COLDPLAY

A helicopter trip to a Coldplay concert lands a world leader in trouble

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife took an official chopper to the event after the band's fans created "unforeseen traffic complications," his security detail said.

Coldplay "Music of the Spheres" World Tour - Perth
Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images

The leader of the Philippines has landed himself in trouble after using a presidential helicopter to bypass heavy traffic and make it to a Coldplay concert.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife were seen riding a chopper last Friday to the Philippine Arena— the world’s largest indoor arena — just north of Manila, the country's notoriously traffic-heavy capital. 

He soon received backlash from some social media users, who questioned Marcos' use of taxpayers' money and criticized him for not solving transportation issues in the country.

“What he showed was a stark contrast to what many ordinary Filipino concertgoers had to go through,” Nick Villavecer told NBC News on Monday via text message, adding that he was "utterly disappointed" but not surprised.

Villavecer said he left home seven hours before the concert in a carpool with other fans in order to avoid anticipated traffic jams.

"We have heard of some horrible stories of people being stuck in the traffic and missing the first half of the previous concerts,” he said. “If the venue was more accessible, we wouldn’t have to spend hours waiting outside.”

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.

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