* Speech of EF delivered during the 9th Graduation Ceremony of STI-College Kalibo held in Sampaguita Gardens, New Washignton, Aklan in the afternoon of Friday, April 27, 2007.
Greetings!
I am grateful to Ms. Ezzra V. Eudela, your chief operating officer for her invitation for me to be your guest and speaker on your 9th Commencement Exercises this afternoon. My appreciation is given as well to the graduating students and to their parents, the school administration of the sti College in Kalibo, Aklan.
I did not think more, but accept the invitation instantly when Ms. Eudela relayed it to me. The invitation letter said "your presence will mean so much not only to our graduates but also to the entire sti College Kalibo community."
I always feel good should I am asked to inspire other people and make them happy for happiness is the greatest good. I am now more inspired because of your presence. You are completing academic degrees. You are here today to receive your diploma, a symbol of accomplishment, your fulfillment, your victory after years of battle using your brain, your senses, your effort, your time and your tears.
Please use your knowledge, skills and positive attitudes in your journey to the stars, your weapon in search for your "holy grail", your happiness.
To the graduates, I give you all my sincere congratulations! This graduation could not have taken place without you. You are now part of the competent resource of the Philippines specifically of Aklan who will develop this country to a beautiful, peaceful and abundant place to live in.
Congratulations to our dear parents who spent resources, gave encouragement, and provided moral suasion so that your sons and daughters are now fulfilling their dreams, their aspirations, their ambitions. Congratulations to the sti college instructors for your generosity to impart to the graduates your knowledge, skills and positive attitudes. I am sure these will be the graduates’ passport to their journey to success, helpful in their quest for real life. Congratulations as well to the sti College for providing the venue so that conducive teaching – learning have taken place.
Today graduates, you are here to receive confirmation, you are the cream of the crop, you are successful, to receive your diplomas. However, this is not the end of the journey for another journey has just started.
After this graduation, what shall you do? Please do not stop from here. Continue learning while making your living. Continue the quest to knock out poverty and corruption.
Probity And
Excellence In ICt
"Probity and excellence in ICT" is your graduation theme. In my thinking, probity means uprightness in one’s dealings, it is integrity, it is complete honesty. On the other hand, excellence is superiority, something in which a person excels.
My dear graduates, i expect you to be excellent on information technology among others, the career of your choice. I expect you all to be superior in honesty, to be upright in dealing with our fellow beings: our superior, our peers and subordinates. I expect and challenge you all sti college graduates to be honest. I challenge you all to act in all occasions with probity and excellence.
The Philippines is in need of men with the virtue called honesty. If the Filipinos can only act in all occasions with utmost honesty and integrity, our country can be one among the first world countries now.
In 1963, the Philippines was the second wealthiest country in Asia. Today, the Philippines is the second poorest in Asia. Moreover, we have a new record, the Philippines is the number one corrupt country in Asia. What a shame!
But do not despair. You, graduates are the inspirations, the redeemers to restore past glory! Remember, "Life is what we make it". You are rationale, you have your choice. Do you like to be wealthy? Or will you allow yourself to be poor?
sti college is geared to improve the general welfare and the betterment of life for the members of the community, the enhancement of its facilities devoted to improve health, education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation, and moral of the citizenry and other social welfare services via information communication technology.
Fighting Poverty
Wealthy is a word, which means rich, prosperous, affluent. It is an adjective which describes a man possessing huge amount of economic resources. He has everything of economic value measurable in price. He lives in abundance.
A wealthy person lives in durable house, provided with cars, has enough food, can afford to buy expensive clothes, has money to buy medicine and pay hospital bills. He can entertain guests in expensive restaurant or at home, can send his children to top rated schools like sti College and moves freely or travel to other places of interest.
Poverty, on the other hand, is the opposite of wealthy. Poverty means poor, indigent. It implies lack of resources for reasonable and comfortable living. A poor person lacks food and shelter. He/she is deficient of necessary and desirable properties.
How many percent of the Filipinos are poor? How many percent are wealthy? Where do we belong on the basis of the definitions of the terms poverty and wealthy?
There are people who were born with the "silver spoon on their mouths", the children of wealthy parents. But later, because they failed to manage their abundant resources, they are reduced to poor though most wealthy families are ably maintaining their wealth.
On the other hand, there are those who were born poor and are liberated from the bondage of poverty. There are those who are remaining poor and there are those who fought and conquered poverty. The poor people may just remain poor as they have no space to go below. For those who are determined, industrious and patient, there are more space for them to go up and stay wealthy.
Psychologists would advice, "you are what you think you are." This means your thought of what you are will come true. A person who thinks he can rise to the level of the wealthy can be wealthy if he did something to raise his level to the wealthy.
Wealth is not won by depending upon others. Poverty is defeated by any person who persistently educate himself and be literate. He exercises his muscles and uses his brain to perform his job, save something out of his job for the future. Dear graduates, you are now equipped with weapons to conquer poverty. Use those weapons like the information communication technology.
Politicians and public officials cannot liberate a poor man from poverty. They can only show the way and the direction to solve poverty. Poverty is conquered by the man himself.
The Philippines is a very rich country but more of her people are poor because they have chosen to remain poor. The Philippine oceans are abundant of fish and other marine products. There are mountains, plateau, valleys and lowland so fertile to grow crops of livestock and plants.
However, Filipinos have not realized sufficient products from it to defeat poverty.
Filipino farmers produce less than their counterparts in other countries due to inadequate support provided them. They have failed to put in place public officials sympathetic to agriculture sector where majority are poor. Fertilizers intended to raise production were applied to produce more votes during elections. Water in the rivers continuously flow to the ocean rather than diverted to produce electricity and irrigate rice paddies and other crops to reduce cost of production while increasing yield per unit area. Deplorable farm to market roads and the antiquated post harvest facilities reduce both product quality and farm profits.
Trees for mountain cover are illegally cut to earn instant cash while it hasten soil erosion and floods which destroy both lives and properties. These make Filipinos’ fight to knockout poverty very hard.
In the Philippines, when one borrowed money from the bank the interest rate is as high as 36 percent per year which interest are even subtracted immediately from the loan proceeds. The bank’s money maybe doubled in two years. On the other hand, when one deposited money in the bank, the interest paid ranges from one (1) to 10 percent only per year depending upon the kind of deposit. Whatever interest earned is subjected to 20 percent withholding tax. On top of it, once the deposit is below the maintaining balance, a depositor is compelled to pay monthly service charge. This Philippine banking system practice makes some people who have surplus money to shy away from the banks and keep their small savings in the aparadors. This is anti poor which can be avoided if the people are literate, well informed and have enough data to base their decisions in daily living. Poverty thrives best and rapid where ignorance pervades.
To liberate oneself of poverty, he must fight it. He must be educated and industrious, persistent and thrifty. Poverty is highly enhanced by government corruption. This may 14 election, I challenge you to elect the most honest servant leaders who are competent, committed and with conscience. Leaders who can empathize with the poor.
In conclusion, please accept my sincere congratulations for you all for jobs well done.
Good afternoon./MP
No comments:
Post a Comment