CEBU CITY – Amid the very people that gave her a resounding mandate in the last elections, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took her oath as the country's 14th President at exactly 12 noon here today.
An assembly of ecstatic Cebuanos and guests that included more than a hundred foreign dignitaries. The Cebu Provincial Capitol provided the backdrop to the historic rites that included full military honors.
Early in the morning, the President delivered her inaugural address at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. The inaugural in Manila was simple and austere, sans parade and fireworks, but dignified.
Clad in an aquamarine terno the President arrived at the Capitol at 11:45 a.m., 10 minutes after the arrival of Vice President Noli de Castro. She was given arrival honors, including a 21-gun salute by soldiers in green uniforms adorned with yellow stripes, and white pants.
After trooping the line, the President stood on stage and waved to the Cebuano crowd which gave her a little more than a million vote lead over closest rival Fernando Poe, Jr. in the May 10 elections.
Actress Nora Aunor, who supported Ms Macapagal-Arroyo, sang the National Anthem. An ecumenical prayer followed.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, swore in Vice President Noli de Castro at 11:45 a.m. and Macapagal-Arroyo at 12 noon. A 21-gun salute honored the President as she signed her oath of office.
Elected as senator during her first try in politics in 1992, President Macapagal-Arroyo was re-elected senator in 1995 with nearly 16 million votes, the highest number of votes in Philippine history. She was elected vice president of the Philippines in 1998 with almost 13 million votes, also the largest mandate in the history of presidential or vice presidential elections
She was sworn in as the 14th President of the Philippines on 20 January 2001, also by Chief Justice Davide after the Supreme Court unanimously declared the position of President vacant, the second woman to be swept into the presidency by a peaceful people power revolution, now known as EDSA II.
The President, born in April 5, 1947, is the daughter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal, a descendant of Lakandula and fondly known as the "poor boy from Lubao" in the province of Pampanga; and Dr. Evangelina Macaraeg-Macapagal of Binalonan, Pangasinan, who were well known for their integrity and simple but dignified lifestyle.
During the presidency of Diosdado Macapagal, the Philippines was second only to Japan in economic progress in Asia.
President Macapagal-Arroyo upheld the high academic standards of her parents, graduating valedictorian of her high school class in Assumption Convent. She was consistently on the Dean's List during her two-year college stint at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where former US President Bill Clinton became her classmate.
She graduated magna cum laude from Assumption College with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce. She later earned a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of the Philippines.
The President was accompanied in the oath-taking by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, her three children, daughters-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Among the guests who were seated on the stage were foreign dignitaries, local officials, Cabinet members, senators, congressmen, Speaker Jose De Venecia, Senate President Franklin Drilon, and former president Corazon Aquino, who wore an orange gown.
Among the foreign visitors were the minister in charge of international affairs of Morocco, the Korean minister of gender equality, a Myanmar minister, the health minister of Brunei, the First Lady of the Czech Republic, Vice President and Minister of Health of Palau, the Deputy Prime Minister from Swaziland, the Deputy Prime Minister from Thailand, the Senate President of Spain, the Foreign Minister of China, and the US Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
