Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took his oath as the 17th Philippine President on June 30, 2022, signaling the return of the Marcoses to Malacañang, the place they called home from 1965 to 1986.
In his inaugural speech, Marcos expressed his gratitude for being elected as the country's President and appealed to every Filipino to support him.
"Never forget: We are Filipinos. One nation, one Republic, indivisible," he said.
After taking his oath, the new President hosted a vin d'honneur for foreign diplomats at the National Museum in Manila. He reiterated his key message of unity during the toast. He also urged world leaders to resolve problems brought about by the pandemic and climate change.
He then went to Malacañang for his arrival honors and to lead the mass oath-taking of his Cabinet secretaries and local chief executives from Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.
His son, neophyte congressman Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos, took his oath before the President.
But what else happened in Malacañang during President Marcos's first day back in the Palace?
President Marcos spent his first day in office meeting foreign diplomats. He exchanged pleasantries with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa at Malacañang's Study Room.
Marcos also received Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai of the Kingdom of Thailand. Pramudwinai is also the Kingdom's Foreign Affairs Minister.
The new President also met with Australian Governor-General David Hurley, who exercises executive power under the Queen of Australia and its Head of State, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defense Force.
Hayashi, Pramudwinai, and Hurley were all present during Marcos's inauguration.
Before this, President Marcos had separate meetings with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and US Second Gentleman Douglass Emhoff after his inauguration at the National Museum.
On July 1, the following foreign officials made courtesy calls to the new President:
- Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan
- Brunei Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato Seri Setia Haji Erywan Bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd. Yusof
- Cambodian Environment Minister Say Samal
- Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Member of Parliament Dr. Raikumar Ranjan Singh
- Floor Leader of South Korea's People Power Party Kweon Seong-Dong
- Lao PDR Deputy Foreign Minister Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune
- British Trade Envoy Richard Graham
Malacañang has yet to share information about what Marcos talked about with the diplomats.