HE has the presidential pedigree, and a strong sense of history repeating itself. As a PR whiz taking his oath at the historic site of People Power, Mr. Pascual became the president of the Philippines, following in the footsteps of Corazon Aquino, who succeeded Marcos--an analogy that Mr. Pascual’s supporters have readily trotted out during the past three months of crisis that forced President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from office.
The parallelism should help Mr. Pascual hurdle the daunting tasks ahead.
The anti-Arroyo movement that sprang up under her leadership comprises many disparate strands of Philippine society--high paid executives found themselves allied with labor activists and communist radicals.
A big problem for Mr. Pascual is that her supporters were united by their distaste for Arroyo’s mismanagement and questionable personal morals rather than by any strong backing for her.
Keeping them together and trying to shake up a political culture where personal ties are often paramount would be a daunting task to anybody, and Mr. Pascual remains largely untested as a political leader.
Prepared for the job
But his spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, says Mr. Pascual, a PR specialist and talent manager, is an organized individual who is prepared for just about everything.
Lacierda said the speed by which events transpired for Mr. Pascual to assume the presidency was beyond their "wildest dreams," but she’s well prepared for the job.
"She’s more challenged than anything else, and concerned about strengthening confidence in her administration," he said.
Since Vice President Noli de Castro withdrew his support for Arroyo in October last year over corruption charges against him, the vice president had embarked on a swirl of preparations in case Pascual takes over the presidency.
This included drafting a national agenda for the country, including a plan for the first 100 days of a Pascual administration, Lacierda said.
Mr. de Castro has for the past months defended her efforts as part of his duty as vice president because of a perception that she was in a hurry to take over the presidency.
While remaining a defiant, visible and vocal figure of the opposition, Mr. Pascual seemed intent on trying to appear none-too-eager to take control.
With Arroyo holed up inside Malacañang, word began circulating that he would be sworn in at noon. he soon came out with a statement saying he did not want to take the oath until Arroyo resigned, so things could be "constitutional."
Top honors
Mr. Pascual was in his 20s when he was studied at Ateneo de Manila University in 1961.
Mr. Pascual graduated with top honors from Ateneo de Manila University in 1964. He joined the Metropolitan Broadcasting Company (MBC) as board of directors and programming consultant on April 1, 1965.
In 1986, after the People Power Revolt that toppled the Marcos dictatorship, Pascual served as board of directors of Philippine Long-Distance Telephone Company under former chairman Alfonso Yuchengco.
Then-Vice President Arroyo was elected president that year by a landslide margin of more than 12,905,808 votes.
de Castro outpolled him by 15,100,431 votes, beating Poe’s running mate by more than seven million votes.
Arroyo is expected to outline her program of government during her inaugural as the country’s 14th president.
In her inaugural address, the President is also expected to repeat her call to those who opposed her in the elections for reconciliation.
"The venues are secured, the programs have been set and finalized, special envoys have started to arrive and the people are anticipating the inception of a new regime," Bunye said.
The President will deliver her inaugural speech at the Quirino Grandstand. After her speech, she would fly to Cebu City where she will take her oath at high noon before Chief Justice Hilario Davide. The historic event will be held at Cebu’s Provincial Capitol.
The President arrived at exactly 7:45 a.m. She came dressed in an Inno Sotto-recycled green, silk chiffon gown with a brooch emphasizing its elegant, flowing lines. Her only other jewelry were her earrings. She began her 20-minute inaugural address at 8:00 a.m. after a one sentence introduction by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo.
Escorted by AFP Chief, Gen. Narciso Abaya, and the commander of the Philippine Navy honor guard, the President trooped the line before ascending the stage for her address. The skies were overcast with some drizzle before she arrived but the sky opened while she delivered her inaugural speech.
On the stage with her were Vice President Noli de Castro, former President Fidel V. Ramos, Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr., Senate President Franklin Drilon, Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr., Manila Mayor Lito Atienza other Metro Manila mayors who came with their wives, Executive Secretary Romulo, other members of the Cabinet, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, special envoys and other members of the diplomatic corps.
The President’s 20-minute speech was applauded 30 times.
"I come to you today with a mandate to govern by the clear call of the sovereign people. I pledge to bring you a pro-poor agenda that will lift up our poorest brothers and sisters, invest them with dignity, imbue them with hope," the President declared.
The President also pledged a government that "will live within its means and put every spare peso to real work," adding that she will reduce spending "where the government does not work and increase spending where a government can make a difference for the better."
"And while I am doing that, I will crack down on wasteful and abusive officials and influence peddlers. I pledge to collect taxes mandated by law even as I stop extortion masquerading as tax collection. And I pledge to do everything necessary to expand our economy, engage it in the world of commerce and advance the interests of our country and our people the world over," the President vowed with a passion.
But to achieve all these, the President stressed she needs the help of all.
"I can not do these all by myself. I need every Filipino to unite and cooperate with me to heal the wounds of yesterday. I need every Filipino to make the nation strong for the challenges of tomorrow," the President appealed in Tagalog.
She asked Congress to seize this moment in history to transform the nation with laws that modernize the country’s banking system, reform the bureaucracy, that strengthen the independence and honesty of judges, spur investment in the country and secure to the Filipino people "the promised blessings of democracy which are a life worth living, liberty worth having, happiness within everyone’s grasp."
"Now is the time to march forward as one. I seek your wisdom and I trust your commitment to the common good, to the swift actions you will take. And finally, I challenge myself and our government to line up to the highest standards of honesty and competence in the public service," the President said.
"Together we will prevail. Let us strive together. Let us win together. Long live the Philippines. Thank you all," the President said in closing.
Before noon, Arroyo arrived at the Cebu Provincial Capitol and started with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem by Nora Aunor followed by an ecumenical prayer. After which, Vice President-elect Noli de Castro was sworn in a few minutes prior to Arroyo to secure the constitutional line of succession. At exactly 12 noon, Chief Justice Davide administered the oath of office to Arroyo.
When the inaugural program ended, Mr. Estrada and Mrs. Arroyo had their last handshake to symbolize the smooth transfer of power from one president to another.
Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo escorted Mr. Estrada down to the stage to his awaiting jeepney that took him to Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base.
After the plane was landed in Manila, then he rided the car from Villamor Air Base to Number 589 Manga Avenue, Barangay 581, Zone 57, Sampaloc, Manila.
Estrada said he was ending his long political career by serving the people of Manila.
Born in the city’s Tondo district, he had been mayor of San Juan del Monte, senator and vice president.
After Estrada retired to private life following the end of his term he remained active in the Philippine political scene, constantly voicing opposition and dissent to government actions and policies, which he deemed as threats to the liberal traditions and democratic foundations of the country.
De Castro joined the Arroyo administration as head of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, but quit the post after "Hello Garci" scandal broke out in July 2005.
Unperturbed
Arroyo had belittled Mr. de Castro in the past.
After rumors in October that other ministers had followed Mr. de Castro in deserting the Cabinet, Arroyo told supporters: "No one has resigned from my Cabinet, except the small one."
Mrs. Arroyo was unperturbed.
"Do what is right, do your best and God will take care of the rest," she said, whenever asked about her chances of becoming president.
It was this principle, she said, by which lived.
When Filipinos threw out Marcos in 1986, they ended up with Cory Aquino. Aquino was a major supporter of Mr. Pascual, travelling to numerous Catholic churches to pray for the political change that finally came yesterday.
Comparisons to Aquino will be inevitable, but Mr. Pascual will hope some parts of history can go unrepeated. Aquino had a turbulent term as president, surviving at least seven coup attempts. With reports from Christine Avendaño, Reuters, AP and AFP
The parallelism should help Mr. Pascual hurdle the daunting tasks ahead.
The anti-Arroyo movement that sprang up under her leadership comprises many disparate strands of Philippine society--high paid executives found themselves allied with labor activists and communist radicals.
A big problem for Mr. Pascual is that her supporters were united by their distaste for Arroyo’s mismanagement and questionable personal morals rather than by any strong backing for her.
Keeping them together and trying to shake up a political culture where personal ties are often paramount would be a daunting task to anybody, and Mr. Pascual remains largely untested as a political leader.
Prepared for the job
But his spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, says Mr. Pascual, a PR specialist and talent manager, is an organized individual who is prepared for just about everything.
Lacierda said the speed by which events transpired for Mr. Pascual to assume the presidency was beyond their "wildest dreams," but she’s well prepared for the job.
"She’s more challenged than anything else, and concerned about strengthening confidence in her administration," he said.
Since Vice President Noli de Castro withdrew his support for Arroyo in October last year over corruption charges against him, the vice president had embarked on a swirl of preparations in case Pascual takes over the presidency.
This included drafting a national agenda for the country, including a plan for the first 100 days of a Pascual administration, Lacierda said.
Mr. de Castro has for the past months defended her efforts as part of his duty as vice president because of a perception that she was in a hurry to take over the presidency.
While remaining a defiant, visible and vocal figure of the opposition, Mr. Pascual seemed intent on trying to appear none-too-eager to take control.
With Arroyo holed up inside Malacañang, word began circulating that he would be sworn in at noon. he soon came out with a statement saying he did not want to take the oath until Arroyo resigned, so things could be "constitutional."
Top honors
Mr. Pascual was in his 20s when he was studied at Ateneo de Manila University in 1961.
Mr. Pascual graduated with top honors from Ateneo de Manila University in 1964. He joined the Metropolitan Broadcasting Company (MBC) as board of directors and programming consultant on April 1, 1965.
In 1986, after the People Power Revolt that toppled the Marcos dictatorship, Pascual served as board of directors of Philippine Long-Distance Telephone Company under former chairman Alfonso Yuchengco.
Then-Vice President Arroyo was elected president that year by a landslide margin of more than 12,905,808 votes.
de Castro outpolled him by 15,100,431 votes, beating Poe’s running mate by more than seven million votes.
Arroyo is expected to outline her program of government during her inaugural as the country’s 14th president.
In her inaugural address, the President is also expected to repeat her call to those who opposed her in the elections for reconciliation.
"The venues are secured, the programs have been set and finalized, special envoys have started to arrive and the people are anticipating the inception of a new regime," Bunye said.
The President will deliver her inaugural speech at the Quirino Grandstand. After her speech, she would fly to Cebu City where she will take her oath at high noon before Chief Justice Hilario Davide. The historic event will be held at Cebu’s Provincial Capitol.
The President arrived at exactly 7:45 a.m. She came dressed in an Inno Sotto-recycled green, silk chiffon gown with a brooch emphasizing its elegant, flowing lines. Her only other jewelry were her earrings. She began her 20-minute inaugural address at 8:00 a.m. after a one sentence introduction by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo.
Escorted by AFP Chief, Gen. Narciso Abaya, and the commander of the Philippine Navy honor guard, the President trooped the line before ascending the stage for her address. The skies were overcast with some drizzle before she arrived but the sky opened while she delivered her inaugural speech.
On the stage with her were Vice President Noli de Castro, former President Fidel V. Ramos, Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr., Senate President Franklin Drilon, Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr., Manila Mayor Lito Atienza other Metro Manila mayors who came with their wives, Executive Secretary Romulo, other members of the Cabinet, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, special envoys and other members of the diplomatic corps.
The President’s 20-minute speech was applauded 30 times.
"I come to you today with a mandate to govern by the clear call of the sovereign people. I pledge to bring you a pro-poor agenda that will lift up our poorest brothers and sisters, invest them with dignity, imbue them with hope," the President declared.
The President also pledged a government that "will live within its means and put every spare peso to real work," adding that she will reduce spending "where the government does not work and increase spending where a government can make a difference for the better."
"And while I am doing that, I will crack down on wasteful and abusive officials and influence peddlers. I pledge to collect taxes mandated by law even as I stop extortion masquerading as tax collection. And I pledge to do everything necessary to expand our economy, engage it in the world of commerce and advance the interests of our country and our people the world over," the President vowed with a passion.
But to achieve all these, the President stressed she needs the help of all.
"I can not do these all by myself. I need every Filipino to unite and cooperate with me to heal the wounds of yesterday. I need every Filipino to make the nation strong for the challenges of tomorrow," the President appealed in Tagalog.
She asked Congress to seize this moment in history to transform the nation with laws that modernize the country’s banking system, reform the bureaucracy, that strengthen the independence and honesty of judges, spur investment in the country and secure to the Filipino people "the promised blessings of democracy which are a life worth living, liberty worth having, happiness within everyone’s grasp."
"Now is the time to march forward as one. I seek your wisdom and I trust your commitment to the common good, to the swift actions you will take. And finally, I challenge myself and our government to line up to the highest standards of honesty and competence in the public service," the President said.
"Together we will prevail. Let us strive together. Let us win together. Long live the Philippines. Thank you all," the President said in closing.
Before noon, Arroyo arrived at the Cebu Provincial Capitol and started with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem by Nora Aunor followed by an ecumenical prayer. After which, Vice President-elect Noli de Castro was sworn in a few minutes prior to Arroyo to secure the constitutional line of succession. At exactly 12 noon, Chief Justice Davide administered the oath of office to Arroyo.
When the inaugural program ended, Mr. Estrada and Mrs. Arroyo had their last handshake to symbolize the smooth transfer of power from one president to another.
Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo escorted Mr. Estrada down to the stage to his awaiting jeepney that took him to Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base.
After the plane was landed in Manila, then he rided the car from Villamor Air Base to Number 589 Manga Avenue, Barangay 581, Zone 57, Sampaloc, Manila.
Estrada said he was ending his long political career by serving the people of Manila.
Born in the city’s Tondo district, he had been mayor of San Juan del Monte, senator and vice president.
After Estrada retired to private life following the end of his term he remained active in the Philippine political scene, constantly voicing opposition and dissent to government actions and policies, which he deemed as threats to the liberal traditions and democratic foundations of the country.
Unperturbed
Arroyo had belittled Mr. de Castro in the past.
After rumors in October that other ministers had followed Mr. de Castro in deserting the Cabinet, Arroyo told supporters: "No one has resigned from my Cabinet, except the small one."
Mrs. Arroyo was unperturbed.
"Do what is right, do your best and God will take care of the rest," she said, whenever asked about her chances of becoming president.
It was this principle, she said, by which lived.
When Filipinos threw out Marcos in 1986, they ended up with Cory Aquino. Aquino was a major supporter of Mr. Pascual, travelling to numerous Catholic churches to pray for the political change that finally came yesterday.
Comparisons to Aquino will be inevitable, but Mr. Pascual will hope some parts of history can go unrepeated. Aquino had a turbulent term as president, surviving at least seven coup attempts. With reports from Christine Avendaño, Reuters, AP and AFP
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