Re-elected Philippine president sworn in

Re-elected Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn into office on Wednesday noon in the central city of Cebu.

Arroyo took the oath before Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide at the Cebu provincial capitol grounds after she inspected the troops and sang the National Anthem.

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President of the Philippines, preserve and defend its constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the nation," she said.

Her running mate and former senator Noli de Castro was also sworn in as the vice president.

Apart from government officials and local supporters, more than 100 dignitaries from 29 countries and two international organizations were also at present and witnessed the ceremony, according to the government.

Arroyo landed at the second biggest city hours after she delivered a pre-inauguration speech at Rizal Park in downtown Manila in which she unveiled a 10-point agenda for her next full six-year term and called for reconciliation with other losing presidential bets.

Different from the past inaugurations, Arroyo set the oath-taking ceremony not in Manila but in the capitol of the central province, Cebu, as a reward for the outstanding support of the local people, who helped her build a big lead of over 1.12 million votes against the closest rival Poe in the presidential election.

After the oath-taking ceremony, Arroyo is scheduled to meet foreign guests and attend a mass of celebration.

The Philippines National Police earlier said that they had deployed at least 4,000 policemen and soldiers in Cebu city to ensure peace and order for the president's inaugural ceremony and succeeding party.

The Philippine Congress proclaimed incumbent Arroyo as the president-elect in the May 10 elections on June 24 with 12,905,808 votes out of the 32,269,100 votes cast for president, and her running mate de Castro, at the same time, was also proclaimed winner in vice presidential campaign.