Palace: Inaugural to usher in stronger RP

President Arroyo’s inauguration at high noon on Wednesday will be "a watershed event and a turning point" for Filipinos as she starts her new term in office with the "strongest" mandate for her leadership, Malacañang officials said yesterday.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye expressed optimism in his official statement yesterday, after the Palace organizing committee — headed by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo — finalized the program of activities for the inaugural address and oath-taking of the President and Vice President-elect Noli de Castro to be held in Manila and Cebu tomorrow.

"The mandate of the President is the strongest in recent years, and it comes at a point when the Filipino people have reached the peak of impatience for change," Bunye said, adding that "the confluence of these two factors will drive national consolidation at an unprecedented pace."

After receiving a full six-year mandate in the May 10 elections, Mrs. Arroyo winds down her first three years in office at noon tomorrow, ending her term as the constitutional successor to deposed President Joseph Estrada following his ouster in a popular revolt in January 2001.

Bunye reiterated Mrs. Arroyo’s call for unity and reconciliation to all Filipinos, especially her political opponents and non-supporters.

"This (inauguration) is an opportunity to close ranks and march to the future," he said.

Bunye added that under the President’s leadership, the country will "make a successful leap forward."

Bunye also announced that the inaugural of Mrs. Arroyo and De Castro at the Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park will be capped by a specially composed "theme song for unity" entitled "Tayo Na!"

He said the inaugural program will start with the traditional military arrival honors for Mrs. Arroyo.

This will be followed by the singing of the national anthem, led by popular teen singer Sarah Geronimo.

Bunye said respective representatives of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, the Iglesia ni Cristo, and Islam will deliver ecumenical prayers. Manila Mayor Lito Atienza will then introduce Mrs. Arroyo for her inaugural address.

Another young singer, Jolina Magdangal, will lead the "song for unity" at the end of the brief inaugural program at Rizal Park. Magdangal, who has been hosting Mrs. Arroyo’s weekly television documentary over government-run television station NBN-4, will be joined by Mark Bautista, who was ranked behind Geronimo in the "Star of the Night" singing contest aired over GMA-7. The Ateneo Chamber Singers will back up Magdangal and Bautista.

Press Secretary Milton Alingod, a member of the organizing committee, said Mrs. Arroyo and De Castro will proceed to Villamor Air Base in Pasay City from Rizal Park for a 40-minute chartered flight to Cebu in time for their oath-taking at high noon. They will be joined by Senate President Franklin Drilon, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and their respective spouses.

Bunye said Romulo met with the members of the inaugural organizing committee to iron out the kinks in the program of activities, which he described as still a "work in progress" with possible last-minute changes.

While Bunye could not specify the amount the government is spending for the inaugural, he assured the public that "this will be a very spartan activity and the expenditures will be likewise minimal."

Mrs. Arroyo is set to deliver her inaugural address during the one-hour program at Quirino Grandstand that will start at 7:45 a.m. A time and motion study for the entire program conducted by Romulo’s committee last Sunday showed that the President will deliver her 15-minute inaugural speech at 8:05 a.m.

Mrs. Arroyo said in an interview on ABS-CBN’s "Rated K" talk show Sunday night that her speechwriters are still working on the draft of her inaugural address, which will spell out in general terms her "10-point" policy framework to guide her administration.

At 9 a.m., the President and De Castro will fly to Cebu for their oath-taking before Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.

Bunye said the vin d’honneur reception for the diplomatic community and attending dignitaries, which will be attended by government officials and members of Congress, will be held at the Cebu Shangri-La Hotel at 1 p.m.

He added that Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert has the list of international dignitaries who have confirmed their attendance at the inaugural.

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, along with Apostolic Nuncio to Australia Archbishop Francesco Canalini, will celebrate a thanksgiving Mass at 5 p.m. at the Cebu Metropolitan Church. Canalini had been sent by Pope John Paul II as a special envoy to attend the inaugural.

Mrs. Arroyo will then act as the inducting officer for a mass oath-taking of the newly elected local officials in Cebu, according to Bunye.

On July 1, the President and De Castro will fly to Butuan City for another mass oath-taking of newly elected Agusan del Sur officials, and then proceed to Maasin, Southern Leyte to lead the celebration of the city’s charter anniversary.

Later the same day, Mrs. Arroyo will fly to Rosales, Pangasinan. She will be at Clark Field in Angeles City by 7 p.m. for her "first" Cabinet meeting on Day One of her new administration.

Asked for the agenda of this Cabinet meeting, Bunye said the President "will be setting general directions. I don’t have the details but I believe her take-off point is her ‘10-point legacy’ that she mentioned earlier."

He said the Palace has invited estranged Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. to attend Mrs. Arroyo’s inaugural even as Guingona reportedly announced he will not join it.