

Renato Reyes, an activist, described this action as "a grave insult to millions of Filipino commuters", adding, "We are faced with a debilitating mass transport crisis that has caused terrible traffic and nightmare commutes for ordinary folks."

Metro Manila was recently named as the slowest metro area in a survey of 387 cities across 55 countries, according to the 2023 TomTom Traffic Index. On average, it takes 25 minutes and 30 seconds to travel 10km (six miles) in the capital region.

"Perhaps the horrendous traffic that forced the First Couple to take a helicopter will end the state of denial in the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority about the Philippine capital region having the worst traffic congestion among ‘metros’ in the world," Ana Marie T Pamintuan wrote in a column for the Philippine Star. She added that this incident had revived memories of Marcos’ father and mother for the older generations, as his father was a dictator who ruled the Philippines for two decades and was accused of plundering billions of dollars.