Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat.
Salamat, Dr. Torralba, for that wonderful introduction. Pati po kung saan ako nakaupo nung college, alam n’yo po pala. To Dr. Winston Padojinog, the Board, the Management Committee, to the deans, faculty and staff, parents, and, most importantly, to the graduating class of the University of Asia and the Pacific, congratulations to you all.
I still remember around ten years ago, during our graduation ceremony from college, how long it was, and, well, I don’t remember much, to be honest with you. And probably ten years from now, you’ll remember that you had a very unique graduation via Zoom and Facebook Live. You’ll remember that you had a graduation during these very peculiar times, but who spoke and what they said, it’s probably all going to be a blur. Maybe you’d remember that your commencement speaker was wearing shorts. Well, I’m just kidding, but you won’t really know if I was kidding or not. Other than that, the only thing that I can remember really clearly was that feeling of uncertainty: What’s going to happen after college? What job am I going to take? What am I going to do with my life? What career am I going to have? And, if our batch back in 2011 had that feeling of uncertainty, I can only begin to imagine what you must be going through right now. Going through this graduation and moving on to the next chapter of your life in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, in the middle of this massive quarantine that we’re in, can’t be easy. A lot of you have made plans that will simply have to be delayed, and, given this current state of uncertainty, a lot of them will actually have to be cancelled altogether. It may be a bit unnerving to enter adulthood and your new careers, making these big life decisions at this point. And this COVID-19 pandemic has really exposed a lot about ourselves, a lot about our society, and the world we live in. It has revealed a lot of the good, but oftentimes it seems like it has revealed more of the bad. We see the economic inequality, we see our now high unemployment rates, we see how politics has caused deep-seated division amongst us, how corruption is engraved in our bureaucracies. We see how these issues have prevented better response in times of crisis when we all should be working as one. It’s clear that our world needs big changes and fast. But I have faith that as we see what’s wrong in the world that we live in, that as young people, as the next generation of leaders in the Philippines and in the world, that you will also be the catalyst of positive change that we so badly need. I know it may sound a bit cliché, but the truth is, if society, if our world is going to get better, there’s no one else who’s going to do the job but you.
Today, our churches are unable to meet, organizations are revamping their structures, companies are rethinking their very business models, and governments are desperately trying to figure things out. These trials are daunting, but these trials come with great opportunities. Historically, humanity has always bounced back from pandemics to world wars; with any crisis, we’ve always come back stronger. And although we don’t know how long this particular crisis will take, there’s no doubt we’ll also bounce back from COVID-19. But there’s one big difference between your generation and the generations before, and it’s not that your generation is just naturally better, it’s not that you’re widely more intelligent or talented; the difference is in your potential to effect change. All generations, especially coming out of crisis, have transformed our world to some extent, but your generation has the potential to make changes faster and more efficiently than any other generation has done in the past. Technology is advancing at an exponential phase; this enables us to do more and faster. And no one knows how to use it better than you. For instance, the same organization-building that would have taken the likes of José Rizal to accomplish in the 1890s, would possibly take only a few weeks with the tools that are available to us today, to you right now at your fingertips. While nothing has replaced the importance of face-to-face contact or physical contact, with the tools available today, not even a pandemic can stop you. If a pandemic occurred when I was graduating from high school, maybe even college, I doubt we would have been able to have something like this—a graduation ceremony via Zoom and FB Live. I know that you will find it in you not just to stay safe during these times, but to stay strong. Don’t let any situation dampen your dreams or visions for the future, rather I challenge you to find ways to get more connected with your community. All the future money and success that you might have will mean next to nothing if we’re not connected to other members of society. So find people who share the same values as you do, connect with them, and build things together. Be a catalyst for change together. Reach out to the underprivileged together. Fight for the good that you want to see in this world together.
Crises do not define a person or a generation; it is how we respond to these crises that define us. There has never been a great story without great adversity. I hope and pray that as you navigate your way out of college amidst these trying times, and throughout the countless other challenges of the future that may threaten to get in your way, may you always stick to the values and principles that UA&P has helped shape in you. I’m excited to see what you will accomplish in the coming years.
Again, to the UA&P class of 2020, congratulations and God bless you as you enter this new, exciting, and promising chapter of your lives.#
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Banner photo by Tobias Keller on Unsplash.
You nailed it Mayor Vico! Proud to be Pasigueño!