Not for the first time, a woman was yesterday installed President of the Philippines. And
as in the first case, the new Chief Executive, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,
comes to power after the ouster of a predecessor forced out of office by a bloodless 'people power' revolt.
Ms.
Arroyo yesterday took her oath of office as President at the historic
EDSA Shrine following a four-day protest rally that led to the ouster of
Joseph Estrada, whose 31-month government had been characterized by scandals and missed opportunities for economic advance.
The 53-year-old Ms. Arroyo was sworn into office by Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. at noon
yesterday before a crowd estimated at almost 500,000 people.
She
was accompanied at the stage by her husband, lawyer Miguel Arroyo, and
their three children. In her inaugural speech shortly after she took her
oath of office, Ms. Arroyo said she accepted the presidency with "both trepidation and a sense of awe."
Ms.
Arroyo said she has yet to pick a new Vice President. She can select
from among the members of the two chambers of Congress the successor for
the position she vacated as a result of her rise to the presidency.
In her inaugural address, Ms. Arroyo said, "I accept the presidency of the Republic... with both trepidation and a sense of awe. Trepidation, because it is now, as the good book says, a time to heal and a time to build."
"A sense of awe, because the Filipino has done it again on the hallowed ground of EDSA," she added.
Ms. Arroyo praised Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, former presidents Corazon C. Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos, the military, and the leaders of civil society who were instrumental in the success of the four-day rally, which was dubbed as the People Power II.
She said People Power II, referring to the 1986 EDSA Revolution which led to the ouster of the late dictator
Ferdinand
E. Marcos, "made new beginnings possible." The first "people power"
revolt led to the installation of the country's first woman president,
Mrs. Aquino.
At midnight of Jan. 16, organized forces of civil society began a gathering at the EDSA Shrine to protest what they believed was a mockery of the Senate impeachment trial of Mr. Estrada.
Mr. Estrada, the first Philippine president to be impeached, had been accused of alleged bribery, graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust.
The protesters, led by Cardinal Sin, Mr. Ramos, Mrs. Aquino,
the Kongreso ng Mamamayang Pilipino II, and others started the four-day
People Power II after the Senate, which sat as an impeachment court,
voted to block the opening of a set of records that would have allegedly proven that Mr. Estrada is the owner of a questionable multimillion account in Equitable PCI Bank under the name of Jose Velarde.
The rally eventually precipitated nationwide protest. The EDSA rally also drew in crowds from nearby provinces.
It also resulted in the defection of the military and some of President Estrada's closest allies.
Yesterday, rallyists who were determined to kick out a stubborn Mr. Estrada marched to Mendiola Bridge near the main gates of Malacanang to pressure him to step down.
Although
Mr. Estrada refused to do so at first, he eventually yielded when the
Supreme Court filed a resolution declaring the office of the President vacant.
With the Supreme Court resolution, Ms. Arroyo's assumption into office was made legal and Constitutional.
Ms. Arroyo's ascension into office is also recognized by the United States government, which sent a statement of support for the new President.
In her inaugural address, the President outlined her program of government as one that focuses on four "core beliefs," namely: fighting poverty, improving moral standards in government, transforming the political system, and leadership by example.
Ms. Arroyo said her core beliefs were formed to eliminate poverty, which she said is an unfinished business from the past.
Her belief that there is a need to change the political system from a politics of patronage to one of programs, for instance, stems from the fact that politics as traditionally practiced in the country "are among the roots of social and economic inequities that characterize national problems," she said.
"To achieve true reforms, we need to outgrow our traditional brand of politics based on patronage and personality...We need to promote a new politics of true party programs and platforms, an institutional process of dialogue with our citizenry," she said.
She also said that since globalization is the trend of the "new economy," transparency and private enterprise are needed to "nurture" in individuals an entrepreneurial spirit which is essential for global
competitiveness.
She also said there is a need to modernize agriculture to create opportunities for the rural sector, but said that this must be balanced with safety nets for sectors which may be affected by globalization.
She
added that moral standards in government need to be improved to assure
that "our gains are not dissipated through corruption."
Given the many challenges she faces as President, Ms. Arroyo
asked the country's support and prayers, saying that with the people's
help, the "light of healing and cleansing flame" will be lit.
"People Power has dramatized the Filipino's capacity for greatness. I ask for your support and prayers. Together, we will light the healing and cleansing flame," Ms. Arroyo said.
Ms. Arroyo, the second woman President of the Philippines, is the daughter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal. An economist by profession, she took her bachelor's degree in Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She obtained her master's degree in
Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University and got her doctorate in economics from the University of the Philippines.
Before she became President, Ms. Arroyo won the vice-presidential seat with the largest electoral margin. She was also a senator prior to her stint as vice-president. She also served as Trade and Industry undersecretary in Ms. Aquino's regime.
At
her first news conference as President, Ms. Arroyo confirmed she was
appointing former Senator Alberto Romulo as the new Finance secretary.
Mr. Romulo was the Budget secretary of President Aquino.
Ms. Arroyo also said during the press conference that Armed Forces Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes and Philippine National Police chief Panfilo Lacson are likely to keep their posts, as "they listened to the call of the people."
Ms.
Arroyo later yesterday ordered an inspection of Malacanang prior to her
move on Monday. The palace was vacated by Mr. Estrada and his family
yesterday afternoon after he was ousted.
She
also said during her news conference that she appointed senior
undersecretaries to act as officers in charge for government departments
which were left without department secretaries because of the mass
resignations in the past two days.
"I already issued a bulletin to all the senior undersecretaries to take the task of the OIC so that there is no breakdown in services," she said.
As for the alleged "cronies" of Mr. Estrada and Mr. Estrada himself, Ms. Arroyo said she is leaving it to the appropriate government bodies to determine what to do with them.
"Let justice take its course. There are bodies for that - the Ombudsman, the PCGG (Presidential Commission on Good Government), the Justice Department," she said.
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