Manila: "The ride will be rough, but join me just the same."
So said President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, also known as "The Punisher", as he took his oath of office on Thursday noon as the 16th President of the Republic of the Philippines.
Duterte took his oath before Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañang Palace.
"I know there are those who do not approve of my methods of fighting criminality," said the new chief executive, who wore a barong Tagalog made from pineapple "jusi" fabric designed by Boni Adaza of Davao-based fashion house Chardin.
"Ours is a problem that dampen the human spirit but all is not lost," he said in a short speech, during which he stressed love of country, and "subordination of personal interests for the common good".
Duterte promised to give the presidency his best shot, by leading a government that will regain the faith and trust of the people.
"I was elected to the presidency to serve the entire country... I serve everyone and not only one," he said, adding: "I direct all department secretaries to reduce requirements and the processing of all applications from submission to release."
Filipinos optimistic on new president
His daughter Veronica, also known as “Kitty,” held the Bible as he took his oath. Duterte’s common-law wife Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña was present during the inauguration. His ex-wife Elizabeth Zimmerman and children Paolo, Sara and Sebastian were also present.
NOW: Oath of Office by President Rodrigo Duterte administered by Justice Bienvenido Reyes #PartnerForChange pic.twitter.com/2iSdKdEY9r— RTVMalacanang (@RTVMalacanang) June 30, 2016
Now: President Duterte leaves Rizal Hall before his 1st Military Honors. #PartnerForChange pic.twitter.com/Gq7PgOmdwb— RTVMalacanang (@RTVMalacanang) June 30, 2016
The inauguration was witnessed by members of the diplomatic corps, incoming Cabinet members and lawmakers.
After his oathtaking, Duterte administered the mass oathtaking of his Cabinet members.
NOW: Mass Oath Taking of the Members of the Cabinet and other Officials #PartnerForChange pic.twitter.com/nsl8hyRbdt— RTVMalacanang (@RTVMalacanang) June 30, 2016
Full military honours were given to the chief executive at 1 pm before he held his first official Cabinet meeting at around 2 pm.
Nothing fancy
There was no fancy 'vin d'honneur' at Rodrigo Duterte's inauguration as president of the Philippines on Thursday — just simple fare at a low-key event.
Then he will get straight down to the business of crushing crime, drugs and lawlessness.
Only state media will be allowed to attend the ceremony at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, the upshot of a furore Duterte unleashed recently when he suggested that corrupt journalists were legitimate targets for assassination.
Communications Minister Martin Andanar told Reuters that instead of being driven around in the president's limousine, a bullet-proof Mercedes, Duterte wants to travel in a pick-up truck.
Indeed, there is little about 71-year-old Duterte that is conventionally presidential.
It is still not clear, Duterte's aides say, if he will keep a promise to spurn the luxury of the palace and commute daily from his hometown in the south of the country, which is two hours each way by air.
Man-of-the-people style
But it was precisely this man-of-the-people style that won him last month's presidential election.
His brash defiance of the political elite, which drew comparisons with Donald Trump, tapped into popular disgust with an establishment that failed to tackle poverty and inequality despite years of robust economic growth.
His election campaign focused almost entirely on the scourges of murder, rape, drug abuse and corruption, and voters were not deterred by his repeated warnings, in profanity-peppered speeches, to have offenders killed.
Now: Final Departure Honors for the Outgoing President Benigno III#PartnerForChange pic.twitter.com/2FN43gABwv— RTVMalacanang (@RTVMalacanang) June 30, 2016
Duterte was mayor for 22 years of the far-south city of Davao, where, according to human rights groups, death squads have killed at least 1,400 people since 1998, most of them drug-pushers, addicts, petty criminals and street children.
Duterte denies any involvement in the vigilante killings.
No sumptuous banquet
But his incendiary rhetoric and advocacy of extrajudicial killings to stamp out crime and drugs have alarmed many who hear echoes of the Southeast Asian country's authoritarian past.
In the few weeks since his landslide election victory there has been a jump in the number of suspected drug dealers shot dead by police and anonymous vigilantes across the country, a sign, critics say, that a spiral of violence has already begun.
"Duterte tapped into a raw nerve in Philippines society about crimes being committed and no one being held responsible," said Chito Gascon, head of the Commission on Human Rights.
"Now you have this momentum for action but the cure could be worse than the disease." As well as taming crime, voters will be looking to Duterte to fix the country's infrastructure, create jobs and lift more than a quarter of the 100 million population out of poverty.
Duterte says he wants to spread wealth more evenly.
But he has also said he will continue his predecessor's economic policies, which focused on infrastructure and fiscal efficiency, to push growth up to 7-8 percent, and analysts say they are encouraged that he plans to delegate this to experienced hands.
When was sworn in as the Philippines' 16th president for a six-year term at midday on Thursday.
Duterte is not known for his sartorial elegance: he usually sports a short-sleeved casual shirt, never wears socks and told Reuters on the campaign trail that he wouldn't be seen in a tie.
Coconut spring rolls
There will be no sumptuous banquet, Andanar said, but there will be several homely dishes that showcase the country's culinary heritage, including coconut pith spring rolls, a white cheese made from unskimmed carabao's milk and durian tartlets.
For drinks, guests will have a choice between a pine-mango cooler and the juice of a local orange called "Dalandan".
The country's new vice-president, Leni Robredo, will be sworn in at a separate but simultaneous ceremony.
Ferdinand Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, on Wednesday filed a case in the Supreme Court claiming that he lost his bid for the vice-presidency because of election fraud.
(With inputs from Reuters)
