PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. AQUINO III’s SPEECH
DURING THE PREMIERE SCREENING OF THE
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL’S DOCUMENTARY
ENTITLED “INSIDE MALACANANG”
Rizal Ceremonial Hall, Malacañang
February 28, 2012
02282012B
(appaluse) Thank you. Good afternoon. Please sit down.
Secretaries Sonny Coloma, Tati Licuanan, Joel Rocamora, Edwin Lacierda,
Mon Jimenez; other members of the Cabinet present; Mr. Jude Turcuato; Ms.
Marnie Manicad; Chairman Felipe Gozon; Undersecretary Manolo Quezon; of
course, my Ate Pinky; Fox International Channel’s Team from the Philippines
and Hong Kong; Trade Partners of Fox International Channels; friends from the
media; honoured guests.
Most of you know that the very stairs you climbed to get to this hall are the
same stairs this country’s Presidents climb on the day they assume office. But
there is another story about those stairs, which you may not be so familiar
with, and I thanked Manolo for this trivia. They say that Teodora Alonso, the
mother of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, went up those very stairs on her
knees, to beg the Governor General to spare her son’s life. In a way, this story
captures the view many of our countrymen may have of this Palace—that it is a
well-guarded structure, removed from everyday life; a house of power and
authority whose occupants influence the lives of all Filipinos. And this,
particularly, is the viewpoint we want to shatter.
My mother was the first President who chose not to live here, and like her, I
have also chosen not to. In fact, I live just across the river you see behind, well,
behind the windows at my back, which you do not see presently. (laughter)
Living in the Palace can have an unhealthy effect on the presidency—the
luxury and grandeur of the surroundings, as well as the knowledge that some
of the most important decisions affecting the Philippines have been made
within these walls. It can make you feel like royalty; it can take you away from
reality, and make you forget that you have more than 95 million bosses that
you have to serve.
While I have the privilege of working in such a grand office, I have never
forgotten that anyone who lives or works here does so for a limited period of
time, and does so upon accepting the mandate given him by the Filipino
people. I have always believed that Malacañan Palace is, first and foremost, the
palace of the people.
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We reaffirm this today with the premiere screening of “Inside Malacañang,” a
documentary created through the collaboration of a Filipino team and the
National Geographic. I am a fan of National Geographic; and I immensely
enjoyed both “Inside the White House” and “Inside Air Force One,” which is
why I am excited to find out what you actually filmed and shot and portrayed
as far as Malacañang is concerned—as I hope you all are. Indeed, we really
want to see the finish product.
More than anything else, this documentary will open up the Palace not only to
Filipinos, but also to the whole world. Apart from telling you more about the
history of the Palace, it will also give you a look into the lives of the other
people who work here—the pilot and maintenance team of the Presidential
Airlift Wing, the Presidential Security Group, and others who work very closely
with me. They help me to do my work as President, and I am happy that there
is now a film that immortalizes their hard work and dedication.
Perhaps I can take this opportunity to thank all of them. It is no joke being
President, especially coming after my predecessor. Your tasks, and the
consequences of your actions lie heavy in your mind every day. You shuttle
from meeting to meeting, from event to event. But I imagine that without my
hardworking staff and the security group, we would not have made the
progress we have made these past twenty months.
This is an understated lesson in the documentary: that the Presidency is about
more than one person. On a larger scale, the same is true for a country. None
of us can change this country alone. Every worker must put in a good day’s
work; every student must attend his classes and study his lessons well; every
public servant must keep his bosses in mind and do his job efficiently and
honestly. Our roles in this country, no matter how big or small we may perceive
them to be, support the roles of others. The work we do on a personal level is
the backbone of this country’s progress.
As this documentary fully opens this historic palace’s doors to everyone, let it
stand for our intention to give this country back to its people: to engage our
citizens to take part in nation building; to remind them that we all have a stake
in this. These are crucial steps in our country’s road to progress. Let this
documentary symbolize that the halls of power are not exclusive to elected
officials—every single one of us can take part. This is the pathway that we
must take to make certain that all of us are involved, and that no one is left
behind.
Thank you. Good afternoon. (applause)
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