 |
| From Malacanan |
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave,
Awaits alike th’ inevitable hour:-
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
-Thomas Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard.”
Thanks to Arnold Clavio and Vicky Morales, I was able to watch their network’s coverage of President-elect Aquino leaving his Time Street residence, dressed in a long-sleeved camisa chino. By the time his convoy (which stopped at red lights) reached the Palace, he was already dressed in a baro. The trip from Times St. to the Palace took something like 15 minutes instead of the close to an hour originally allocated according to the Official Program.
The President-elect alighted from his vehicle at Bonifacio Hall (usually referred to by its old name, the Premier Guesthouse), where President Corazon Aquino held office and where her son will also hold office. Meanwhile, over at the Palace, the outgoing cabinet hung around the “Pacto de Sangre” of Luna near the main stairs, waiting for President Arroyo. President Arroyo, dressed in an ecru terno, then shook hands with her departing official family and undertook descending the main stairs for the last time as President of the Philippines.
President Arroyo and President-elect Aquino then shook hands and departed for the Quirino Grandstand. In the coming days, people will be asking them what (if anything) they said to each other during their brief car ride to Rizal Park.
A cheerful roar came from the crowd when the presidential convoy arrived, and upon alighting from Car No. 1, the two went to their respective daises, for the military rendering its last honors to President Arroyo.
The “President’s March” was played, a 21 gun salut boomed out, and President Arroyo proceeded to review the troops as the band played “Atin Cu Pung Singsing.”
As the military honors were being given, the Vice President-elect’s special electric jeep arrived, and there’s been some undue controversy over this. Some people took it to mean the Vice President-elect barged in on the scene to steal the show.
At the time, I thought it was bungling of the protocol; the Vice President-elect is supposed to arrive ahead of the President-elect (as has been the tradition since the 1949 Quirino Inaugural; at the Quezon inaugural in 1935 the President-elect arrived ahead of the Vice President-elect).
What seems to have happened was this. The Presidential Party arrived about twenty minutes ahead of schedule -and it was the Vice President-elect who actually arrived on cue.
I noticed that what the Vice President-elect chose to do was the correct thing: he waited in his vehicle for the military honors to conclude, and with it, President Arroyo shaking hands with President-elect Aquino, and then getting into her private vehicle: at which point the President-elect went up to the ceremonial platform. Because of the circumstances surrounding the early arrival of the Presidential Party and the arrival of the Vice President-elect, it would have been unseemly for him to sprint up ahead of the President-elect; so he went up after the President-elect.
All in all, it was a courteous solution to an unintended snafu.
An interesting note was the reaction of the crowd -the official set crowding the bleachers of the Grandstand, and the public gathered across the Grandstand- to President Arroyo’s arrival and throughout the Military Honors portion.
I can’t say people jeered, or booed (at least from my vantage point) but there was a kind of highly enthusiastic applause that became particularly cheerful first, when she arrived, second, when the final honors began, then when she trooped the line and finally, when she shook hands with the President-elect and when her convoy departed. I did hear many people lustily saying “goodbye!”
Another interesting note is that some reporters told me President Arroyo twice refused to shake hands with President-elect Aquino at the Quirino Grandstand; I haven’t seen the footage and couldn’t see their interaction from my vantage point.
The Inaugural Program then commenced with an extremely moving rendition of the national anthem featuring Charice Pempengco and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Ryan Cayabyab. This was followed by the invocation.
The Madrigal Singers sang “Bayan Ko,” and then the Apo Hiking Society performed a song, and then Ogie Alcasid and friends performed the Inaugural Song.
At this point, the Senate President rose to read (with great vigor) the dispositive portions of the Proclamation of Congress announcing the results of the election. This was supposed to be followed by the oath-taking of the Vice President-elect, then the President-elect’s oath taking, followed by the military giving a salute and then the Inaugural Address.
Originally, the ceremonial to be followed conformed to tradition: no musical number was supposed to follow the Senate President; then a musical medley was inserted, then, upon the reiteration of the protocol to be followed, the song numbers were moved so that they would precede the Senate President’s reading.
However, since the whole thing started ahead of time, there would have been something like a 45 minute gap between the reading of the proclamation and the administration of the oaths of office, since as much as possible the President-elect is supposed to take his oath or conclude it, at high noon.
So the organizers improvised (this also happened during the Ramos Inaugural), to stretch things out for the purposes of the time specified by the Constitution. Personally, I think all the singing added a festive element to the proceedings and the public generally enjoyed themselves.
The Vice President-elect then took his oath, followed by the President-elect. A bystander told me the President finished taking his oath a few minutes before noon (this has happened in previous inaugurals). At this point, the military band kicked in, with its four ruffles and flourishes followed by “Mabuhay,” as a 21 gun salute boomed out; two choppers thundered overhead and scattered yellow flower petals over the crowd, which was a pretty sight indeed.
Then the President delivered his Inaugural Address. With introduction, applause, pauses, the speech ended up 21 minutes long.
After volunteers read their “Panata sa Pagbabago,” President Aquino was then given honors by the armed forces, and inspected the honor guard. He then proceeded to the Palace.
Then things started running behind schedule; he inducted his cabinet into office at around 3:20 PM. He then began his first cabinet meeting.
Tonight, there will be an Inaugural Reception for foreign delegations and the diplomatic corps and other officials who will pay their respects to the new chief executive. First comes the sole visiting head of state, the President of East Timor, followed by foreign delegations, the diplomatic corps, and other officials and guests. The President receives the visitors in the Music Room, where they are presented to the President individually. After extending their congratulations to the President, guests proceed to Rizal Hall where cocktails are served.
When all guests have had a chance to be presented to the President, he proceeds to Rizal Hall, where he will deliver a short speech and offer a toast to the delegations, diplomats, and dignitaries.
After that, he will go to attend the Inaugural Concert at the Quezon Memorial Circle.
I understand the improvisation in the program to make up for the extra time, but I can’t believe the organizers didn’t have Plan B. Something of this sort already happened during the Ramos inaugural, a precedent. So they should really have thought of that. The whole program didn’t strike many people as festive — probably for those who were there and were caught up in the spirit, yes — but for those of us removed from the scene and connected only to the event via television, it just came off as a noisy, annoying extension of WoWoWee or Party Pilipinas.
The only real Plan B is precisely, music. It’s the choice of music, I guess, that will end up debated.
I didn’t notice… who held the Bible during Noynoy swearing-in?
mlq3,
I linked this blog entry to my blog entry for today. Hope, it’s okay.
Noel Cabangon’s music is tops. I found it better than Apo Hiking Society’s, at least, for this occasion.
The Inaugural address contained quite a number of quotable quotes. My favorites:
“Hindi na pwede ang ‘Pwede na.”
“Sa mga nang-api sa sambayanan, WALA AKONG KARAPATAN na limutin ang inyong mga kasalanan”
UP n Grad,
A priest held the Bible but the Baranggay Captain from Sinait brought it in.
‘President Arroyo twice refused to shake hands with President-elect Aquino at the Quirino Grandstand’
Noynoy twice tried to help Arroyo to come up the platform during the last military honors for Arroyo and twice she refused.
PresNoynoy will increase the size of Pilipinas police and military. He said so in his inauguration speech.
There is nothing wrong in increasing the size of the police and military. Major cities should be allowed to create their own police force to free up the PNP. The AFP under Arroyo added at least 2 new Army brigades. The plan is to expand them to division size.
Hmmm interesting that the East Timor president bothered to come for all this.
There’s been a stoush recently between the Timor republic and Australia regarding the former buying warships from China.
This distressed the Aussies, who think the small nation state should be their strategic security partner because they provided soldiers during the independence transition from Indonesia.
There’s also the matter of Woodside (an Aussie company) charging too much for the development of Timor sea gas projects. Timor and Australia have a treaty to develop it, with a 50/50 profit sharing scheme. Of course, the Aussies are fucking them in the ass by costing the project as $18 billion (as opposed to some estimates which put it at $13 billion).
Looks like the president of a small, poor nation state is seeking support from the new president of another small, poor nation state.
Ramos-Horta should speak with the outgoing president instead, who knows a lot about cozying to China.
Thing is, China will fuck Timor in the long run as well.
I guess, the question should be: would rather be fucked in the ass by a Chinese dick or an Aussie dick?
Come with us Timor. Walk with the ASEAN crew. Travel with us, don’t traverse these back alleys of internal politics alone.
We’ll offer you protection from these rapists.
But then again, Timor is getting a 50/50 deal while we the Philippines only gets a 10/45/45 deal from Malampaya (45% Shell and 45% Chevron Texaco).
Maybe Ramos-Horta came to dispense advise to Noynoy instead of seeking some.
SoP,
Ramos-Horta’s wife is a Filipina.
Oh silly! How me foolish of me to think in terms of strategic alliances!
Duh!
It’s just an expensive fiesta, this whole inauguration.
Friends and family are invited to feast over the lechon.
Yeah I only catch the speech portion down to the end from TFC. I dont know but I dont like it. I dont even like the speech or maybe its the delivery. I dont know. Or maybe becuase I just dont like his personality at all. Tapos hind pa sya telegenic. No Charisma at all. You can help but just switched you thought s to Ninoy to like him. Its like anak sya ng hero ko so OK na rin.
I cant wait to see how he perform and be surpised that he can really deliver
I take it back. I think there’s more to Horta’s attendance other than non-diplomatic reasons
East Timor is the only other predominantly Catholic country in Asia. And they’re vulnerable from the global political machinations of China and Australia, who, with Japan, will be competing for hegemonic control of Asia now that the U.S. empire is on the decline.
Being small and poor, I believe Ramos-Horta wants the Philippines as the bridge to get into the ASEAN club, us being fellow Catholics and all.
Will Noynoy table this in the next ASEAN meeting? Will Indonesia accept?
Does Noynoy have any international politics savvy at all? We’ll see.
Despite the recent shambolic and quite nature of ASEAN of late, it is still a force to be reckon with and is being courted by the three major players in the battle for Asian hegemony.
Hopefully in the next 100 days, the Truth Commission will file a “garcification” case in court. Plenty of documents and testimony have been gathered already from the attempts at impeachment, so filing “garcification” should be easy.
Either way — a conviction or a “not guilty” — is closure.
#
Non-career execs ordered to leave
Manila Bulletin – Wednesday, June 30
Just a few hours after President Benigno Simeon Aquino III assumed his post as the new Chief Executive, his administration immediately issued Memorandum Circular No. 1 directing all non-career executive service officers (CESO) to vacate their posts and for contractual workers to have their contracts extended until July 31.Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, in a press conference Wednesday, said Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa issued Memorandum Circular No. 1 “Declaring all non-career exec service positions vacant as of June 30, 2010 and extending the services of contractual employees whose contract expire on June 30, 2010.” “In order to prevent the unnecessary destruction of government operations, and the impairment of all official processes as well as the delivery of services to the people, all positions occupied by non-CESO and Presidential appointees are hereby declared vacant as of noon of June 30,” Lacierda said. He added that posts that will be vacated shall be headed by the “most senior career executive service officer” as the officer-in-charge (OIC) until July 31 or until a new appointment on the vacated post has been made. Contractual employees such as the Palace chefs were directed for extension until July 31 “unless otherwise terminated or renewed by hiring agencies.” The “complete turnover” of books, equipment and other government paraphernalia was also directed by Malacañang on those who will be vacating their posts.Lacierda said Memorandum Circular No. 1 “shall take effect immediately.”
I think that the memorandum regarding non-CESO positions was recalled, then “modified”.
“Malacañang withdrew on Thursday a memorandum circular declaring all non-career executive service positions vacant and replaced it with a “fine-tuned” version, this time declaring all “co-terminus third level positions vacant” effective June 30, 2010.
But all non-career executive officials (non-CESO) occupying career executive service positions, the memo said, would continue to perform duties and responsibilities until July 31, 2010.”
Oh, wow…. that first memo was just quite insulting to GMA appointees with… “n order to prevent the unnecessary destruction of government operations, and the impairment of all official processes as well as the delivery of services to the people, all positions occupied by non-CESO and Presidential appointees are hereby declared vacant as of noon of June 30″
Hey sir.
In the gap, the Madrigal Singers sang a Filipino song that goes ““Sabihin mo ikaw ay Pilipino, saan man sa mundo, ‘yan ang sabihin mo. Sabihin mo ikaw ay Pilipino, ‘yan ang totoo”. May I ask the title of this song and it’s original artist? Thanks.
hi MLQ,
were you the one who wrote the inaugural speech? somebody is claiming that you have plagiarized (that is if it was really you) parts of the speeches..
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showpost.php?p=46270456&postcount=26
just sharing with you a piece of forum tsismis.. hahaha
‘destruction of government operations’
It was ‘disruption of government operations’
I see no insult in a transition measure to prevent disruption of services. Reading the text though didn’t turn out to be a good idea. Too much transparency there, I think. One good thing though: the defects were seen and duly rectified. Except that the error lead to another. Lacierda stood up some press people while the revision is being made. Certainly not a good start.
Creative fiction, highly entertaining.
The best speech I’ve heard/read by far. None of the useless pretentious 10 point agenda, which are designed to impress the audience and not to really communicate…of course there are still people who are so bull of bs that can’t see this and would rather listen to the glib tongued pretenders.
…sa Pilipino pa, nahiya tuloy akong painggles inggles pa…
kahit mga foreigners na kasamahan ko sa trabaho napabilib (sa translated version), biglang umangat ang pinoy, dapat naman talaga…
Some media people were a bit too much though, saying palpak, or blooper, I believe behaviour like that should come from tabloids…we wanted transparency, we got it…not everything in an organization are as seamless as they look, there are so many behind the scenes dropped balls, but the team just gets it back and get back to the game…I will tend to agree with taxj though, too much transparency…but PNoy said it, he promoted everybody to BOSS level so here we are…
…its up to us how we are going behave as bosses…malaki na rin kasi tayo…
There’ll be a lot more fine-tuning ahead. A lot of good intentions for now, but let’s hope that they don’t pave the way to snafus down the road. Take the case of the famous “wang wang” ban. It’s a great statement upholding the virtues of modesty. Almost a breath of fresh air, after so much display of arrogance by those in power. But while I approve of the ban in the case of cabinet members, legislators and local officials, is it practical in the case of the President? I know Noynoy would like to set an example, but there are many ways to skin a cat. A look at the newspapers tells you the story: “Aquino, Binay split on ‘wang wang’ ban”, “Aquino gets stuck in traffic, arrives late for AFP turnover”.
A rather small matter, but it paints a picture.
Good intentions are much appreciated for now. But, in the end, it’s results that will be the criterion of a successful administration.
Agree with Carl, it’s the result that counts. Still, the end does not justify the means, as the wise wag would say. What’s the added benefit of arriving on time by flouting and displaying arrogance by those in power and in the process violating ones policy and words of honor. Noynoy is obligated to follow on his promises if he intends to be worth the leader that the people expect him to be at this stage until the end of his term. President Noynoy is on a pretty good start, he should keep it on consistently. I think he is going to be a great president of this great nation if he does.
Pilipinas is a great country except for:
(1) Law-and-order : Pilipinas is in top 10 for highest per-capita-murder rate; Pilipinas has exceedingly high kidnappings, murder, bank-robbery and thievery;
(2) Killings of media personnel;
(3) Poverty — it is dismal that one of every three Pinoy-in-Pilipinas have less than a dollar-a-day; even worse because Pilipinas per-capita-GDP is low;
(4) “Failed-State-ranking” – while not as bad as Somallia or Haiti, Pilipinas society and governance is ranked as bad as Egypt or Colombia; Pilipinas is way below Malaysia, Thailand; way below Peru or Poland. It will be an accomplishment is Pilipinas can become the Cuba or the Jamaica of South East Asia.
Greatness starts as a state of mind, a sense of destiny…it doesn’t matter if he comes from the worst slums, a great man will rise above the current challenges…we are a great nation, we must keep on believing, and rise above our limitations…
Personally, I didn’t like the wang wang ban as I was getting one installed in my car, with a special plate to boot. Its good the president set the example, if he’s willing to suffer the inconvenience with the rest of us, and has to plan properly to avoid traffic, etc., fine with me…to hell with the wang wang, I hope I get a refund….
Pilipinas has a problem with wang-wang only because of abuse.
Only a very small minority of Pinoys will complain if there is a police escort blocking traffic to expedite the movement and security of a convoy that contains the Pope or the King of Saudi Arabia. But it is a different story should Joe de Venecia or Imelda Marcos use wangWang to make it on time to a Julio Iglesias show at Cultural Center.
PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE! YOU’RE FALLING FALL THE TRICK!
WHY HAS THIS ISSUE OF WANG WANG PROPPED UP SUDDENLY!?! THIS IS A CALCULATED MOVE!
OF ALL THE BIG PROBLEMS WE HAVE, THIS SUPERFICIAL ISSUE SUDDENLY TOOK CENTER STAGE.
IT IS A WELL-KNOWN TRICK USED BY CAMPAIGN MANAGERS AND P.R. HANDLERS IN U.S. AND BRITAIN. TO DIVERT ATTENTION TO SUCH SMALL ISSUES TO MASK BROADER PROBLEMS.
CLINTON AND BLAIR SUDDENLY GRAPPLED WITH SMALL “MAYOR-LEVEL” ISSUES LIKE CRIME, TEENAGE PREGNANCY, CENSORSHIP (THE V-CHIP), WHEN THEY COULDN’T PUSH THROUGH THEIR SOCIAL WELFARE EXPANSION AGENDA.
SMALL TIME ISSUES THAT AFFECT MIDDLE-CLASS AMERICANA AND BRITANIA BUT DON’T AFFECT THE INCREASING RANKS OF POOR IN ANGLO-COUNTRIES.
NOW IN OUR COUNTRY, WE HAVE THIS ISSUE OF THE WANG-WANG, WHICH ONLY AFFECT MIDDLE-CLASS PEOPLE (BECAUSE WE’RE THE CAR-OWNING PUBLIC INCONVENIENCED BY THIS), BUT NOT THE HUNGRY CHILD IN THE STREET.
I LIKE DEMOCRACY, BUT LET’S BE WISE ABOUT IT. LET’S PRESSURE OUR POLITICIANS INTO FOCUSING ON THE BIGGER PROBLEMS.
DON’T FALL FOR SLY P.R. THIS TRICK PEOPLE!
We’ll see more of these sneaky, sly, small-time issues raised in the media in the next few months.
Rest assured, when the no-tax-collection promise, the burgeoning deficit, and the inability to catch a big fish corrupter or smuggler, falter, they will raise a stink on issues like the wang wang.
Be on the lookout for these.
Heheh, SoP, there is no trick, nothing to cover up yet so it’s not a trick. Wang wang is the topic of the day, let’s talk some more about it shall we? And SoP, before the big things like the ones you’re praying would come, example Noynoy’s failure, how about if we talk about James and Kris as well? 🙂
It’s a dry run. They’re testing the waters.
And the public response has been overwhelming.
There’s no doubt it will be used again in the future.
I’m not praying for failure. It’s just common sense.
You don’t need the heavens to intervene in making a catastrophic failure when you have a DOJ and Office of the Ombudsman that has a 20% conviction rate and a rank that handles 3 cases per week per year per individual.
SOP is as stuoid as stupid gets…
If you have any experience at all with management by objrctives (its obvious you’re haven’t achieved much in life), you start with the small, easily achievable targets, and build up confidence from there, you don’t go after the big complicated things at the onset…
…madaling magsalita, ikaw, personally, ano bang inabot mo? disgusting….
…ooops, sori bossing SOP, I promise to be kinder next time…
Actually napahiya nga ako sa sarili ko dyan sa wang wang na yan, batikos ako ng batikos sa mga abusado, ako rin naman pala… 🙁
So far, the differences between GMA administration and the new Noynoy administration I see are:
(1) no-more-wangWang;
(2) Davide Truth Commission for ‘garcification’, fertilizer scam, etc;
(3) more hiring for Pilipinas military and police (number to hire not known);
(4) Cabral is out;
Ano pa?
When your country is on ranked 140 or so out of 180 countries in transparency rating and you begin your agenda with this wang-wang business, which we all know couldn’t be enforced, your aiming waaay too low.
A more reasonable achievable target would be to pass legislation in the first month to strengthen the DOJ, Ombudsman, and Sandiganbayan, which will be the basis of your campaign to attach graft and corruption for the next six years of your administration.
Don’t give Noynoy a pass, even if you’re a smooching fanboy.
@UP n,
5. GMA had 9 years, Noynoy 3 days.
“A more reasonable achievable target would be to pass legislation in the first month to strength….”-SoP
SoP, that’s too much to ask from the new president. Because that’s not the job of the Executive Department.
It’s too much for a dumb president.
But for a president with the political wiles of a GMA or Marcos or even Ramos, it is achievable.
A combination of media assault and back room dealing with the legislature on pork, will make this achievable.
Remember, Noynoy has the goodwill of the public. If Ramos can sell the need for emergency powers during the power crisis, surely Noynoy can move the legislature in this time of moral crisis.
That is, if he, or any president, is smart.
can move the legislative agenda in this time of moral crisis.
Hmmm I agree SOP, Thisis the time for Noynoy to take as more drastic and daring moves. Habang baliw na baliw pa ang ang mga tao sa kanya and the truct level is still that high. Wala pang masyadong aalma.
SoP, aren’t you barking at the wrong tree? If you want new laws legislated you ought to be harping about it at Congress, not at the president. The president has his aqenda, but he can only implement them according to existing laws. It will take time to pass new laws until it reach the office of the president for approval, and you expect the president to have such laws in his first month? Not very realistic.
There are many ways to skin a cat, who knows, maybe President Noynoy has his own ways how to succeed in his promised reform in the government with already existing laws without having to dictate, bribe, and/or intimidate a co-equal branch of the government such as Congress or the Judiciary like what you said past president did, which in all indications have yielded too much negative results.
As to whether a president is dumb or not we will have to gauge them on/from their performance and accomplishments at the end of their terms as president.
And, SoP, do you think Marcos and GMA and Ramos smart? Just curious.
But I’m sure Alden40 thinks GMA is smart, that’s for sure, :).
They’re smart in that they were able to sway the legislature to suit their agenda: liberalization of economy for Ramos, charter change for GMA, and martial rule for Marcos.
In some respects they were relatively successful.
In our presidential system, there’s no immediacy and flexibility for our top leaders to pass laws unlike in parliamentary systems.
But the aforementioned three have been able to rise above this limitation through cunning and smarts.