MANILA, Philippines — With June 30 declared a holiday, expect an overflow crowd to converge on Quirino Grandstand in Manila to witness the popular President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III being sworn into office.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Thursday issued Proclamation No. 2085 declaring June 30 a special nonworking day nationwide. She said it was “fitting and proper” that all Filipinos be given “full opportunity to witness and welcome this historic event in the life of a nation.”

And despite their political differences, Ms Arroyo does not mind sharing a farewell limousine ride with Aquino on the way to his inauguration as the Philippines’ 15th President, according to Secretary Ricardo Saludo, her spokesperson.

Aquino himself is getting antsy about the ride, but is not about to back out.

Speaking Thursday at a press conference in his house, the President-elect said: “I understand tradition dictates that this is part of what has to be done, and I understand I have no choice.”

He said that while he would be in an “uncomfortable” situation, he would show respect to Ms Arroyo as a woman, as his former professor, and as his senior, and in deference to her position.

“There is a solemnity to the occasion ... and we do not want to be the one accused of cheapening the entire process. We will have to observe as much as possible all that is required by practice and tradition,” he said.

Devil in the details

Aquino admitted to being overwhelmed after being briefed by protocol officers and historical keepers of the tradition.

“A wise man said the devil is in the details. Do I need to open the door for her as a sign of respect, or am I violating some protocol? And when I fetch her, can I set foot on Malacañang? I was told I can do so only afterward,” he said. “I also want to know if my mother (the late President Corazon Aquino) was fetched by FVR (her successor Fidel V. Ramos).”

Aquino also said he was satisfied with Malacañang’s plans for the inaugural ceremony which, he noted, hewed closely to what his and the Palace’s transition teams had discussed.

Differences don’t matter

It will not be an issue if Aquino spends a portion of his inaugural address criticizing the outgoing administration, Saludo told reporters at a briefing in Malacañang.

“This is a free country. People will say what they want to say and, certainly, if you are the President, nobody can tell you what to say and not to say,” he said, adding:

Symbolic rituals

“Differences, they don’t matter in this democratic process. If there are differences, the democratic process is able to subsume them and let the whole thing still happen.”

Saludo said the June 30 holiday would be a chance for Filipinos to show “oneness” with the outgoing and incoming administrations.

“This is all part of a smooth transition. And if this is seen by some camps as a gesture of reconciliation, well and good,” he said.

Saludo said that since Ms Arroyo declared Election Day on May 10 a holiday, it was only “fitting” to do the same for Aquino’s inaugural “so people can focus on the transition to a new leadership.”

“These are very important symbolic rituals of democracy. But this is not symbolic but actual power being transferred, and those important moments in democratic institutions and processes should be given attention,” he said.

He also said it was the call of government officials and employees to attend Aquino’s inaugural: “It’s the decision of each and every citizen whether to go [or not]. If they feel like doing so, that’s well and good. If they choose to watch it on TV instead, that’s also good. The important thing is, they’re watching it with the family.”

Saludo, a former chair of the Civil Service Commission, said no instruction had yet been issued for Cabinet officials to attend the inaugural.

“We will hold our final Cabinet meeting on the 29th,” he said.

“Whether they will still gather for the 30th, I don’t know, because there might be other plans. Usually the 30th is a day when pretty much everybody’s position in government that is coterminous [with the President’s] will end. That’s the last day. Since it is a holiday, all the more we will not be at work,” he added.

Beyond rituals

Unless a change is made, Ms Arroyo and Aquino are to share a limousine ride from Malacañang to Quirino Grandstand as part of tradition in the turnover of the presidency, according to Presidential Management Staff chief Elena Bautista-Horn.

At the inauguration site, Ms Arroyo will hand over symbolic keys to her successor and leave in her private car—a ritual intended to allow Aquino to have the stage all to himself, Horn said.

But Saludo said that beyond the rituals of the inauguration, Ms Arroyo was more concerned with a smooth transition of power, “her final act of governance.”

“The President’s intention from the very beginning is the conduct of orderly elections and smooth transfer of power,” Saludo said.

“She is certainly happy, very fulfilled, that she is able to bring the administration to that conclusion, which, again, is part of our democracy, underscoring our political strength and stability. That’s really what this is all about,” he said.

No forced resignation

Saludo said the end of Ms Arroyo’s presidency had left a number of government employees wondering if they would still have their jobs in the new dispensation.

He pointed out that employees could not be forced to resign, and that their removal would have to go through “certain rules and processes.”

“As far as I can remember, there is no such thing as forced resignation in government,” he said. “You leave if you want to leave. You can resign. Of course, you can be requested to resign, but I don’t think there is such a thing as being ordered to resign.”

As for those employees appointed after the constitutional ban on appointments, he said they need not tender their resignation because their jobs are coterminous with Ms Arroyo’s, Saludo said.

“Their appointments are terminated on June 30,” he said.

But with at least 4,000 vacancies still to be filled, he said, these employees could keep their jobs in a “holdover” capacity until the new administration finds suitable replacements. With a report from Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.