Day One

Tomorrow, January 20, 2025, Donald Trump will officially become the 47th president of the United States of America. This will be his second inauguration after having served as president from 2017 to 2021. His running mate, Vice President-elect JD Vance will also take his oath of office as he assumes his role as the vice president. Hundreds of thousands of spectators and supporters are expected to descend unto Washington, D.C. to watch this formal ceremony and millions are expected to watch in various forms of traditional and new media. It is a festive affair in the nation's capital as there are various events going on, though the traditional parade and the outdoor swearing-in ceremony were cancelled due to the freezing temperatures. Nonetheless, this is a high-profile event in which Americans, regardless of party affiliation, come together and celebrate the start of a new administration.

It is also day one of the second Trump presidency. Already, there are reports that in his first few hours, Mr. Trump will issue sweeping executive orders that are very aggressive in immigration enforcement. Day 2 will see massive and widespread immigration crackdown in large metropolitan areas going after those undocumented immigrants with criminal records. However, even if you do not have a prior entanglement with the law, you could still be ensnared if at any point you were encountered in these operations.

And this is just the start. Brace yourselves for more crackdowns and hard-line policies that may come from this new administration. With a strong public clamor for arrests of criminal illegal immigrants, Mr. Trump feels emboldened to institute whatever measure he thinks that can protect Americans. I anticipate countless legal actions are going to be filed to challenge these actions even all the way up to the Supreme Court.

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Happy fiesta to Cebu and to the whole Cebuano community not just physically located in Cebu but those abroad. Here in the United States, I personally know friends and colleagues who celebrate the feast as fervently as if they were in Cebu. I have seen novena prayers livestreamed on social media and fiesta events in various cities across the world. This faith to the Holy Child is not just a local celebration but a shared global devotion unmatched by any other.

Pit Señor!