Remembering our Yesterday

WMSU-GRAND ALUMNI HOMECOMING

GUEST SPEAKER

February 16, 2019, Saturday, 6:00 pm

Thank you ma'am, for that warm introduction. You may now be seated.

My heartfelt greetings to Dr. Manuel P. Vegare, Unit Coordinator of WMSU-Ipil ESU, Ms. Ma. Michelle A. Helar, Academic Supervisor, other dignified school officials and staff, educators, special guests, alumni, graduating class of 2019, and to everyone here present, good evening!

Thank you so much for having me here. It is an honor and a blessing. The theme for tonight's occasion, "Remembering our yesterday in our Alma Mater, celebrating with fun and loyalty" speaks so much of the truth behind my presence this evening as an act of remembering my Alma Mater with pride and gratitude, my second home, a family I have found.

I was informed that the graduating class of 2019 would be joining us here this evening. I hope I can be an inspiration to you.

My life has never been a bed of roses. I came from a poor family. I need to work hard to augment my studies. I was a working student since my 3rd year in high school until I finished college. Being a working student was never easy. I had difficulty living with other people. Their ways can be confusing sometimes. I could only complain, for during those moments I had nowhere else to go. It was tough. It was tiring. It was painful. But I had to work hard; there was no way I would surrender because I had more important things to consider. But in the end, if I were to count my blessings, these people would always be on top. They considered me a family and still true today. If not with them, I could hardly be where I am now. I endured all struggles life had thrown in my path. I rested whenever I felt exhausted and never gave up. I jumped over the obstacles, and here I am today living my humble dreams, happy and contented. Indeed, when you do your best, your endeavors would always be worth it.  I know, if God is faithful to me for making me go through all these, He is to you as well.

To my fellow alumni, I know life is challenging. Every single day, there are relationships to consider, with yourself, with family, with friends, with decisions and struggles both big and small. Every single day, unexpected things happen, death, sickness, betrayal and many more. Society becomes complicated. Technology and social media have affected our way of life. Discipline has been compromised. Things become out of control. We find endless battles with conflicting ideas. There are much observed emotional, political and social unrests. We come across never-ending clash between families and religions. Racism is still an issue. The unemployed, uneducated individuals still lack confidence. The poor becomes poorer. People become indifferent. And worst, God is forgotten by many. The challenge is for us to remember our yesterday, our days as Crimsons and ask ourselves, what learning did I get from all of it, how would I make use of it, given today's reality.

This occasion is a great opportunity to look back and remember what had been, to recall the fun-filled experiences. Let our FIRSTS, as crimsons, just like our first self-introduction, first crush, first palaro, first report, first induction and acquaintance party, first office call, first Field study, first defense and many more, be a reminder that indeed WMSU can be the best experience.

Personally, my firsts in WMSU taught me to live life. It is during my college days when I realized how education could really change my life. I felt that more than ever, I was more driven to finish my education.  Why? Because WMSU taught me so.

The days of walking from my home to school and vice versa, taught me perseverance. Kanang magbak-lay ta paangat sa skwelahan nga bakilid tawon kau, managko atong bagtak, making this brand so popular in Ipil, TAGA WMSU, DAGKOG BAGTAK!     But, let me change that: TAGA WMSU, DAGKOG PANGANDOY, HAYAG UG KAUGMAON.

The days when I was faced with financial problems either because the contribution was a bit big or because I simply had nothing, taught me that you must speak up for your family because you know very well that they are struggling.

The signing of clearance days nga kinahanglan ka mangguna ug pila ka dupa, equivalent to the number of days you missed from school activities, under the heat of the sun, para lang macleared ug maka take sa exam, taught me sense of responsibility. That, it is part of my role as a student and that it is the school's way of forming us integrally, academics coupled with life skills. That is quality education.

Those days of CHRISTMAS TREE Decoration contest nga maningkamot ug katkat sa kahoy ug taud sa lights ug cellophane nga gibutangag tubig nga naay coloring nga hangtud karun dili jud nako malimtan kay ako jud mismo nikatkat sa una ug ang kahoy nga akong gikatkatan karun dako na kaayo just like the value I got from that experience which is sense of responsibility, making me a responsible educator today.

And I still have more to share about my yesterdays in our Alma Mater, some of which are values I have lived with, my truth, and my reality. 

First, let us make a difference. Let us choose to be humble and honest. Crimsons, we are tasked to uphold the vision and mission of our university. We have the responsibility to fulfill its ideals to become shining examples the world has to see. The world needs you, the world needs us. Let our words be partnered with character, whose ambitions are not selfish.

Second, Live. The past had happened. Let us never allow it to destroy our aspirations because of fear to face the unknown. The future is also yet to come. So, let us live today. How we live today determines the kind of persons we have become after standing from every fall. How we live today marks the kind of persons we will be in the next days of our lives, which is the future.

Third, trust and be patient. God's ways are always better than ours. God isn't finished yet. Each of us is a work in progress. No matter our circumstances, He enables us to dance with challenges, pains and the rest. Because there is a rainbow after every rain and the more we trust, the less we feel afraid. I remembered the days of tedious research work and FS requirements nga feeling nimu, ending na, nga wa nay ugma kay dli naka matulog. But see? I am here, I survived, and you did too. #SaligLang, #LabanLang, #KayaYan!

Let our memories of the past guide us to move forward with loyalty to the school that made us, honed us to be what we are today. And to you graduating students, I know you will share the same sentiments years after stepping out from the portals of WMSU-IPIL. There will be days where you would want to experience once more the fun and memories you have built with your WMSU family, but the challenge is how you would move forward bringing with you the Crimson identity.

To end, allow me to remind you that there is much of God's love and presence to be thankful for. Let our remembering and moving forward be filled with joy and gratitude. Once again, thank you for your generous invitation. A pleasant evening!