Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has said his country has no plan to rejoin the International Criminal Court

The February 22 episode of the world-renowned American game show Jeopardy! took a jab at the current president of the Philippines, Ferdinand "BongBong" Marcos Jr.

Under the category of "Current World Leaders," the final question for the upcoming round of the tournament was, "In office from 2022, the president of this country has taken so many foreign trips a play on his name is 'Ferdinand Magellan Jr.'"

The contestants of that round were Jack Izzo, Alison Purcell, and Avi Gupta. It was also Gupta who could state the correct answer, "What is the Philippines?" while adding a small thank you note to his mom at the bottom. This placed the 21-year-old in the semi-finals of Jeopardy's High School Reunion Tournament and allowed him to reclaim the title after winning the High School Tournament in 2019 with a jackpot of $100,000.

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The name "Ferdinand Magellan Jr." was a mix of Marcos and Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer famous for "masterminding the first expedition to circumnavigate the world," as per the Royal Museums Greenwich. Magellan was also the conquistador that started the 333 years of colonization that the Philippines suffered under the rulership of the Spaniards.

"Marcos Jr. has visited a total of nine countries in the eight months since he assumed office," Spot PH reports. Although the Philippine president claims that the purpose of his international trips was for fostering and maintaining relations with other countries, his travels created controversy among his citizens as these trips are being funded by the country's taxes. His trip to Singapore in September 2022 with his son sparked anger among the Filipinos, as the president was spotted at the elite car racing Formula 1 Grand Prix, seemingly having the time of his life.

While their president is touring the globe, Filipinos are left to face the ongoing inflation crisis. Many are also amplifying their cries for their fellow countrymen to "never forget" the abuse that they went through under the hands of the father of their current president, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., as they celebrated the 50th year anniversary since Martial Law was imposed on the Philippines.

Philippines