Last Thursday all of us were witness to the separate oathtaking rites of President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo at Malacañang and the executive house in Quezon City respectively.
I was amazed by the President’s endurance as he went up and down at the Palace to attend to some functions.
He led the ceremony that signaled the exit of former president Benigno Aquino III and then took his oath at noon as required by the 1987 Constitution. He then went down the Palace to receive honors from the military.
Then President Duterte met with the ambassadors of various countries and later held his first Cabinet meeting where he ordered all departments to reduce red tape to cut down on the long lines of people applying for licenses and permits.
The President also ordered airport authorities not to give him special treatment whenever he flies off to Davao City in order to avoid inconveniencing the public.
As expected Duterte’s inaugural address consisted of laying down his policy underscoring his fight against criminality and illegal drugs.
So even before he assumed office, the PNP was relentless in the fight against illegal drugs, killing notorious drug personalities. Lately, alleged drug pushers and users surrendered to the police for fear for their lives.
This is a welcome development especially for families who have lost loved ones to illegal drugs. They see this as proof of the change promised by President Duterte.
That Duterte’s chosen PNP chief Ronaldo dela Rosa promised to go after rogue cops, asking them to surrender or face the full force of the law, is assuring enough.
Not to be outdone, the military promised to go after the Abu Sayaff following the spate of executions of foreigners in order to send the message that the government should not be trifled with.
In both oathtaking ceremonies held for President Duterte and Vice President Robredo, simplicity was the key theme. No more ostentatious display of power and pageantry.
In Cebu City, Mayor Tommy Osmeña and his Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) councilors were sworn in by Robredo at the Cebu City Sports Center.
Among the many announcements Osmeña made was a promise to stop the sale of the South Road Properties (SRP) lots to the investors made last year.
It would be interesting to follow this development, seeing as it would enrich our jurisprudence.
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