The MARCOS Inauguration 1965 Elected Sixth President of a nation in crisis, Ferdinand B, ‘Marcos rallied his people behind bis call to greatness. In his in- augural address titled “A Challenge to Greatness,” President Marcos said: “We must awake the hero inherent in every man, We must harness the wills and the hearts of our people +. Offering all our efforts to our Creator, we must drive our selves to be great agai ‘your choice you have committed yourselves to it. Come then, This is your dream and mine. By let us march together towards the dream of greatness.” In keeping with the President's call for austerity, the inaugural rites were kept simple and unostentatious. Mass was ccle~ brated by Father Albert Ganswinkel SVD at the Marcos re~ sidence in San Juan, Rizal. At 10:30 a.m., President Marcos arrived at Malacafiang to fetch President Macapagal. He came dressed in barong Tagalog and striped gray pants. After ex- changing pleasantries in the Music Room and pausing at the Palace chapel to pray, they boarded an open-air Cadillac for the TLameta. A lone bugle call sounded to announce their arrival at the inaugural geandstand at 10:53 am. ‘They were met by Senators Gil J. Puyat and Ambrosio Padilla, co-chairmen of the inaugural committee, Then the blue uniformed Presidential Guard Battalion rendered the military honors, After the tra~ ditional salute to the fag, President Marcos ascended the grand- stand to the thunderous applause of the crowd. In response, the incoming Chief Executive waved back to the people and flashed the familiar V for vietory sign. ‘Visiting dignitaries in formal cutaway coats and striped pants, native costumes and military uniforms and the Blue Ladies (women who actively campaigned for the President's election) in their blue and white temos lent color to the inaugural cere= monies, The First Lady, Imelda Ronwaldez Marcos, came in an off-white terno, Vice President Hubert Humphrey led the special representatives of 35 countries who attended the inau= guration. Promptly at 11:10 a.m, a bugle eall sounded the star of the military parade. The most applauded units were those of vet erans with whom President Marcos served during the wat. Two of his close wartime American buddies flew in from the US to attend the rites and were in the parade, ‘After an invocation said by Rufino Cardinal Santos, Vice Pre= sident-clect Fernando Lopez was sworn in, Since the paradg ended 15 minutes ahead of schedule, Marcos formally became President 10 minutes before the appointed time, ‘The Presi dent-clect took his oath of office before Chief Justice Cesar Ben= gzon on one of two family bibles—one given by the Fitst Lady and the other given by his father, the late Assemblyman Ma~ iano Marcos. ‘The coremonies over, President Marcos and his family rode to Malacaiiang, In the afternoon, the President swore in mem bers of his Cabinet and later laid wreaths before the Rizal mon= tumentand at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, There wasno inatt ‘gual ball at the Palace. A concert on the Lumeta by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Band, fireworks display at strategic points of the city, and a program of entertainment at Plaza Sta. Cruz under the sponsorship of the City of Manila were the only simple festivities that highlighted the President's inauguration.