Filipinos remember much about inaugurations in recent history.
“Walang kaibigan, walang kumpare, walang kamag-anak o anak na maaring magsamantala [There will be no friends, no relatives or children who could take advantage from now on].” Such were the words of Joseph Estrada on June 30, 1998, when he promised he would deal with those who broke the law with an even hand.
Estrada’s vice president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, was sworn into office at the Edsa shrine in January 2001 after he was ousted in the so-called Edsa Dos. She said then that she accepted the position in all humility, with trepidation and a sense of awe. “People power has dramatized the Filipino’s capacity for greatness,” she said.
And then there was the 2010 inauguration of outgoing President Benigno Aquino III. He talked about doing away with “wang wang” —literally, the traffic law-breaking device attached to vehicles that announce their passengers were VIPs, but also figuratively the sense of entitlement displayed by officials who believe they are too good for rules and regulations that govern the lives of regular citizens.
It was also on that day that Mr. Aquino told the Filipino people: “kayo ang boss ko [you are my boss].” These words occasioned a feeling of hope; finally, public officials acknowledged that they were servants accountable to the public that they serve.
Twelve days from now, another president will be sworn into office.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte says he wants to keep his inauguration low key. There will be no bloated guest list at the Rizal Ceremonial Hall in Malacañang, and those present will be served banana fritters and buko juice, among others. The transition team has said the ceremony would be “frugal.”
This is, we presume, in keeping with the image that Mr. Duterte wants to project: that he would be a man-on-the-street kind of president, accessible to the people and indifferent to the trappings of power.
It will be good, however, to remember: Less than three years into his term, Estrada was impeached and then ousted—ater deemed constructively resigned. He was charged with plunder, convicted and was detained until pardoned. Arroyo served out the remainder of Estrada’s term, ran again despite an earlier pronouncement that she would not, and won the 2004 polls made controversial by allegations of abuse of power to ensure her election. Her administration was marred by charges of corruption.
And six years on, Mr. Aquino has revealed himself to be vengeful, selective, obstinate, lazy and arrogant. He says the people are his boss, but we think we know who the real bosses are.
All these tell us that while the first-day ceremony—and everything that goes with it—is an event of symbolic, even dramatic, importance, and while it is accompanied by words written to inspire the people, what truly bear watching are the days that lie ahead.