Gloria assumes Presidency VP Macapagal-Arroyo sworn in at EDSA Shrine at the culmination of People Power 2
by Frederick Faylona
MANILA, Philippines, Jan. 20, 2001 — Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo formally assumed the country's Presidency today at
12:30 PM PST at the culmination of People Power 2. Chief Justice Hilario Davide administered her oath of office as the 14th President
of the Republic of the Philippines, in the presence of her family and before the cheers of hundreds of thousands of People Power 2 'heroes
and heroines'.
Macapagal-Arroyo's ascension to the country's highest office followed after the Supreme Court, headed by the widely-respected Chief
Justice Davide, held an en banc session and declared the Presidency vacant. The Court's action was preceded by a failed bid by
Macapagal-Arroyo's emissaries, headed by former Defense Secretary and AFP Chief of Staff ret. Gen. Renato de Villa, to
effect a peaceful transfer of power from the representatives of ousted President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, led by the
newly-installed Executive Secretary Edgardo Angara.
In her almost 12-minute inaugural address, the new President quoted the martyred Sen. Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino, husband of former
President Cory Aquino and a key figure in both People Power 1 and 2, saying "...the Filipino is worth dying for..." She also stated the
four pillars of her government, pointing to a bold attempt to reduce poverty within this decade, improved moral standards in government,
new brand of politics, and leadership by example.
