Malacañang inaugural for Rody

MANILA, Philippines - It’s final: president-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s inauguration will be held at Malacañang on June 30, breaking the tradition of holding presidential inaugurals at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila’s Rizal Park.

Incoming Presidential Communications Operations Office secretary Martin Andanar, after meeting with outgoing PCOO Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. yesterday, confirmed that the inauguration would be held at Malacañang’s Rizal Hall.

Andanar also said that the media would not be allowed to cover inside the Palace except Duterte’s TV crew, the Radio-TV Malacañang (RTVM), which will feed the live video to TV networks.

Broadcast networks ABS-CBN 2, GMA-7, TV5, PTV-4 and IBC-13 will have to coordinate with RTVM.

Reporters from newspapers, social media and other radio stations will be given monitors where they can watch the event live.

Only 500 guests are invited to the inauguration, 190 of them Duterte’s “personal guests” while the rest will be members of his Cabinet, the diplomatic corps and Congress.

Duterte’s former wife, Elizabeth Zimmerman, said she was invited and would attend along with her children.

“I would not attend if I was not invited. I have been invited so I will attend,” she said.

Andanar bared that Duterte told the members of his Cabinet and other officials he would appoint not to bring their wives/spouses and other members of their families because of limited seats.

The content of Duterte’s inaugural speech is still a work in progress, including the language he will use. Andanar said the presidential communications office might be able to finalize it tomorrow.

Andanar also said the current government portal, or the Official Gazette, will be retained.

“We will build on the success of the Official Gazette online,” Andanar said, giving credit to outgoing Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III.

Coloma said the website has a “hard copy edition,” which the National Printing Office has produced. This has always been “co-existent” with the online edition “required by law.”

Labor groups to march to Palace

Meanwhile, labor groups plan to troop to Malacañang on Duterte’s inauguration day to remind him of his promises to improve the working condition of lowly paid workers.

Allan Bagas of trade group PAMANTIK said as Duterte takes his oath, militant workers will gather in Mendiola and call on the incoming administration to implement genuine reforms.

“Along with other people’s organizations and militant groups, we will troop to Duterte’s oath-taking ceremony and remind the new head of state of his promises to bring about change,” he added.

The labor groups also intend to present to the Duterte government a list of alternative policies and solutions to the problems besetting workers nationwide.

“He wanted people to present doable solutions to the problems that they are facing. We’ll be giving him such then,” Bagas said.

Bagas noted that for the past six years under President Aquino, workers have suffered much, as many of them are mere contractual workers receiving measly salaries and no employment benefits.

“More and more contractual workers are enslaved in increasingly precarious and low-reward work, which shows that businesses use workers as a means to profit and not a co-stakeholder from the fruits of their labor,” he added.

Based on data from trade unions in Calabarzon, almost nine out of 10 workers employed in the region are contractual workers whose basic wages are low.

Many contractual workers are also often assigned in dangerous work arrangements, without any compensation for any injuries incurred at work.

Meanwhile, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) is set to stage a “walk of shame” in Mendiola today to present to the people the sins committed under the Aquino government.

The participants will walk from Morayta to Mendiola and show to the public various issues, including the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program, Mamasapano massacre, neglect of victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda and poor service of the problematic MRT and mass transport in the country.

The group will also press for the prosecution and imprisonment of President Aquino once he steps down from power. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Edith Regalado