Obama inauguration set, Fil Ams divided
By RODNEY J. JALECO, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
WASHINGTON D.C. - The bleachers are up, security plans are set and coveted invitations are now in the mail with about three weeks left before Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.
Planners expect two to four million visitors to show up at the various inauguration sites. But many Fil-Ams who live in the Greater Washington DC region are opting to stay home and watch it on TV.
“There’s going to be too many people,” said one Maryland resident interviewed by ABS-CBN News at the Capitol Hill grounds last weekend.
“It’s going to be really crowded. I would want to go though,” said high school student Chris Dooley. "If I can get a ride in there, I’d probably go. But as of now, I’m not planning on going.”
Many downtown streets will be closed because of their proximity to the inauguration rites, and being narrow, would probably be clogged anyway.
Controversial decision
Obama will be sworn in on the steps of Capitol Hill. Makeshift seats on towering scaffoldings and camera platforms are in place. Tickets to that venue were apportioned to lawmakers and their staff.
The Obama inauguration committee has taken nothing for granted. But in perhaps its most controversial decision, they invited evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation.
His presence has drawn the ire of liberals. As founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Warren has vigorously opposed gay marriage and abortion rights.
Francis Busa, president of Gaithersburg, Maryland-based United Filipino Americans, said he is staying away from the festivities.
“As a Christian, I’d probably not go. I’ve heard a lot of things, number one is they’re pro-abortion,” he told ABS-CBN’s Balitang America.
But Busa added he is still keeping an open mind. “We’ll see if he can really deliver his promises and maybe he can prove that my fears are baseless,” he said.
Gridlocks
Authorities are asking motorists and tour buses from outside the region to park their vehicles in Fedex Field in Landover, Maryland. Shuttle buses will then take them near the venues about 10 miles away.
Officials predict gridlocks in the major thoroughfares on Inauguration Day, especially on the I-495 Capital Beltway.
They are urging people to take the Metro subway instead. More trains will be fielded and kept running longer for the inauguration. Anticipating the crush, Metro executives are preparing contingency measures especially for terminals at the venue sites.
Hotels in DC and immediate environs in Virginia and Maryland are almost fully booked, and the rooms that are still available can only be bought for a princely sum.
One Fil-Am related how a co-worker rented his three-bedroom house in Alexandria, a suburb in the Greater Washington DC region, for $4,000 for three days. The co-worker, he said, will be sleeping in his office.
Washington DC bars have sought permission to stay open 24 hours but popular watering holes in Georgetown are meeting opposition from residents who don’t want the ruckus.
Police have also barred camp-outs at The Mall, the strip of open space near Capitol Hill. They will be setting up checkpoints and metal detectors for people getting in. People can watch the inauguration itself on giant screens.
Historic swearing in
The swearing-in ceremonies will begin at 11:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m., Jan. 21 in the Philippines) and will be followed by a parade along Pennsylvania Avenue at 2:30 p.m. Over a hundred groups have been invited to participate in the parade.
Bleachers and makeshift stages have risen along Pennsylvania Avenue. The presidential motorcade will traverse this famous thoroughfare from Capitol Hill to the White House, and as tradition calls, the new President and his First Lady will walk part of the way depending on the weather.
A viewing stand and press platform in front of the White House are almost finished. Security will be tight, and even the young trees have been covered by plywood boxes. The new President Obama will watch the parade from the stand.
Once in a lifetime
“I will be there simply because I want to be part of this historic event,” said Grace Valera-Jaramillo, executive director of the Migrant Heritage Commission.
“It’s going to be my first presidential inauguration and this one with Obama can be a once in a lifetime experience,” she added.
Concerts, balls and parties are scheduled on the eve and on Inauguration Day itself. The official inauguration activities actually start Jan. 19 with welcome ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial.
WASHINGTON D.C. - The bleachers are up, security plans are set and coveted invitations are now in the mail with about three weeks left before Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.
Planners expect two to four million visitors to show up at the various inauguration sites. But many Fil-Ams who live in the Greater Washington DC region are opting to stay home and watch it on TV.
“There’s going to be too many people,” said one Maryland resident interviewed by ABS-CBN News at the Capitol Hill grounds last weekend.
“It’s going to be really crowded. I would want to go though,” said high school student Chris Dooley. "If I can get a ride in there, I’d probably go. But as of now, I’m not planning on going.”
Many downtown streets will be closed because of their proximity to the inauguration rites, and being narrow, would probably be clogged anyway.
Controversial decision
Obama will be sworn in on the steps of Capitol Hill. Makeshift seats on towering scaffoldings and camera platforms are in place. Tickets to that venue were apportioned to lawmakers and their staff.
The Obama inauguration committee has taken nothing for granted. But in perhaps its most controversial decision, they invited evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation.
His presence has drawn the ire of liberals. As founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Warren has vigorously opposed gay marriage and abortion rights.
Francis Busa, president of Gaithersburg, Maryland-based United Filipino Americans, said he is staying away from the festivities.
“As a Christian, I’d probably not go. I’ve heard a lot of things, number one is they’re pro-abortion,” he told ABS-CBN’s Balitang America.
But Busa added he is still keeping an open mind. “We’ll see if he can really deliver his promises and maybe he can prove that my fears are baseless,” he said.
Gridlocks
Authorities are asking motorists and tour buses from outside the region to park their vehicles in Fedex Field in Landover, Maryland. Shuttle buses will then take them near the venues about 10 miles away.
Officials predict gridlocks in the major thoroughfares on Inauguration Day, especially on the I-495 Capital Beltway.
They are urging people to take the Metro subway instead. More trains will be fielded and kept running longer for the inauguration. Anticipating the crush, Metro executives are preparing contingency measures especially for terminals at the venue sites.
Hotels in DC and immediate environs in Virginia and Maryland are almost fully booked, and the rooms that are still available can only be bought for a princely sum.
One Fil-Am related how a co-worker rented his three-bedroom house in Alexandria, a suburb in the Greater Washington DC region, for $4,000 for three days. The co-worker, he said, will be sleeping in his office.
Washington DC bars have sought permission to stay open 24 hours but popular watering holes in Georgetown are meeting opposition from residents who don’t want the ruckus.
Police have also barred camp-outs at The Mall, the strip of open space near Capitol Hill. They will be setting up checkpoints and metal detectors for people getting in. People can watch the inauguration itself on giant screens.
Historic swearing in
The swearing-in ceremonies will begin at 11:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m., Jan. 21 in the Philippines) and will be followed by a parade along Pennsylvania Avenue at 2:30 p.m. Over a hundred groups have been invited to participate in the parade.
Bleachers and makeshift stages have risen along Pennsylvania Avenue. The presidential motorcade will traverse this famous thoroughfare from Capitol Hill to the White House, and as tradition calls, the new President and his First Lady will walk part of the way depending on the weather.
A viewing stand and press platform in front of the White House are almost finished. Security will be tight, and even the young trees have been covered by plywood boxes. The new President Obama will watch the parade from the stand.
Once in a lifetime
“I will be there simply because I want to be part of this historic event,” said Grace Valera-Jaramillo, executive director of the Migrant Heritage Commission.
“It’s going to be my first presidential inauguration and this one with Obama can be a once in a lifetime experience,” she added.
Concerts, balls and parties are scheduled on the eve and on Inauguration Day itself. The official inauguration activities actually start Jan. 19 with welcome ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial.
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