“Philippines president sparks outcry for using presidential
helicopter to see Coldplay” – The Guardian
“Philippine leader Marcos criticized for helicopter
ride to Coldplay concert” – The Independent
“Philippines: Helicopter trip to Coldplay concert
lands Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in trouble” – NBC News
In trouble -- that’s how President Bongbong Marcos
(PBBM) has landed as the foreign press headlined, instead of in a round of
applause that he’s been itching for on the world stage since day one of his
presidency. On such a world stage, he’s been hankering to restore the tarnished
legacy of his father and his family – the kind of vision he disclosed at the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in a rare interview where he spelled
out:
“[S]omebody had to enter politics and be in the
political arena… not only [for] the legacy of my father but even our own [family]…”
PBBM's globe-trotting trips have showcased such a blurry, if not myopic vision
in his time in office in which he said:
“Kapag hindi tayo bumiyahe at nagpakita sa mga
conference na yan, hindi nila tayo iniisip. Wala sa isipan nila ang Pilipinas.
Kailangan natin ipakita kung ano ang atin para mapaganda ang potential
investments nila sa dadalhin nila dito sa Pilipinas.”
Sad to say, the Coldplay flak triggered the
opposite effect of the intended public esteem PBBM has been hungering for in his
time in power.
“Coldplay’s Chris Martin hits Manila traffic
via impromptu composition” Inquirer bannered. Wittily, he sang, “Yesterday we
sang about Manila in the rain. But we’re not gonna sing that song again… Oh, we
can’t wait to play Manila again but the traffic here is completely insane.
There’s only one thing that remains, the traffic in Manila is completely insane.”
A research say that the transport infrastructures have the greatest potential to stimulate the economy in the long-run. Economists affirm that there is a strong linkage between the investments in transport infrastructures and economic productivity.
This is not the first time famous live performers
embroiled PBBM and his family in the entertainment world. The Coldplay
flak comes as no surprise. PBBM has been known for his fondness for rock bands
since his youth. According to some sources, PBBM was a fan of the Beatles
and other popular rock bands in the 60s and 70s. A PBBM video clip on YouTube
shows him singing Imagine by John Lennon during his birthday party.
Looking back, more than fifty years ago, on July 4,
1966, eight-year-old PBBM, was among the 300 children of top government
officials gathered and crying in disappointment at Malacañang ground because
the Beatles hadn’t turned up, and the First Lady, Imelda Marcos, saying
that the Beatles has let her down. The Beatles were unaware of
the local promoter’s promise for them to attend a breakfast reception with the
First Lady Imelda Marcos in Malacañang Palace.
Beatle
George Harrison narrated in a YouTube video clip interview his band’s ordeal
titled “He tried to kill us.” George Harrison talks about Ferdinand Marcos
[Sr.] – April 1986 which I am transcribing below:
“Yeah, well we went to Manila back in the 60s. The Beatles
were on a tour and we did the concert. The next morning, we were in bed, and
somebody knocked on our door (the hotel suite) saying, ‘Come on, you’re
supposed to be at the palace.’ And we said, ‘No, we’re not.’ We didn’t have any
engagement anywhere but somebody had, you know, some smart guy had said, ‘Sure,
I’ll get the Beatles up to the palace.’
“And they said,
turn on the TV. We turned the television on and there it was, this big palace
with lines of people and the guy saying, ‘Well, they’re still not here yet.’
And we watched ourselves not arrive at the palace. But we were never supposed
to be there.
“And so, what they did was they said, ‘Beatles
snub the First Family,’ which I’m glad we did, even in those days we had taste.
And so consequently, set the mob on us and tried to beat us up, which they did.
“They beat up a lot of people in with us and wouldn’t
let the plane leave Manila until Epstein, our manager, had to get off the plane
and give back the money we earned at the concert.
“So that’s what I think of Marcos, the old twat he
was.”
[This finale statement is flashed on the TV screen: “Eight-year-old Bongbong Marcos was quoted as saying, ‘I’d like to pounce on the Beatles and cut off their hair. Don’t anybody dare me to do anything, because I’ll do it, just to see how game the Beatles are.’”
Wikipedia
reported that at the airport upon arrival, the Beatles were “abducted” and
then escorted by military personnel to a luxury yacht owned by Don Manolo
Elizalde whose 24-year-old son wanted to host a party to show off the band to
his friends.
Shedding light on the Malacañang invitation mess, Wikipedia
narrated: “While the Beatles were unaware of [a party hosted by Imelda],
Epstein [band manager] had already declined the invitation when they were in
Tokyo. This was in keeping with his policy since 1964 regarding all embassy or
other official functions to which the group was often invited while on tour.
The 1966 itinerary mentioned only that the Beatles might ‘call in’ at
the palace at 3:00 pm en route to their first concert.”
To get this mess straight, specifically the phrase “Epstein
has already declined” the invitation, I prompted Bing, my co-pilot, to dig up
anything, counting anecdotes, it could find in its web search on the missing
pieces of the puzzle. In seconds, Bing rolled out the following telephone exchange
between Epstein and Imelda.
Imelda [I]: [On the phone] Hello, is this Brian
Epstein, the manager of the Beatles?
Epstein [E]: [On the phone] Yes, this is Brian
Epstein. Who is this?
I: This is Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of the
Philippines. I’m calling to invite you and the Beatles to a breakfast reception
at the Presidential Palace tomorrow morning. It will be a great honor and a
pleasure to meet you and the boys.
.E: Oh, thank you, Mrs. Marcos. That’s very kind of
you. But I’m afraid we have to decline. The boys are very tired and they need
to rest before their concerts. They also don’t want to get involved in any
political affairs.
I: Mr. Epstein, please reconsider. This is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. A historic moment. A golden chance. You don’t want to miss it. You
don’t want to regret it. You don’t want to offend it.
E: Offend it? What do you mean?
I: I mean, you don’t want to offend me. You don’t
want to offend my husband, the President. You don’t want to offend the people
who have welcomed and protected you.
E: Mrs. Marcos, I don’t mean to offend anyone. I’m
just trying to do my job and respect the boys’ decision. They have the right to
choose what they want to do and who they want to meet. They have the right to say
no.
I: No? No? How dare you say no to me? How dare you
say no to the First Lady? How dare you say no to the mother of the nation? Don’t
you know who I am? Don’t you know what I can do? I always get what I want.
E: Well, I’m sorry, Mrs. Marcos, but you can’t
always get what you want.
I: How dare you quote the Rolling Stone song lyrics
to me? How dare you insult me with their inferior music?
E: Mrs. Marcos. Please calm down. I was just trying
to make a point.
I: Well, you have made your point, Mr. Epstein. You
have made your choice. You have made your mistake. You have made your enemy.
And you will pay for it. You will pay for it dearly. You will regret this day.
You will regret this phone call. You will regret your no.
Imelda hung up the phone. Epstein looked bewildered and
terrified. Indeed, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. As the old saying
goes: The rest is history.
Afterward, the Manila Bulletin headlined the fallout
in bold capital letters:
“BEATLES HERE, CRY HELP, AND RUN FOR THEIR LIVES”
Content put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft
AI-powered Co-Pilot
Head collage photos courtesy of NBC News & Esquire
Philippines
Video clips courtesy of YouTube
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