So Help Us God: The Presidents of the Philippines and Their Inaugural Addresses

Part oratory, part public policy and part history, this book tells the story of the fourteen men and women who ascended to the nation's highest public office. It reintroduces to contemporary readers the presidents of the Philippines--from Emilio Aguinaldo to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo--providing essential information and insights about their challenges and achievements that enable us to survey the past in a manner that makes sense of the present,and helps us plan better for the future. ...So Help Us God puts us in direct contact with the original speeches delivered at the presidential inaugurals and illustrates the power of the spoken word in the life of our nation. "Illuminating, instructive, and brilliant in conception, this book of Ed and Jonathan Malaya should be read by every concerned Filipino and every student of our turbulent and glorious history." --JOVITO R. SALONGA, statesman and former president of the Philippine Senate "For a nation fascinated with politics and theater, this book on presidential inaugurals offers an engaging way to retrace our journey as a people. It is a valuable contribution to the retelling of our story, help us understand, through the words of the Philippines' top leaders, how politics and political power shaped the direction of the country." --BENJAMIN PIMENTEL, journalist, San Francisco Chronicle "This is a most useful publication on the dynamics of the Philippine presidency, the mostexalted and beleaguered political institution in the country at any given time. What elected presidents pledge to do at the time of the inauguration should be the basis for evaluating their eventual performance during their entire term of office. And citizens of the land, voters particularly, should hold them towhat they have sworn to while taken their oath." BELINDA A. AQUINO,Ph.D., Political Science professor and Director, Center for Philippine Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa