Philippines swear in nation's 15th president
MANILA, Philippines — Benigno Aquino III was sworn in today as the Philippines' 15th president, leading a Southeast Asian nation his late parents helped liberate from dictatorship and which he promises to deliver from poverty and pervasive corruption.
Hundreds of thousands of people, many clad in his yellow campaign color, applauded and yelled Aquino's nickname, "Noynoy," as he took his oath before a Supreme Court justice at Manila's seaside Rizal Park.
Vice President Jejomar Binay was sworn in before Aquino in the nationally televised ceremonies that resembled a music concert, with celebrity singers and an orchestra belting out nationalist and folk songs. Yellow confetti rained from two helicopters.
Diplomats from more than 80 countries and two former Philippine presidents — Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada — attended. East Timor President Jose Ramos Jorta, a longtime supporter of the Aquino family, and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, sent as head of the American delegation by President Barack Obama, were among the foreign dignitaries.
Aquino, wearing a native formal shirt and speaking in Tagalog, promised to fight corruption, particularly in the notoriously graft-ridden bureaus of customs and internal revenue. He pledged to bring a new era of good governance, reforms and a bureaucracy that will be sensitive to the plight of the common folk.
In a widely applauded portion of his speech, Aquino said he also suffered in the past like ordinary Filipinos by being stuck in heavy traffic as siren-blaring convoys carrying powerful people breezed by. "No more wang-wang," he said, using the local term for blaring sirens.
"He signifies change and hope," said businesswoman Marivic Roy, who came with her husband and two sons. "That's why people gravitate toward him. We feel there is hope for this country."
