MANILA, Philippines — The program for the inauguration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday is mostly set, with his office saying that this will be “traditional, solemn and simple.”
“The program we have prepared is very solemn and simple. It would be very traditional dahil sabi nga ni BBM sa vlog niya, ‘hindi kami lilihis pa sa tradisyon (like what BBM said in his vlog, ‘We will not move away from tradition,)’” said Franz Imperial, one of the preparation committee heads, in a press statement.
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Among the new details divulged Tuesday by Marcos’ office is that actress Toni Gonzaga, a fervent supporter of the incoming chief executive, will be singing the national anthem, while the inauguration song “Pilipinas Kong Mahal” will be performed by Cris Villonco and the Young Voices of the Philippines choir.
A 30-minute civic, military parade will also be held, Marcos’ office said.
Meanwhile, it said that details for the ecumenical invocation that will follow the singing of the national anthem are still being finalized.
Marcos is also said to deliver his speech without the aid of a teleprompter.
Other details on Marcos’ inauguration are still scant, with the press release coming from his office largely detailing traditions observed during previous presidential inaugurations.
Reporters covering Marcos are also largely kept in the dark about preparations two days before the president-elect’s inauguration.
Marcos won the May presidential poll by a historic majority vote of over 31 million. — Xave Gregorio with a report from Kristine Joy Patag