THE LIST OF PRESIDENT OF THE

PHILIPPINES AND AMERICA

Emilio Aguinaldo 1899-1901

Vacant due to U.S. Military
Occupation 1901-1935
Manuel L. Quezon 1935-1944
José P. Laurel (as leader of a
Puppet State during
the Japanese Occupation) 1943-1945
Sergio Osmeña 1944-1946
Manuel Roxas 1946-1948
Elpidio Quirino 1948-1953
Ramon Magsaysay 1953-1957
Carlos P. Garcia 1957-1961
Diosdado Macapagal 1961-1965
 THE LIST OF PRESIDENT OF THE
PHILIPPINES AND AMERICA

Ferdinand Marcos 1965-1986

Corazon Aquino 1986-1992
Fidel Ramos 1992-1998
Joseph Estrada 1998-2001
Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo 2001-2010
Benigno Aquino III 2010-2016
Rodrigo Duterte 2016-Present
(Incumbent)
George W. Bush 2001-2009
Barak Obama 2009-2017
Donald Trump 2017-present
Honorable Representatives:

I congratulate you upon having concluded your constitutional work. From this date, the
Philippines will have a National Code to the just and wise precepts of which we, each and every
one of us, owe blind obedience, and whose liberal and democratic guarantees also extend to all.

Hereafter, the Philippines will have a fundamental law, which will unite our people with the
other nations by the strongest of solidarities; that is the solidarity of justice, of law, and of right,
eternal truths, which are the basis of human dignity.

I congratulate myself also on seeing my constant efforts crowned; efforts which I continued
from the time I entered the battlefield with my brave countrymen of Cavite, as did our brothers
in other provinces with no arms, but bolos, to secure our liberty and independence.

And finally, I congratulate our beloved people, who from this date will cease to be anonymous
and will be able with legitimate pride to proclaim to the universe the long coveted name of
Philippine Republic.

We are no longer insurgents; we are no longer revolutionists; that is to say armed men desirous
of destroying and annihilating the enemy. We are from now on Republicans; that is to say, men
of law, able to fraternize with all other nations, with mutual respect and affection. There is
nothing lacking, therefore, in order for us to be recognized and admitted as a free and
independent nation.

Ah, Honorable Representatives! How much pain and bitterness do those passed days of Spanish
slavery bring to our minds, and how much hope and joy do the present moments of Philippine
liberty awaken in us.

Great is this day, glorious is this date; and this moment, when our beloved people rise to the
apotheosis of independence, will be eternally memorable. The 23rd of January will be for the
Philippines, hereafter a national feast, as is the Fourth of July for the American nation. And
thus, in the same manner that God helped weak America in the last century, when she fought
against powerful Albion (England), to regain her liberty and independence; He will also help us
today in our identical goal, because the ways of Divine Justice are immutably the same in
rectitude and wisdom.

A thousand thanks, honorable Representatives, for your parliamentary work, which enables us
and establishes in a public and authentic manner, that we are a civilized nation and also a brave
one; worthy, therefore, of being freely admitted into the concerts of nations.

You have justly deserved the gratitude of the country and of the government, in that you showed
the entire world, by your wisdom, sound sense, and prudence, that in this remote and heretofore
unknown portion of the world, the principles of European and American civilization are
known, and more than known; that intelligence and hearts here are perfectly in accord with
those of the most civilized nations; and that notwithstanding the calumnious voice of our eternal
detractors, there is here, finally, a national spirit, which unites and forges together all Filipino
hearts into a single idea and single aspiration to live independent of any foreign yoke in the
democratic shadow of the Philippine Republic.
For this reason, on seeing consecrated in our constitutional work the eternal principles of
authority, of liberty, of order and justice, which all civilized nations profess, as the most perfect
guaranty of their actual solidarity, I feel strength, pride, and am sincerely impelled, from the
bottom of my heart to shout—

Long live the Philippine Republic! Long live the Constitution!

Long live their illustrious authors, the Representatives of the first Philippine Congress!

Inaugural Address of General Emilio Aguinaldo

President of the Philippines
Barasoain Church, Malolos, Bulacan | January 23, 1899
Honorable Representatives:
I congratulate you upon having concluded your constitutional work. From this date, the
Philippines will have a National Code to the just and wise precepts of which we, each and
every one of us, owe blind obedience, and whose liberal and democratic guarantees also
extend to all.
Hereafter, the Philippines will have a fundamental law, which will unite our people with
the other nations by the strongest of solidarities; that is the solidarity of justice, of law,
and of right, eternal truths, which are the basis of human dignity.
I congratulate myself also on seeing my constant efforts crowned; efforts which I
continued from the time I entered the battlefield with my brave countrymen of Cavite, as
did our brothers in other provinces with no arms, but bolos, to secure our liberty and
independence.
And finally, I congratulate our beloved people, who from this date will cease to be
anonymous and will be able with legitimate pride to proclaim to the universe the long
coveted name of Philippine Republic.
We are no longer insurgents; we are no longer revolutionists; that is to say armed men
desirous of destroying and annihilating the enemy. We are from now on Republicans; that
is to say, men of law, able to fraternize with all other nations, with mutual respect and
affection. There is nothing lacking, therefore, in order for us to be recognized and
admitted as a free and independent nation.
Ah, Honorable Representatives! How much pain and bitterness do those passed days of
Spanish slavery bring to our minds, and how much hope and joy do the present moments
of Philippine liberty awaken in us.
Great is this day, glorious is this date; and this moment, when our beloved people rise to
the apotheosis of independence, will be eternally memorable. The 23rd of January will be
for the Philippines, hereafter a national feast, as is the Fourth of July for the American
nation. And thus, in the same manner that God helped weak America in the last century,
when she fought against powerful Albion (England), to regain her liberty and
independence; He will also help us today in our identical goal, because the ways of Divine
Justice are immutably the same in rectitude and wisdom.
A thousand thanks, honorable Representatives, for your parliamentary work, which
enables us and establishes in a public and authentic manner, that we are a civilized nation
and also a brave one; worthy, therefore, of being freely admitted into the concerts of
nations.
MY COUNTRYMEN:

An historic drama has just been unfolded before our eyes. The American flag has been
lowered from the flagstaffs in this land . . . not in defeat, not in surrender, not by
compulsion, but by the voluntary act of the sovereign American Nation. The flag which was
first raised in conquest here has been hauled down with even greater glory. The Stars and
Stripes will no longer fly over this land; but in the hearts of 18,000,000 Filipinos and in the
eyes of many millions more in this part of the world, the American flag flies more
triumphantly today than ever before in history. Some hundreds of yards from here at Fort
San Antonio Abad, the American flag was first planted in 1898. As its brave colors fluttered
down from the flagstaff a moment ago, the cycle of history had completed a full turn. In the
culmination today, America justified her destiny. For America, today’s act of renunciation
was the climax of triumph . . . for enlightenment, for democratic values, for liberty. We
mark here today the forward thrust of the frontiers of freedom.

I have raised the Philippine flag to wave henceforth alone and unshadowed over the entire
Philippines. American sovereignty has been withdrawn. It has been transferred and is now
possessed in full measure by the Filipino people.

We have thus reached the summit of the mighty mountain of independence toward which
we and our fathers have striven during the lifetime of our people.

As the spokesman for America predicted half a century ago, the Filipino people now look
back with gratitude to the day when God gave victory to American arms at Manila Bay
placed this land under the sovereignty and protection of the United States.

The birth of this nation is attended today by dignitaries from many lands. It is attended by
the personal representative of the President of the United States, by leaders of the Congress
and of the armed forces and other high officials of the American Government.

The President of the United States has proclaimed our independence. The Republic of the
Philippines has now come into being, under a constitution providing a government which
enthrones the will of the people and safeguards the rights of men. The historic event has
been completed. There remains for us only to evaluate the significance of what has
occurred.

There are moments when men should pause in their humbleness and look beyond the
passing shadow of events to see the towering magnitude of the forces which have been
brought to bear upon the affairs of current time. I judge this such a moment, and I am
humble before it.

Fellow Countrymen:

In the exercise of your constitutional prerogative you have elected me to the presidency of
the Commonwealth. I am profoundly grateful for this new expression of your confidence,
and God helping me, I shall not fail you.

The event which is now taking place in our midst transcends in importance the mere
induction into office of your Chief Executive. We are bringing into being a new nation. We
are seeing the fruition of our age-old striving for liberty. We are witnessing the final stage
in the fulfillment of the noblest undertaking ever attempted by any nation in its dealing
with a subject people. And how well this task has been performed is attested to by the
blessing which from 14 million people goes to America in this solemn hour. President
McKinley’s cherished hope has been fulfilled—the Filipinos look back with gratitude to the
day when Destiny placed their land under the beneficent guidance of the people of the
United States.

It is fitting that high dignitaries of the American Government should attend these
ceremonies. We are thankful to them for their presence here. The President of the United
States, His Excellency, Franklin D. Roosevelt, ever solicitous of our freedom and welfare,
has sent to us, as his personal representative, the Secretary representative, the Secretary
of War, Honorable George H. Dern, whose friendship for our people has proven most
valuable in the past. Vice President Garner, Speaker Byrns, distinguished members of the
Senate with their floor leader, Senator Robinson, and no less distinguished members of the
House of Representatives have traveled ten thousand miles to witness this historic event. I
feel that their presence, the whole American Nation, is here today to rejoice with us in the
fulfillment of America’s pledge generously given that the Filipino people is to become free
and independent. It is my hope that the ties of friendship and affection which bind the
Philippines to America will remain unbroken and grow stronger after the severance of our
political relations with her.

In behalf of the Filipino people, I express deep appreciation to Honorable Frank Murphy,
our last Governor-General, for his just and efficient administration and for the
wholehearted assistance he has rendered us in the difficult task of laying the constitutional
foundation of our new Government.

As we enter the threshold of independent nationhood, let us pause for a moment to pay
tribute to the memory of Rizal and Bonifacio and all the heroes of our sacred cause in
grateful acknowledgment of their patriotic devotion and supreme sacrifice.

Fellow countrymen: The government which we are inaugurating today is only a means to
an end. It is an instrumentality placed in our hands to prepare ourselves fully for the
responsibilities of complete independence. It is essential that this last step be taken with
full consciousness of its significance and the great opportunities that it affords to us.

Under the Commonwealth, our life may not be one of ease and comfort, but rather of
hardship and sacrifice. We shall face the problems which lie in our path, sparing neither
time nor effort in solving them. We shall build a government that will be just, honest,
efficient, and strong so that the foundations of the coming Republic may be firm and
enduring—a government, indeed, that must satisfy not only the passing needs of the hour
but also the exacting demands of the future. We do not have to tear down the existing
institutions in order to give way to a statelier structure. There will be no violent changes
from the established order of things, except such as may be absolutely necessary to carry
into effect the innovations contemplated by the Constitution. A new edifice shall rise, not
out of the ashes of the past, but out of the standing materials of the living present.
Reverence for law as the expression of the popular will is the starting point in a democracy.
The maintenance of peace and public order is the joint obligation of the government and
the citizens. I have an abiding faith in the good sense of the people and in their respect for
law and the constituted authority. Widespread public disorder and lawlessness may cause
the downfall of constitutional government and lead to American intervention. Even after
independence, if we should prove ourselves incapable of protecting life, liberty, and
property of nationals and foreigners, we shall be exposed to the danger of intervention by
foreign powers. No one need have any misgivings as to the attitude of the Government
toward lawless individuals or subversive movements. They shall be dealt with firmly.
Sufficient armed forces will be maintained at all times to quell and suppress any rebellion
against the authority of this Government or the sovereignty of the United States.

There can be no progress except under the auspices of peace. Without peace and public
order, it will be impossible to promote education, improve the condition of the masses,
protect the poor and ignorant against exploitation, and otherwise insure the enjoyment of
life, liberty, and property. I appeal, therefore, to every Filipino to give the Government his
loyal support so that tranquillity may reign supreme in our beloved land.

Our Constitution established an independent judiciary by providing for security of tenure

and compensation of judges. But independence is not the only objective of a good judicialy.
Equally, if not more important, is its integrity which will depend upon the judicious
selection of its members. The administration of justice cannot be expected to rise higher
than the moral and intellectual standards of the men who dispense it. To bulwark the
fortification of an orderly and just government, it shall be my task to appoint to the bench
only men of proven honesty, character, learning, and ability, so that everyone may feel
when he appears before the courts of justice that he will be protected in his rights, and that
no man in this country from the Chief Executive to the last citizen is above the law.

We are living today amidst the storm and stress of one of the most tragic epochs of history.
Acute unemployment and economic distress threaten the stability of governments the
world over. The very foundations of civilized society are shaken. The common man alone
can save humanity from disaster. It is our duty to prove to him that under a republican
system of government, he can have every opportunity to attain his happiness and that of
his family. Protection to labor, especially to working women and minors, just regulation
of the relations between the labor and capital in industry and agriculture, solicitous regard
on the part of the government for the well-being of the masses are the means to bring about
needed economic and social equilibrium between the component elements of society.

FELLOW COUNTRYMEN:

This is the hour of fulfillment of the supreme aspiration of our people for centuries. It is
but fitting that we should on this momentous occasion dedicate a prayer of thanksgiving
to those who paid the full price of blood and treasure for the freedom which we have now
achieved. Rest at long last in your hallowed graves: immortal heroes of the Filipino race!
The long night of vigil is ended. You have not cued in vain. The spirit of Mactan, of
Balintawak, of Bagumbayan, of Malolos, and Bataan lives again!

The Republic which we are consecrating here today was born in the midst of a total war.
Our countryside was transformed into a gory battlefield to become a historic landmark of
that titanic conflict. From the crucible of a world in turmoil was unleashed the mighty
forces that were to spell the liberation of Asiatic peoples from foreign domination. Today,
as we witness the triumphal realization of our national ideal, we would be sadly wanting
in those magnanimous qualities which distinguished a noble and valiant race, if we did not
forgive the wounds and havoc inflicted by that war, the immolation of our youth with their
golden promise of the future, the untold sufferings and privations undergone by our
innocent population. This is no time for indulging in unseemly recriminations or for
ventilating our grievances. In all dignity and out of the fullness of our hearts we could do
no less than acknowledge before the world our debt of honor to the August Virtue of His
Majesty, the Emperor of Nippon, for ordaining the holy war and hastening the day of our
national deliverance.

The presence here of high diplomatic and official representatives of the Nipponese Empire
and other nations of Greater East Asia testifies to the traditional friendship and mutual
understanding among all Oriental peoples. In the name of the Filipino people, I wish to
convey to the honored guests our sincere assurances of good-will and to express the fervent
hope that the fraternal ties which unite our people with theirs will grow ever stronger and
firmer in the years to come.

I wish to take advantage of this opportunity also to make public our grateful appreciation
of all the acts of kindness showered upon the Filipino people by the Commanders of the
Imperial Japanese Army and Navy in the Philippines, past and present. I make special
reference to General Sigenori Kuroda, Highest Commander of the Imperial Japanese Army
in the Philippines, and to General Takazi Wati, Director-General of the Japanese Military
Administration, without whose sympathetic assistance and encouragement, the
Preparatory Commission for Philippine Independence would not have been able to
accomplish its work promptly and expeditiously.

Our first and foremost duty as a free and independent nation is to maintain peace and order
within our borders. No government worthy of the name will countenance public disorder
or tolerate open defiance of its authority. Unless we enjoy domestic tranquillity, we cannot
prosecute to a successful conclusion those labors essential to our daily existence and to our
national survival. Without public security, our natural resources will remain undeveloped,
our fields uncultivated, our industry and commerce paralyzed; instead of progress and
prosperity, we shall wallow in misery and poverty and face starvation.

Gentlemen of the Cabinet:

Nine days ago, when I performed the painful duty of announcing the passing of our beloved
leader, President Manuel L. Quezon, I said in part:

President Quezon’s death is a great loss to the freedom-loving world. No champion of

liberty fought for such a noble cause with more determination and against greater odds.
His whole life was dedicated to the achievement of his people’s freedom, and it is one of the
sad paradoxes of fate that with forces of victory fast approaching the Philippines, he should
pass away now and be deprived of seeing the culmination of his labors—the freedom of his
people.

President Quezon was a champion of freedom in war and in peace. The plains and hills of
Bataan, where the brave Filipino and American soldiers faced with heroism the
overwhelming power of the Japanese invader, were also his field of action during the
revolutionary days. The city of Washington where his body temporarily rests was the scene
of his early appeals and peaceful efforts for Philippine freedom. It was here, almost 30 years
ago, where he secured from Congress the promise of independence, which is contained in
the preamble of the Jones Law. Here, again, 18 years later, he succeeded in obtaining the
passage of the Tydings–McDuffie Act—a reenactment with some slight amendments of the
Hawes–Cutting Law which was rejected previously by the Philippine Legislature.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Tydings–McDuffie Law, which was accepted by the
Filipino people, we drafted our Constitution and established the present Commonwealth
of the Philippines, and elected Manuel L. Quezon as first president.

When the war came and it became necessary to evacuate Manila, President Quezon, frail and
sick as he was, moved with his Cabinet to Corregidor where he shared with the soldiers the
rigors of the tunnel life and from there braved the hazards of a perilous journey to the
Visayas, Mindanao, Australia, and America, in order to continue the fight for the freedom
of his people. Here, in Washington, with his War Cabinet, he functioned as the legitimate
government of the Filipino people and served as the symbol of their redemption.

It was largely through his untiring efforts that the Philippines was made a member of the
United Nations and accorded a seat in the Pacific War Council. It was through his initiative
that negotiations were held, resulting in the introduction of Senate Joint Resolutions 93
and 94. By the terms of Senate Joint Resolution 93, the advancement of the date of the
independence prior to July 4, 1946, was authorized and the pledge given to the Filipino
people by President Roosevelt in 1941—that Philippine independence will not only be
established but also protected—was sanctioned by Congress. His efforts to secure the
rehabilitation of the Philippines from the ravages of war resulted in the enactment of
Congress of Senate Joint Resolution 94, which provides for the physical and economic
rehabilitation of the Philippines. Even before Congress definitely acted on this resolution,
he had already created the Postwar Planning Board, entrusting it, together with his
Cabinet, with the task of making studies and submitting recommendations looking toward
the formulation of a comprehensive rehabilitation program for the Philippines.

MY COUNTRYMEN:

I have taken my oath as President of the Philippines to defend and support the
Constitution, and to enforce the laws of our country. I assume in all humbleness the
complex responsibilities, which you have chosen to give me. I pledge my effort and my life
to discharge them with whatever talent, strength, and energy I can muster. But those
responsibilities must be shared by the Congress, by the other branches of government, and,
in the last analysis, by all the people of the Philippines who face together the great test of
the future. I would not be content to assume this office, I would not have the hope to
discharge the duties assigned me if I were not confident that my countrymen are ready and
capable of sharing in full measure the work and sacrifices which lie ahead. Certainly no
people in recent history have been called upon to surmount the obstacles which confront
us today. But I have supreme faith in the ability of our people to reach the goals we seek. I
ask from the nation the full and undivided support of heart, mind, and energy for the
necessary tasks which await us.

In our traditions, there are ample sources of inspiration. From the recent past, we have the
standard of dynamic leadership erected by Manuel Quezon, that mighty champion of
independence, and great friend and benefactor of the masses of the people. We have the
spotless integrity and noble patriotism of Sergio Osmeña who grasped the banner of
leadership when the incomparable Quezon was taken from us.

Our appointment with destiny is upon us. In five weeks, we will be a free Republic. Our
noble aspirations for nationhood, long cherished and arduously contended for by our
people, will be realized. We will enter upon a new existence in which our individual lives
will form together a single current, recognized and identified in the ebb and flow of world
events as distinctly Filipino.

Yet look about you, my fellow citizens. The tragic evidence of recent history stares at us
from the broken ruins of our cities and the wasting acres of our soil. Beneath the surface of
our daily strivings lie deep the wounds of war and economic prostration. The toppled
columns of the Legislative Building before which we stand are mute and weeping symbols
of the land we have inherited from war.

Unemployment is increasing, as the United States Armed Forces decrease the tempo of
activities here. Our soldiers are being discharged in growing numbers to swell the ranks of
those who must find work and livelihood. Many of those who have work are employed in
trades dependent on the rapidly shrinking expenditures of the Army and Navy.

There is hunger among us. In the mountain provinces and in other far-flung areas of our
land, children starve. Prices race with wages in the destructive elevators of inflation. The
black market with all its attendant evils of disrespect for law and public morality thrives
in the channels of commerce.

MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN:

The Republic of the Philippines was born in the shadow of a world war. Nurtured in
democracy and reared in the midst of human anguish, it withstood the crushing impact of
a major catastrophe from which every nation is still recovering to this day. Despite its
infancy, it has played a respected role in the attainment of universal peace and security as
the only guarantee of its continued existence.

It is most significant that, by constitutional mandate, the President and the Vice-President
of the Republic should take their oaths of office at this noon hour on the anniversary of the
martyrdom of the national hero of the Philippines, at the height of a season dedicated to
the Savior of mankind and on the threshold of a New Year. The occasion is, therefore, both
solemn and joyous, fraught with emotional undertones and permeated with the spirit of
new resolves and fresh undertakings.

In such an atmosphere dominated by sobering thoughts, I invoke the spirit of this holy
season and of this hallowed day and ground to express the fervent hope that this shall be,
for all of us, a day of rebirth and renewal, of reassurance and reconsecration. Humbly now
in full consciousness of my own limitations, I enter anew upon the duties of President of
the Republic determined to shoulder the responsibilities of this high office as the
instrument of the people’s will and the servant of the public weal.

I place myself and my administration at the service of all the people without distinction as
to creed, class, or station, and pledge my whole effort to the protection of their
fundamental rights, the improvement of their livelihood, and the defense of their free
institutions.

I make this pledge in the face of the most critical situations, confident that however great
they may be, they shall not in the end prevail against the sturdy good sense, high courage,
and tested patriotism of our people.

I have faith in the democratic process we have established and in the capacity of our people
to perfect themselves in it. I have faith in their readiness to submit themselves to the
rigorous discipline of civic duty and national unity. I therefore call upon all elements in the
nation to join hands and to close ranks despite the political barriers that may separate them
from one another. I trust that, forswearing the bitterness which political passion may have
recently engendered, every citizen will accept his share in the common task of building the
Republic as a necessary condition of our national survival.

To all who heed this appeal, I gave the solemn assurance that the Government shall not be
wanting in generous appreciation and civic recognition. Sincerity will be met with an equal
measure of sincerity, and voluntary submission to authority will be matched by a
compassionate regard for the requirements of justice.

However, I feel it my painful duty to gave stern warning that there shall be no abdication
to the authority of the Government and that any defiance of this authority will not be
tolerated, but shall be met relentlessly with all the forces at our command.

My Countrymen:

You have called upon me to assume the highest office within our gift. I accept the trust
humbly and gratefully. My sole determination is to be President for the people.

The office of President is the highest in the land. It can be the humblest also, if we regard it
– as we must – in the light of basic democratic principles. The first of these principles is the
declaration of the Constitution that “sovereignty resides in the people and all government
authority emanates form them.” This simply means that all of us in public office are but
servants of the people.

As I see it, your mandate in the past election was not a license for the selfish enjoyment of
power by any man or group of men. On the contrary, it was an endorsement of the principle
– at times forgotten – that the general welfare is the only justification for the exercise of
governmental power and authority.

Your mandate was a clear and urgent command to establish for our people a government
based upon honesty and morality; a government sensitive to your needs, dedicated to your
best interests, and inspired by our highest ideals of man’s liberty.

We have a glorious past. Now we must build a future worthy of that past.
It is significant that we begin on this day and on this ground hallowed by the supreme
sacrifice of Jose Rizal. We can find no finer example of dedication to country to light our
way.

All too often, however, we speak of Rizal – and of Del Pilar, Bonifacio, Mabini, and our host
of heroes – as if their work were done, as if today their spirit had ceased to have any
meaning or value to our people. The truth is that we need their spirit now more than ever.
We need it to complete the work which they began.

We need men of integrity and faith like Rizal and Del Pilar; men of action like Bonifacio;
men of inflexible patriotism like Mabini. We need their zeal, their self-reliance, their
capacity for work, their devotion to service, their ability to lose themselves in the common
cause of building a nation.

I will have such men. From this day, the members of my administration, beginning with
myself, shall cease to belong to our parties, to our families, even to ourselves. We shall
belong only to the people.

In the administration of public affairs, all men entrusted with authority must adhere
firmly to the ideals and principles of the Constitution.

I will render – and demand – uncompromising loyalty to the basic tenet of our Constitution;
that you, the people, are sovereign. The rule of government must be service to you.

MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN:

IN the sober exercise of your constitutional prerogative as a free people, you have elected
me President of the Philippines. With humility and deep gratitude, I accept your mandate,
and God helping, I shall not fail you.

With my oath of office goes my solemn pledge of dedicated service to the nation. Invoking
the guidance of Divine Providence and the memory of my illustrious predecessors, I take
upon myself the tremendous responsibilities of national leadership with the courage and
fervor inspired by the warm national unity in dedication and devotion to country. But I
must confess in all candor that the best and the utmost I can give in the service of the people
will avail us little unless I receive the understanding, faith, and support of my countrymen.
In every momentous time of our history our people have given their full measure of support
to our leaders. As I assume national leadership in answer to your summons on a day
consecrated by the supreme sacrifice of Rizal, I pray for one gift—the heart of the Filipino
people. In return I give you mine.

In the spirit, therefore, of that covenant of the hearts between the people and their chosen
leader, I face the future aglow with hope and confidence. Together we will meet our
common problems and difficulties. With the singleness of purpose together we will
overcome them.

ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
Self-Sufficiency in Food.—As a people we prize highly the moral and spiritual values of life.
But the realities of the moment have made us more preoccupied with economic problems
chiefly concerning the material values of national life.

It is a strange paradox that while the basic articles in our fundamental economy are rice
and fish, we are not self-sufficient in both from time immemorial. We, have gone into
extensive plans and schemes in industrialization, foreign trade, foreign exchange, and
similar matters, but we have not given sufficient thought or incentives, nor have we done
enough to provide for the fundamental need of national life—foodstuff. In the midst of
abundant natural resources for rice culture and fish production, we still have to import
from abroad a substantial part of the supply to meet these absolute and irreducible
necessities of life. Thus, in case of a blockade as dramatically shown in the last world war,
this fact can be aserious weakness in our national defense. What happened in the last world
war with tragic consequences to our army and our people should spur us to the high resolve
never again to neglect this essential side of our economy.

It is, therefore, imperative that we lose no time and spare no effort in reorienting our
national economic policies towards doing first things first. We must produce here, by and
for ourselves, enough to provide for the fundamental needs of life—food, shelter, and
clothing. The country now has the natural resources, the means, and the modern know-
how to do it. We only lack the will to do it. Let us summon then from the spiritual reservoir
of the nation the collective will and determination tomake our country self-sufficient in
foodstuffs, shelter, and clothing. Our freedom must be nourished from the wealth of our
own soil and by the labor of our own

On this day, December 30, our national hero Jose Rizal gave his life on this hallowed ground
– the ideal manifestation of love of country and dedication to the service of our people. It
was therefore fitting that the framers of our Constitution should decree that the highest
official of the land shall be called upon to assume office on this historical occasion. With
deep humility, I accept the Nation’s call to duty.

Bound by the oath I have just taken, I am resolved that I shall be the President not only of
the members of my party but of all political groups; I shall be President not only of the rich
but more so of the poor; and I shall be President not only of one sector but of all the people.

The primary function of the President is not to dispense favors but to dispense justice. The
presidential oath of office contains the special pledge to “do justice to every man.” These
shall not remain empty words, for with God’s help, I shall do justice to every citizen, no
matter how exalted or how humble may be his station in life.

As we open a new era in the life of our Nation, let us measure the tasks before us and set
forth our goals. Our aims are two-fold: first, to solve the immediate problems of the present
and, second, to build materially and spiritually for the future.

Our first mission is the solution of the problem of corruption. We assume leadership at a
time when our Nation is in the throes of a moral degeneration unprecedented in our
national history. Never within the span of human memory has graft permeated every level
of government. The solution of this problem shall call for the exercise of the tremendous
persuasive power of the Presidency. I shall consider it, therefore, my duty to set a personal
example in honesty and uprightness. We must prove that ours is not a Nation of hopeless
grafters but a race of good and decent men and women.

I intend to do more than this. Among the appropriate measures I shall take to insure the
eradication of this social cancer is to assume moral and political responsibility for the
general state of public morality in the country.

Our second mission is to attain self-sufficiency food of our people, namely, rice and corn.
The elemental needs of every people are food, clothing and shelter. We shall give impetus to
industries that will provide clothing for our population at reasonable prices. In
collaboration with private enterprise, we shall invigorate the national housing program
and devote particular attention to proper housing for countrymen who earn the lowest
income and the indigents who live under subhuman conditions.

While attending to the people’s need for adequate clothing and shelter, the urgent emphasis
shall be on their need for staple food. With the cooperation of Congress, we shall launch
and implement a rice and corn program that shall bring about sufficiency in the production
of these cereals and make them available at prices within the reach of the masses.

The basic national problem is the poverty of the masses. Our third mission, therefore, is the
creation of conditions that will provide more income for our people – income for those who
have none and more income for those whose earnings are inadequate for their elemental

Mr. Chief Justice, Mr. Vice-President, Mr. Speaker, My Countrymen:

Sa bisa ng inyong makapangyarihang hatol at sa pamamagitan ng mabiyayang tangkilik ng

Dakilang Maykapal, narito ako ngayon sa inyong harap sa pinagkaugalian nang ritwal sa
pagtatalaga at pagsumpa sa tungkulin ng isang bagong halal na Pangulo.

Sa kapasiyahan ninyong ito ay muli pa ninyong pinatunayan na matatag at matibay ang

pagkakatanim ng mga ugat ng demokrasya sa sinapupunan ng bansang ito. At sa bisa ng
kapangyarihang ipinagkaloob sa inyo ng mga batas ay naisasagawa nang mapayapa at
maayos ang pagsasalin ng kapangyarihang pampamahalaan.

By your mandate, through the grace of the Almighty, I stand here today in the traditional
ritual of the assumption of the Presidency.

By your mandate, once again you have demonstrated the vitality of our democracy by the
peaceful transference of governmental authority.

It is but fitting and proper that this traditional ritual be undertaken on this sacred ground.
For sixty-nine year ago today, a young patriot and prophet of our race fell upon this beloved
soil. He fell from a tyrant’s bullet and out of the martyr’s blood that flowed copiously there
sprung a new nation.

That nation became the first modern republic in Asia and Africa. It is our nation. We are
proud to point to our country as one stable in an area of instability; where ballots, not
bullets, decide the fate of leaders and parties.
Thus Kawit and Malolos are celebrated in our history as acts of national greatness. Why
national greatness? Because, armed with nothing but raw courage and passionate
intelligence and patriotism, our predecessors built the noble edifice of the first Asian
Republic.

With the same reverence do we consider Bataan, Corregidor and the Philippine resistance
movement.

Today the challenge is less dramatic but no less urgent. We must repeat the feat of our
forebears in a more commonplace sphere, away from the bloody turmoil of heroic
adventure – by hastening our social and economic transformation. For today, the Filipino,
it seems, has lost his soul, his dignity and his courage.

We have come upon a phase of our history when ideas are only a veneer for greed and
power in public and private affairs, when devotion to duty and dedication to a public
trust are to be weighed at all times against private advantages and personal gain, and
when loyalties can be traded in the open market.

My brothers and sisters:

I am grateful for the authority you have given me today. And I promise to offer all that I
can do to serve you.

It is fitting and proper that, as our people lost their rights and liberties at midnight
fourteen years ago, the people should formally recover those lost rights and liberties in the
full light of day.

Ninoy believed that only the united strength of the Filipino people would suffice to
overturn a tyranny so evil and so well-organized. The brutal murder of Ninoy created that
unity in strength that has come to be known as “Lakas ng Bayan”–people power.

People power shattered the dictatorship, protected those in the military that chose
freedom, and today, has established a government dedicated to this protection and
meaningful fulfillment of our rights and liberties.

We became exiles, we Filipinos who are at home only in freedom, when Marcos destroyed
the Republic fourteen years ago.

Now, by God’s grace and the power of the people, we are free again.

We want to make a special appeal to those who have not yet joined us. Do not engage in any
further action against the people and instead, be among those who will lend a hand to
rebuild the country.
I had a simple goal in life: to be true to my parents and our country as an honorable son, a
caring brother, and a good citizen. My father offered his life so our democracy could live.
My mother devoted her life to nurturing that democracy. I will dedicate my life to making
our democracy reach its fullest potential: that of ensuring equality for all. My hope is that
when I leave office, everyone can say that we have traveled far on the right path, and that
we are able to bequeath a better future to the next generation.
We must end with justice the conflict brought about by EDSA 1, 2 and 3. There are more
things that bind rather than tear us apart as a nation. We are a vibrant country with a
lively democracy and fervor burning in our hearts. Industry, patience, fear of God and
love for family are common values we hold dear.

Continuity and a beginning

Over the last 94 years, 11 Filipino leaders before me have enacted this ceremony of
democratic transition, which signifies for our Republic both continuity and a new
beginning.

This consecration of the Presidency binds us to the past, just as it turns our hopes to the
future.

My courageous predecessor, former President Corazon C. Aquino, restored our civil

liberties – and then defended them tenaciously against repeated assaults from putschists
and insurgents.

She has made our democracy a fortress against tyrants. Now we must use it to enable our
people to take control of their lives, their livelihood and their future.

To this work of empowering the people, not only in their political rights but also in
economic opportunities, I dedicate my Presidency.

The temper of the people

I see three elements in the stirring message of our people in the elections.

First, they spoke out against the old politics. They declared their resolve to be led along
new paths and directions–toward the nation we long for–a nation peaceful, prosperous and
just.

Second, they reaffirmed their adherence to the secular ideal–of Church and State separate
but collaborating, coexistent but each supreme in its own domain. In this spirit, I see myself
not as the first Protestant to become President, but as the twelfth Filipino President–who
happens to be a Protestant and who must be President of Muslims, Christians and people of
all faiths who constitute our national community.
Third, our people spoke of their faith that we Filipinos can be greater than the sum of all
the problems that confront us, that we can climb higher than any summit we have already
scaled.

We cannot but interpret the vote as a summons for us to unite and face the future together.
The people are not looking for scapegoats, but for the basic things to get done–and get done
quickly.

Let us begin by telling ourselves the truth. Our nation is in trouble. And there are no easy
answers, no quick fixes for our basic ills. Once, we were the school of Southeast Asia. Today
our neighbors have one by one passed us by.

Good afternoon.
The light is fading, the day is almost over, and yet this late afternoon is the morning of a
new day. The day of the Filipino masses. One of their own is finally leading them.
The last time I was here at the Quirino Grandstand, I was with President Cory Aquino,
Cardinal Sin, and other religious leaders and fighters for democracy. We were here with
many of you to stand up and be counted as friends of the democracy. Ask yourselves then,
how could anyone call me a dictatorial type?
The last time I was there, in the old Senate building, we were only Twelve —
Twelve against a superpower;
Twelve against a government under its thumb:
Twelve against public opinion:
But twelve for the sovereignty and honor of our country.
Ask yourselves who has principles.
Maybe I felt strongly about getting all the wrong priorities out of the way so we can focus
on the right things at once.
Maybe I felt that we cannot wait for time to heal our wounds and that we should help
along the healing process.
Who has been hurt and insulted than I? I have been hurt, and my mother even more deeply
at having to listen to all those insults against her son in tri-media. I am but human and I
don’t want to forgive. But I must. And I have. I must work with those who hurt me
because we have only one country between us. I must work with them and they must live
with me, because every Filipino is needed to meet the challenge of national survival in the
regional crisis.
If I seemed impatient, it was only for peace. We must put yesterday behind us, so we can
work for a brighter tomorrow. I did not mean for us to forget the past. I don’t. But I hope
we will not let the past get in the way of a future that calls for cooperation to achieve
peace and prosperity.
Finally, I felt that the common people have waited long enough for their turn, for their
day to come.
That day is here.

The last time I was there, in the old Senate building, we were only Twelve – Twelve
against a superpower. Twelve against a government under its thumb. Twelve against
public opinion. But twelve for the sovereignty and honor of our country.
In all humility, I accept the Presidency of the Republic.I do so with both trepidation and a
sense of awe.repidation, because it is now, as the Good Book says, a time to heal and a time
to build. The task is formidable, so I pray that we will all be one – one in our priorities, one
in our values and commitments, and one because of Edsa 2001.A sense of awe, because the
Filipino has done it again on the hallowed ground of Edsa.People Power and the oneness of
will and vision have made a new beginning possible. I cannot but recall at this point,
therefore, Ninoy Aquino’s words:I have carefully weighed the virtues and the faults of the
Filipino, and I have come to the conclusion that he is worth dying for.”As we break from
the past in our quest for a new Philippines, the unity, the Filipino’s sense of history, and
his unshakeable faith in the Almighty that prevailed in EDSA ’86 and EDSA 2001 will
continue to guide and inspire us.I am certain that Filipinos of unborn generations will look
back with pride to EDSA 2001, just as we look back with pride to Mactan, the Katipunan
and other revolts, Bataan and Corregidor, and EDSA ’86.I am certain that pride will reign
supreme as they recall the heroism and sacrifices and prayers of Jaime Cardinal Sin, former
Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, the legislators who fought the good fight in
Congress, the leaders whose principles were beyond negotiation, the witnesses in the
impeachment trial who did not count the cost of testifying, the youth and students who
walked out of their classes to be here at EDSA, the generals in the Armed Forces and the
Philippine National Police, and the Filipino out there who stood up to be counted in these
troubled times.The Filipino, crises and all, is truly worth living and dying for.Ngunit saan
tayo tutungo mula rito?Jose Rizal, the first to articulate self-determination in a free
society, provides the answer.Rizal counseled the Filipino to lead a life of commitment. “He
must think national, go beyond self.”“A stone is worthless,” Rizal wrote, “if it is not part
of an edifice.”We are the stones, and the Philippines is our edifice.

On many occasions I have given my views on what our program of government should be.
This is not the time or place to repeat them all. However, I can tell you that they converge
on four core beliefs.

1. We must be bold in our national ambitions, so that our challenge must be that within
this decade, we will win the fight against poverty.
2. We must improve moral standards in government and society, in order to provide a
strong foundation for good governance.
3. We must change the character of our politics, in order create fertile ground for true
reforms. Our politics of personality and patronage must give way to a new politics
of party programs and process of dialogue with the people.
4. Finally, I believe in leadership by example. We should promote solid traits such as
work ethic and a dignified lifestyle, matching action to rhetoric, performing rather
than grandstanding.
5. The first of my core beliefs pertains to the elimination of poverty. This is our
unfinished business from the past. It dates back to the creation of our Republic,
whose seeds were sown in the revolution launched in 1896 by the

His Excellency Jose Ramos Horta, Former President Fidel V. Ramos, Former President
Joseph Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and members of the Senate, House
Speaker Prospero Nograles and members of the House, justices of the Supreme Court,
members of the foreign delegations,Your Excellencies of the diplomatic corps, fellow
colleagues in government, aking mga kababayan.
My presence here today is proof that you are my true strength. I never expected that I will
be here taking my oath of office before you, as your president. I never imagined that I would
be tasked with continuing the mission of my parents. I never entertained the ambition to
be the symbol of hope, and to inherit the problems of our nation.

I had a simple goal in life: to be true to my parents and our country as an honorable son, a
caring brother, and a good citizen.

My father offered his life so our democracy could live. My mother devoted her life to
nurturing that democracy. I will dedicate my life to making our democracy reach its fullest
potential: that of ensuring equality for all. My family has sacrificed much and I am willing
to do this again if necessary.

Although I was born to famous parents, I know and feel the problems of ordinary citizens.
We all know what it is like to have a government that plays deaf and dumb. We know what
it is like to be denied justice, to be ignored by those in whom we placed our trust and tasked
to become our advocates.

Have you ever been ignored by the very government you helped put in power? I have. Have
you had to endure being rudely shoved aside by the siren-blaring escorts of those who love
to display their position and power over you? I have, too. Have you experienced
exasperation and anger at a government that instead of serving you, needs to be endured by
you? So have I.

I am like you. Many of our countrymen have already voted with their feet – migrating to
other countries in search of change or tranquility. They have endured hardship, risked
their lives because they believe that compared to their current state here, there is more
hope for them in another country, no matter how bleak it may be. In moments when I
thought of only my own welfare, I also wondered – is it possible that I can find the peace
and quiet that I crave in another country? Is our government beyond redemption? Has it
been written that the Filipino’s lot is merely to suffer?

Today marks the end of a regime indifferent to the appeals of the people. It is not Noynoy
who found a way. You are the reason why the silent suffering of the nation is about to end.
This is

President Fidel Ramos, sir, salamat po sa tulong mo making me President; President

Joseph Ejercito Estrada; Senate President Franklin Drilon and the members of the Senate;
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and the members of the House of Representatives; Chief
Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court; His Excellency
Guiseppe Pinto and the members of the Diplomatic Corps; incoming members of the
Cabinet; fellow workers in government; my fellow countrymen.

No leader, however strong, can succeed at anything of national importance or significance

unless he has the support and cooperation of the people he is tasked to lead and sworn to
serve.
It is the people from whom democratic governments draw strength and this
administration is no exception. That is why we have to listen to the murmurings of the
people, feel their pulse, supply their needs and fortify their faith and trust in us whom
they elected to public office.

There are many amongst us who advance the assessment that the problems that bedevil
our country today which need to be addressed with urgency, are corruption, both in the
high and low echelons of government, criminality in the streets, and the rampant sale of
illegal drugs in all strata of Philippine society and the breakdown of law and order. True,
but not absolutely so. For I see these ills as mere symptoms of a virulent social disease that
creeps and cuts into the moral fiber of Philippine society. I sense a problem deeper and
more serious than any of those mentioned or all of them put together. But of course, it is
not to say that we will ignore them because they have to be stopped by all means that the
law allows.

Erosion of faith and trust in government – that is the real problem that confronts us.
Resulting therefrom, I see the erosion of the people’s trust in our country’s leaders; the
erosion of faith in our judicial system; the erosion of confidence in the capacity of our
public servants to make the people’s lives better, safer and healthier.

Indeed ours is a problem that dampens the human spirit. But all is not lost.

I know that there are those who do not approve of my methods of fighting criminality,
the sale and use of illegal drugs and corruption. They say that my methods are
unorthodox and verge on the illegal. In response let me say this:

I have seen how corruption bled the government of funds, which were allocated for the
use in uplifting the poor from the mire that they are in.

I have seen how illegal drugs destroyed individuals and ruined family relationships.

Mr. Chief Justice, Mr. President, Vice President Quayle, Senator Mitchell, Speaker
Wright, Senator Dole, Congressman Michel, and fellow citizens, neighbors, and friends:

There is a man here who has earned a lasting place in our hearts and in our history.
President Reagan, on behalf of our Nation, I thank you for the wonderful things that you
have done for America.

I have just repeated word for word the oath taken by George Washington 200 years
ago, and the Bible on which I placed my hand is the Bible on which he placed his. It is
right that the memory of Washington be with us today, not only because this is our
Bicentennial Inauguration, but because Washington remains the Father of our Country.
And he would, I think, be gladdened by this day; for today is the concrete expression of a
stunning fact: our continuity these 200 years since our government began.

We meet on democracy's front porch, a good place to talk as neighbors and as friends.
For this is a day when our nation is made whole, when our differences, for a moment, are
suspended.
 And my first act as President is a prayer. I ask you to bow your heads:

Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love. Accept our thanks
for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely.
Make us strong to do Your work, willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on our
hearts these words: "Use power to help people." For we are given power not to advance
our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one
just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord. Amen.

I come before you and assume the Presidency at a moment rich with promise. We live
in a peaceful, prosperous time, but we can make it better. For a new breeze is blowing,
and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man's heart, if not in fact, the day
of the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves
from an ancient, lifeless tree. A new breeze is blowing, and a nation refreshed by freedom
stands ready to push on. There is new ground to be broken, and new action to be taken.
There are times when the future seems thick as a fog; you sit and wait, hoping the mists
will lift and reveal the right path. But this is a time when the future seems a door you can
walk right through into a room called tomorrow.

Great nations of the world are moving toward democracy through the door to
freedom. Men and women of the world move toward free markets through the door to
prosperity. The people of the world agitate for free expression and free thought through
the door to the moral and intellectual satisfactions that only liberty allows.

We know what works: Freedom works. We know what's right: Freedom is right. We
know how to secure a more just and prosperous life for man on Earth: through free
markets, free speech, free elections, and the exercise of free will unhampered by the state.

For the first time in this century, for the first time in perhaps all history, man does not
have to invent a system by which to live. We don't have to talk late into the night about
which form of government is better. We don't have to wrest justice from the kings. We
only have to summon it from within ourselves. We must act on what we know. I take as
my guide the hope of a saint: In crucial things, unity; in important things, diversity; in all
things, generosity.

America today is a proud, free nation, decent and civil, a place we cannot help but
love. We know in our hearts, not loudly and proudly, but as a simple fact, that this
country has meaning beyond what we

President George W. Bush's Inaugural Address

January 20, 2001

President Clinton, distinguished guests and my fellow citizens, the peaceful transfer of
authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old
traditions and make new beginnings.

As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation.

And I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit and ended with
grace.

I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of America's leaders have come
before me, and so many will follow.

We have a place, all of us, in a long story--a story we continue, but whose end we will not
see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old, a story of a
slave-holding society that became a servant of freedom, the story of a power that went
into the world to protect but not possess, to defend but not to conquer.

It is the American story--a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the
generations by grand and enduring ideals.

The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise that everyone belongs, that
everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born.

Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our laws. And though our
nation has sometimes halted, and sometimes delayed, we must follow no other course.

Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock
in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations.

Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country, it is the inborn hope of our
humanity, an ideal we carry but do not own, a trust we bear and pass along. And even
after nearly 225 years, we have a long way yet to travel.

While many of our citizens prosper, others doubt the promise, even the justice, of our
own country. The ambitions of some Americans are limited by failing schools and hidden
prejudice and the circumstances of their birth. And sometimes our differences run so
deep, it seems we share a continent, but not a country.

We do not accept this, and we will not allow it. Our unity, our union, is the serious work
of leaders and citizens in every generation. And this is my solemn pledge: I will work to
build a single nation of justice and opportunity.

I know this is in our reach because we are guided by a power larger than ourselves who
creates us equal in His image.

And we are confident in principles that unite and lead us onward.

America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move
us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be
citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them.
And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less,
American.

Today, we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility,
courage, compassion and character
January 20, 2009 was a cold day in Washington D.C., with temperatures hovering right

below freezing, but an estimated 1.8 million people flooded onto the National Mall to

see incoming President Barack Obama take the oath of office to become the nation's

first African American president.

Pastor Rick Warren started the festivities by delivering the invocation. Obama had

garnered criticism from progressives in his party for extending the invitation to

Warren, who was socially conservative on LGBTQ and abortion issues, but Warren

steered clear of controversy during his prayer.

Singer Aretha Franklin sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" shortly before Obama was

sworn in, wearing a giant sequined bow hat that went viral immediately.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office -- making a

tiny mistake that ultimately forced Obama to retake the oath the next day.

The president then launched into a 20-minute speech in which he called for a "new era

of responsibility."

Read the full text of that speech below:

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the
trust you've bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.

I thank President Bush for his service to our nation -- as well as the generosity and
cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been
spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so
often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments,
America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office,
but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and
true to our founding documents.

So it has been; so it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a
far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a
consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective
failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been
lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too
many -- and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen
our adversaries and threaten our planet.

r.
 INAUGURAL
ADDRESSES OF
PRESIDENT OF THE
PHILIPPINES AND
AMERICA

ANDREY DANICA G. ADOR

8-14
MRS.GALINDO