After taking his oath as the country's new leader, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is officially back as Malacañang's occupant and his first order of business was to lead the mass oath-taking of his Cabinet secretaries and local government officials.
Marcos and his family arrived at the Palace past 2 p.m. after his inauguration and hosted a vin d'honneur at the National Museum in Manila.
The country's 17th President was given arrival honors, and he and his family took their first stroll at the Kalayaan Grounds. Their walk, however, was disrupted by the sudden rain.
NOW: Arrival honors for President Bongbong Marcos. ( RTVM Screenshots) @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/A6CtKXuAGn
— Argyll Cyrus Geducos (@argyllcyrus_MB) June 30, 2022
The First Family climbed the Palace's grand staircase, a symbol of his ascent to the highest position of the land.
The President then swore in his Cabinet secretaries, including Vice President Sara Duterte, who will lead the Department of Education (DepEd). He and his wife, Liza Araneta-Marcos, took photos with the families of each Cabinet secretary.
LOOK: President Bongbong Marcos administers the oath of office of his son, neophyte Congressman Sandro Marcos. Rep. Marcos was elected as Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative. ( RTVM Screenshot) @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/2eDZu4ONma
— Argyll Cyrus Geducos (@argyllcyrus_MB) June 30, 2022
Marcos described the oath-taking of his Cabinet secretaries as a "formality" that they had to get done with so they could hold their first Cabinet meeting on Friday, July 1.
According to Marcos, the first Cabinet meeting would be his administration's "first official act of work."
But before the Cabinet meeting, President Marcos led the mass oath-taking of local government officials from Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. His son Sandro, a neophyte Representative from Ilocos Norte's first district. also took his oath before him.