We made it! Friends, teachers, administrators, and parents, welcome. We made it”- the first sentence I really like to tell everyone this day. I’m so sorry; I really just can’t believe it. We entered in this institution as freshmen way back four years. We were nervous children. We were so small and unnoticed by the society. All of us were fresh and childish and we were guided by our senior kuyas and ates. Now, here we are today. We are ending a chapter in our book of life, tomorrow we will start another and we will say good bye. I love this day. Four years of perseverance, hard work and courage made me a man. But as much as I love this day, I also hate it. Mataas na Paaralang Neptali A Gonzales, an institution that curved me to be here today, will be now one of my history. Last year, I didn’t know what it feels to say goodbye, seniors just cry and then smile. I am so excited to be a senior. But today, in this hour, in this minute, in this spot, I realize I want a short extension; I want to extend this beautiful life of being a teen. Tomorrow will be a different world. We will grow old and mature and we will be the ones to be next in the line. “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.”- a quote from our national hero and also, a cliché that is repeatedly muttered by our teachers. Look at our world today, teenage pregnancy, bullying, teenage crime and whatsoever. Are we what they so called “pag-asa ng bayan”?. I then asked one of my teachers in second year. “Why are you telling that we are the ‘pag-asa ng bayan’ its driving me nuts.” She said, “Ang kabataan ay pag-asa ng bayan dahil sa kanila nakasalalay kung maitatama ba ang mga mali ng nakakatandang mamamayan at sila ang maka-kaharap sa panibagong bukas na masagana. At dahil sa kanila nakasalalay ang pagbabago ng bayang Pilipinas.” And then I asked her again “May mga bobo po bang tao?” I know it’s rude to ask a question like that to a teacher but she answered. “Bobo ang taong ayaw mag-aral.” So I am dumb? I’m shy to say this, but yes I am. Because I hate to go to school. I hate to solve the equation that is completely useless for my future. I hate to find the potential energy of a book lying on the table. I hate to solve the time it takes a suicidal to reach the ground from the top of the building. I hate double period in physics. I hate it when they cut 10 minutes of our recess. Bobo ako! Ikaw bobo ka ba? But we are the hope of our nation. We are the only person that will make the Philippines prosper. We are the next batch. And so we need to be smart. We hate to go to school every morning but we always got here every time. Thanks to our parents that wake us up every break of dawn to prepare. They are making us Matalino little by little. We are all smart person here because we chose to go to school instead of doing nothing. We chose to go to school over anything else. We made schooling a priority. We made a right choice and thus today as the school year ends, we can call ourselves matatalino. To Diamond, I want to say thank you. All of our “teamwork” our “Quantum memories” all of our bonding, made us as compact as metal. It’s hard for me to say goodbye because there is no good in leaving you at all. And to the vendors of canteen, to our janitors and janitresses, and to the guards, thank you for guiding me here at school. Especially to Nanay, our janitress, thank you for being my third mother. To NeiPauLes RoCaMaRoGe, to Mr. Ace Picazo, to Sheena Caldito, to my bhesties Prince Esguerra and Ezekiel Malazzab, to my new friends Timothy Orpilla, Kier Morales and Maviric Fernando, I made a bond with you. A bond so strong I almost can’t cut it. You are all a piece of me. You are all unforgettable. I wish you will forget me not. Thank you because you completed my whole school year. And to my teachers, I want to give my thanks, through you, I can help everyone to light the nation. You build me higher than the empire state and you will never regret that you curve me. To my parents, especially my mother, thank you for always being right next to me, for waking me up every morning. For giving me your support, your trust and your love. You will not be forgotten. To God, I know you give me this position for a purpose. You are my friend and my everything. I thank you for giving me problems. They made me strong. And I want you to know, I guess you already know that this speech is for you. There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who approached his teacher, and asked the Master, “If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find Zen?” The Master thought about this, then replied, “Ten years . . .” The student then said, “But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast — how long then?” Replied the Master, “Well, twenty years.” “But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?” asked the student. “Thirty years,” replied the Master. “But, I do not understand,” said the disappointed student. “At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that”? “When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path.” replied the Master. This story makes me remember of myself. I am the student and I want to go to future fast. Patience is a virtue, another cliché. Wait for a long time and you will receive a long lasting reward. In future some of us will be rich, some of us will still be a normal person, some of us will reach their dreams, and some will be successful. My co graduates, I want you to remember the persons that will help you reach the peak of your life. I want you to repay them. Remember that being rich is not how much you have but how much you can give. My friends, teachers, administrators, and parents, I am so grateful for everything I experienced with you. Thank you and mabuhay. Tunay ngang hindi natitinag ang pusong pilipino.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 01:06:43 +0000
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