Noynoy Aquino

High Expectations and hopes for a better future soared high as senator Benigno Simeon Noynoy Aquino III was officially swore in as the 15th President of the country on Wednesday at the Quirino Grandstand.

From the reactions of the people in attendance to the songs rendered by big names in music industry, the message of hope filled the sprawling grandstand to the delight of an estimated 700,000 crowd that watched the historic inauguration of the son of former President Corazon Aquino.

”Our hope is very high now that we have new President. We can see a new dawn of bright future with his promise to end corruption that brought so much poverty,” said Mario Bartulay, who traveled from Masbate just to personally watch Aquino’s inauguration.

For Leandro Yangot, who led a group of 200 supporters of Aquino from Baguio City, the battle against corruption en route to a better future is not for President Aquino alone.

”He cannot do it alone. He needs the support of every Filipino in this battle. We from Cordillera region will give him an all out support for a better future,” Yangot, chairman of the Liberal Party in Baguio City, said.

Former President Fidel V. Ramos has the same observation, saying that “only through cooperation and unity, can we bring progress to the country.”

Though the new President failed to mention about sports in his inaugural speech, the sports leaders have foreseen a brighter future under the new administration.

”We see a very bright future ahead of the Philippine sports because first and foremost, the president elect is a sportsman by heart. We know very well that he practices shooting regularly and he has a big heart and concerns for our athletes,” Manny Lopez of Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) vice president said.

Former Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair and Bacolod City congressman Monico Puentevella also believes that Aquino needs the support of everybody in his bid to bring into reality his slogan ‘kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap’ (if there’s no corruption, there's no poverty).

”It’s now time to heal the wounds and support the new administration because it’s the only way we can achieve what we want to achieve for this country,” Puentevella said.

The message of songs rendered by Apo Hiking Society, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Mae Paner and Noel Cabangon called for unity and encouragements to reach the progress that the Filipino people have been longing for so many years now.

”Now is the time for the right change. Let’s go and work for the road to change right now,” stated in the song “Tungo sa Pagbabago” rendered by Cabangon.