Filipinos worldwide went to Twitter to mark the historic moment of the inauguration of the 16th President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, as they shared their thoughts and hopes for the future of the country under the new President’s leadership. Filipinos sent over 330,000 tweets about the Presidential and the Vice Presidential inauguration between 30th June, 2016 – 1st July 2016, peaking at 1,400 Tweets per minute towards the end of President Duterte’s inauguration speech.
Why am I here? I am here because I love my country and I love the people of the Philippines.
— Rodrigo R. Duterte (@RRD_Davao) June 30, 2016
[A] Vice President Leni Robredo signs her Oath. #ParaSaLaylayan pic.twitter.com/sDhxux1wGz
— Leni Robredo (@lenirobredo) June 30, 2016
To mark this special inauguration day, Twitter created an emoji of the new President which appears by tweeting with the hashtag #PresidentDuterte. This is the first time that Twitter has created a special emoji for an elected leader of a nation anywhere in the world. The #PresidentDuterte hashtag and emoji will enable Filipinos to quickly and easily connect with their new President with a simple Tweet.
Making the historic moment more engaging for Filipinos, Twitter partnered with the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (@pcdspo) to roll out a personalized message from President Duterte to those who Tweet with the hashtag #PartnerForChange. There was overwhelming positive response on Twitter for the President’s message to work together to build a better Philippines, delighting many citizens to feel like a part of the new change for the country.
Change is here! Use the hashtag #PartnerForChange to receive a personal message from #PresidentDuterte himself.
— Presidential Comm (@PresidentialCom) June 30, 2016
“Twitter is happy to support the electoral and democratic process in the Philippines—from the debates, to the elections, and now inauguration day,” said Pratiksha Rao, Twitter’s head for Media Partnerships in South East Asia. “As this new beginning dawns upon the country, Filipinos can continue to use Twitter to get real-time updates on their new government, connect with elected officials, and express their views on politics. We look forward to working with the new Philippines government to use Twitter to increase digital diplomacy with other countries and enhance e-governance with Filipino citizens.”
On Inauguration Day, Filipinos across the country, celebrities, and elected leaders congratulated and shared their thoughts on the new President of the Philippines and what the future holds for the country:
“Be a partner for change. Let us build a better Philippines, together”#PartnerForChange #PresidentDuterte
— Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) June 30, 2016
Si Duterte na ang Pangulo. Yakapin ang PAGBABAGO.
— jose marie viceral (@vicegandako) June 30, 2016
when ur best friend is giving a speech #Du30SaJune30 pic.twitter.com/2dvbi8HVg6
— Kimberly Lynch (@_kimberlynch) June 30, 2016
Rodrigo Duterte of House Duterte, First of His Name, Protector of the Realm, Lord Regnant of 18 Regions… pic.twitter.com/wwlpI2owm7
— ㅤ (@NADZGUNDAYA) June 30, 2016
