ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PSG: Chopper used to ensure Marcos' safety amid concert crowd

PSG: Chopper used to ensure Marcos' safety amid concert crowd

Published Jan 20, 2024 09:58 am

At A Glance

  • Morales said they decided to use the chopper as the number of people posed a security threat to the President.
  • Marcos attended the first night of Coldplay's two-night concert at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on Friday with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

The Presidential Security Group (PSG) explained that they decided to use the presidential chopper to bring President Marcos to a concert in Bulacan to ensure his safety amid the high volume of people who went to the event.

coldplay.jpg
Photos: Philippine Concerts/@philconcerts, @xhymari (X/Twitter)

PSG commander MGen Nelson Morales said this after Marcos attended the concert of British rock band Coldplay, and the presidential chopper was seen outside the Philippine Arena on Friday evening, Jan. 19.

In a statement on Saturday, Jan. 20, Morales said they decided to use the chopper as the number of people posed a security threat to the President.

"Yesterday, the Philippine Arena experienced an unprecedented influx of 40,000 individuals eagerly attending a concert, resulting in unforeseen traffic complications along the route,"

"Recognizing that this traffic situation posed a potential threat to the security of our President, the PSG took decisive action by opting for the presidential chopper," he added.

With this, the PSG chief asked for the public's understanding of the situation.

"This decision not only ensured the safety of our leader but also exemplified our commitment to prioritizing security in the face of unexpected challenges," Morales said.

"Your continued understanding and support for these measures are crucial in maintaining the safety and well-being of our nation's leadership," he added.

Marcos attended the first night of Coldplay's two-night concert at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on Friday with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

A video of at least three choppers outside the venue was also posted online. However, these drew mixed reactions from Filipinos online. Some said the use of the chopper was expected while others criticized it as it was supposedly a waste of taxpayers' money.

The heavy traffic leading to the Philippine Arena got the attention of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who praised the audience for braving the traffic just to get to the band's show.

“We’d like to say thank you so much for all of you for coming through the traffic, holy sh*t!” he said.

“I think, you know, we’ve seen some traffic. But I think you have the number one in the world. You’ve come through that bullsh*t to be here,” he added.

The President chuckled and covered his ears and face in response to Martin's remark.

Metro Manila topped the list of 387 metro centers in the 2023 Tomtom Traffic Index. Based on the study, it would take an average of at least 25 minutes to drive for 10 kilometers in the region.

Related Tags

Bongbong Marcos Coldplay Presidential Security Group MGen Nelson Morales President Marcos
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.