With Quirino grandstand being unavailable, the camp of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has picked the National Museum in Ermita, Manila as the site of his inauguration on June 30, 2022.
This was confirmed Thursday, June 2 by Press Secretary-designate, lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles.
The choice of the Nation Museum has been described as a sentimental one for Marcos as it used to be the Old Legislative Building. It used to House both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
President-elect Marcos's father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., served as a senator from 1959 to 1965.
The site served as the venue for the inauguration of former Presidents Manuel Quezon (1935), Jose Laurel (1943), and Manuel Roxas (1946).
Former Manila Rep. and now Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Secretary-designate Zenaida "Naida" Angping said that the inaugural committee members had recently conducted an ocular inspection of the area and found it to be a suitable venue.
"The National Museum of Philippines building and its surrounding areas match our requirements for President-elect Marcos' inauguration. Preparations are already in full swing to ensure that it will be ready by then," Angping said.
The younger Marcos has wanted to hold his inauguration and oath-taking as the 17th president of the Philippines in Quirino grandstand, also on Manila, since it is the traditional site for the occasion.
But he admitted during a May 23 press conference that such set-up wasn't realistic at this time.
“Hindi kaya because nga may ospital eh. Eh ginagamit pa eh, hindi naman natin pwede ilipat yan (That won’t work because there’s a Covid-19 hospital there. It’s still being used, we cannot transfer it),” Marcos said.