Inauguration of Benigno Aquino III

2010 Presidential Inauguration of Benigno Aquino III
Participants	President of the Philippines, Benigno S. Aquino III Assuming office Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Conchita Carpio-Morales Administering oath Quirino Grandstand Luneta, Manila Location
Date	June 30, 2010 (2010-06-30)

The Inauguration of Benigno S. Aquino III as the fifteenth President of the Philippines took place on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. The oath of office was administered by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Conchita Carpio-Morales.

The theme of the inauguration was "Tagumpay ng Taumbayan, Panata sa Pagbabago" (English: The People's Victory, An Oath for Change). The Inauguration was organized jointly by the Presidential Transition Cooperation Team of outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Transition Team of incoming President Aquino.

Context

The inauguration formally ended the Presidential transition of Benigno Aquino III that began when Aquino won the 2010 Philippine presidential election. On June 9, 2010, at the Batasang Pambansa, in Quezon City, the Congress of the Philippines proclaimed Aquino as the President-elect of the Philippines. Following Aquino's election, he resigned his seat in the Senate upon assuming office as President. Aquino's seat will remain vacant until the next election in 2013.

Oath of office

Aquino took his oath office on June 30, 2010, at the Quirino Grandstand, and as mandated by the Constitution, this took place at noon. The oath of office was administered by Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, who officially accepted Aquino's request to swear him into office, reminiscent of the decision of his mother, who in 1986, was sworn into the presidency by Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee, making her the first female magistrate to administer the oath to the President of the Philippines. Aquino refused to allow Chief Justice Renato Corona to swear him into office, due to Aquino's opposition to Corona's "midnight appointment" by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Inaugural events

Main article: Presidential transition of Benigno Aquino III

Inauguration ceremony

The inaugural ceremony was emceed by Jim Paredes and Mae Paner (also known as Juana Change). The inaugural started at around 11:00 a.m. PST with the singing of the national anthem by Charice. A musical ensemble followed featuring the APO Hiking Society, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Noel Cabangon, Gary Valenciano, Nina, Christian Bautista and other artists. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile then read the proclamation of the election results. Vice President-elect Jejomar Binay was sworn in a few minutes prior to Aquino to secure the constitutional line of succession. At 11:50 a.m., Associate Justice Carpio-Morales administered the oath of office to Aquino. He then proceeded to deliver his inaugural address as the 15th President of the Philippines. Later on, the assembled crowds were led in the recitation of the "Panata sa Pagbabago" (Oath for Change).

Eighty-one countries and foreign organisations sent 101 delegates to attend the ceremony, among them East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta and Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, both friends of the Aquino family.

Post-ceremony events

A luncheon featuring the new president's favourite Japanese dishes was held at the Kalayaan Hall at the Malacañan Palace followed by a mass oath-taking of local officials and the new cabinet members. Later on, the cabinet was called for its first meeting, followed by a street party at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City later that night. Aquino sang two songs in a surprise musical number during the program.

Representatives of Different Countries and Organizations who Attended the Inauguration

Countries in yellow attended by the head of state/government and colored in black attended by international organizations.

One-hundred one dignitaries of eighty-one countries and organizations attended the inauguration. Twenty-one states sent high-level delegations. High-level delegations are represented by heads of states or/and head of governments or/and foreign ministers of the countries being represented.

Heads of State

1. Timor-Leste - President Jose Ramos-Horta

Other Representatives

1. United States - Trade Representative Ron Kirk

2. People's Republic of China - National People’s Congress Vice Chairwoman Yan Junqi

3. Japan - State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Osamu Fujimura and Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara

4. Holy See - Titular Archbishop of Pia and Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, the Most Reverend Osvaldo Padilla

5. Spain - Minister of Defense Enrique Mugica and the Director General for Foreign Policy for Asia and the Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Eugenio Salarich

6. Singapore - Foreign Minister George Yong-Boon Yeo

7. Saudi Arabia - Minister of State of the Foreign Affairs Dr. Nizar bin Abaid Madani

8. Brunei Darussalam - Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pehin Lim Jock Seng

9. Cambodia - Minister of Information Khieuk Kanharith

10. Indonesia - Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare H.R. Agung Laksono

11. South Korea - Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection Kim Hwang-Sik

12. Laos - Chief of Cabinet to the President Souban Srithirath

13. Malaysia - Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Dato' Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil

14. Thailand - Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Ongart Klampaiboon

15. Vietnam - Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang

16. Australia - Julie Owens

17.Canada- Jim Abbott

18. New Zealand - John Hayes

19. Organisation of the Islamic Conference - Assistant Secretary-General Samir Diab

20. Peru - Ambassador to Indonesia Jorge Castaneda Martinez

21. United Nations - Resident Coordinator Jacqueline Babcock

22. Food and Agricultural Organization - Kazuyuki Tsurumi

23. Food and Agricultural Organization - Jean-Daniel Tauxe

24. International Labor Organization - Linda Wirth

25. International Monetary Fund - Dennis Bothman

26. International Organization for Migration - Duc Tran

27. United Nations Children's Fund - Vanessa Tobin, represented by Colin Davis

28. UN Development Program - Renaud Mayer

29. UN High Commission for Refugees - Rico Salcedo

30. UN World Food Programme - Stephen Anderson

31. World Bank - Bert Hoffman

32. World Health Organization - Dr. Linda Milan