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July 2, 2010 MANILA – President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Je¬jomar Binay took the reins of gov¬ernment Wednesday shortly after their well attended inaugural at the historic Quirino grandstand at the Luneta.
On the same day, outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who accompanied Aquino to Luneta, bid goodbye to the presi¬dency which she held for an un¬precedented nine years and took her oath as congresswoman of the second district of Pampanga, the district served by his late uncle Angel and late father Diosdado P. Macapagal before becoming Vice President and then President, in ceremonies at the Bren Guiao Auditorium in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
Mrs. Arroyo said she leaves to her successor a strong nation, even as she rallied the people to unite behind the new President and leaders.
Volunteers of Aquino during the campaign also take their pledge of allegiance for change and what they would do for the country after Aquino’s oath.
Aquino is the fifth president to take his oath of office on June 30, Ferdinand Marcos, Fide l Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Mrs. Arroyo being the others. Aquino will take his oath at high noon as the 15th President of the Philippines and the fifth president of the Fifth Republic of the Philippines . Aquino took the post which would have been occupied by his late father, Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., had he not been assassinated. His mother, Corazon, took the cudgels for the slain Ninoy and became president as a reluctant candidate like the young Aquino.
Aquino took his oath at 12 noon before Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales. Binay took his oath a few minutes earlier in the same venue. In the evening, Aquino and his thousands of supporters erupted with joy in their celebration at the Quezon City Memorial Circle attended by top showbiz personalies led by Arnel Pineda, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Charice Pempengco and others. Aquino vowed to tackle head on the gargantuan tasks of the presidency, including fighting corruption, but clarified he was no superman for the job and called on officials and the people to help his administration.
As a show of support for the new administration, representatives of the United States , 84 other countries and international organizations attended the inaugural. United States President Barack Obama was represented in the ceremonies by Trade Representative Ron Kirk, who was accompanied by US Ambassador Henry Thomas Jr. Obama had congratulated Aquino on his election as President in a telephone call and vowed to support his administration. Obama said he was also looking forward to meeting Aquino personally soon, probabaly at the White House.
Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta was the only head of state who attended the inaugural. Prior to giving up the president, Mrs. Arroyo engaged her Cabinet in their last meeting and inaugurated or visited many projects like P136.4 million Macapagal-Gullas Fishing Port project in Tanke,Talisay City, complete with an ice plant and ice storage and the P24.172 million President Diosdado Macapagal Park and Boardwalk in Danao City. The President also administered the oath of office of Cebu 6th district Rep. Luigi Quisumbing, 4th district Rep. Benhur Salimbangon, 3rd district Rep. Pablo John Garcia, 2nd district Rep. Pablo Garcia and re-electionist Gov. Gwen Garcia.
President Arroyo also inaugurated the new expanded passenger terminal of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at Clark Freeport in Pampanga that will increase passenger handling capacity to an additional 600,000 a year.
Costing P338 million, the expanded passenger terminal contains two passenger boarding bridges, two escalators, two elevators, concession areas, two VIP lounge areas, X-ray walk thru machine, flight information display system (FIDS), closed circuit television, background and music/public address system, centralized airconditioning system and building maintenance system, said Alex Cauguiran, DMIA Executive Vice President.
At Clark, President Arroyo also laid the time capsule that signals the start of the work on VIP Jet Services Inc, an ultra-modern facility for prominent personalities and their private aircraft preferring to have privacy during airport arrival at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.