DAVAO CITY, Philippines (UPDATED) – With the presidential inauguration 3 days away, organizers have finalized the food to be served to guests.

Only 5 types of food will be served to the guests of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, including the diplomats, inauguration organizing committee member Liset Marquez told Rappler on Monday, June 27.

Here is the menu from caterer Via Mare:

• Monggo soup, smoked fish with alugbati in demitasse cups
• Pandesal with kesong puti and Vigan longganisa grilled on the spot
• Lumpia ubod pouch
• Durian tartlet
• Fried saba using Carbava banana

For drinks, guests will be served dalandan juice and pine-mango cooler.

Marquez said the 5 items were chosen by the inauguration committee from a much longer list provided by Malacañang Palace caterer Via Mare.

The longer menu included dishes like “petite inasal na manok skewers” and “mini choco sotanghon lumpia.”

The committee chose only 5 out of the items suggested by Via Mare because of Duterte’s directive to keep the event simple, said Marquez. 

Mongo soup is among Duterte’s favorite dishes while durian is a Davao City specialty.

Marquez said that to make do with the limited types of food to be served, the committee asked the caterer to just provide bigger servings of each dish. For instance, they asked that the demitasse cups for the monggo soup be larger than usual.

The same 5 dishes will be served to Duterte and diplomats during the diplomatic reception that will be held after his oath-taking and the mass oath-taking of Cabinet members. 

Marquez said that, unfortunately, Duterte will be eating with the diplomats at the Presidential Hall and not with the rest of his guests who will be eating at the Heroes’ Hall.

As the inauguration menu took shape, there were also reports of maruya and buko juice being among the possible food choices. – Rappler.com