The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Saturday defended President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos against allegations of throwing an expensive private concert at a Pasay hotel in celebration of his 67th birthday. 

In a statement, PCO clarified that Marcos attended a party organized by his old friends “after a tiring day filled with official engagements” and “to his surprise and appreciation” Duran Duran performed for him.

“After a tiring day filled with official engagements, he attended a party thrown by his old friends at a hotel in Pasay, and to his surprise and appreciation, music was provided by Duran Duran,” the PCO said, in response to vlogger Sass Sassot’s claim that  Marcos reportedly had a private party to celebrate his birthday at the Manila Marriot Hotel and that Duran Duran had a private concert for the President “using taxpayers’ money.”

Sassot criticized the President’s alleged use of people’s money for his self-fulfilment. 

“Thank you Filipino taxpayers for paying for the private life enjoyment of the President because it is so stressful for the president to lead you, so cut the president some slack if he chooses to spend your hard-earned taxes because he is already working so hard,” the vlogger wrote on her Facebook account. 

In its defense, the PCO stated that the party was done “at no cost to the government.”

The PCO also highlighted that Marcos “celebrated his birthday with his signature compassion for the needy and the sick, and his deep appreciation for the farmers who feed the nation.”

Over the weekend, the government announced it would shoulder the expenses of patients confined in Level 3 public hospitals nationwide, with around P328 million will be released to 22 tertiary hospitals nationwide, to cover the free medical expenses of patients who are confined and undergoing treatment. 

“He ordered the payment of the bills incurred that day by qualified patients in third-level DOH hospitals,” the PCO emphasized. 

The PCO also noted that Marcos “traveled hundreds of kilometers to grant farmers” a gift of debt condonation and “a new financing program that will boost farm yields and farmers’ incomes.”

“The President spent his birthday as just another busy day in the office, with the same dedication to his job that has marked his presidency,” the PCO said. 

“He opened the gates of Malacañang, where food booths awaited people from all walks of life who came from near and far to greet him a happy birthday,” it added.