Magandang
hapon.
Thank
you for inviting me on this special day. I
commend all of the graduating students, their
professors and their families for all their
efforts that have led to this crowning moment of
achievement for so many bright young minds.
Thanks
to President Adel A. Tamano for his leadership and
vision in making Pamantasan one of the top
universities in the country.
It
is a pleasure to be here with The Honorable, Mayor
Alfredo Lim.
You,
as new graduates, are beginning a walk down a
fascinating and challenging road into the future.
Many others have opened this road for you,
but only you can determine where that road takes
you. The possibilities that are open to you are
dazzling and may even seem overwhelming. As
you venture out into the working world, you will
be swept up in the excitement of finding a job and
making your mark. You should enjoy this time. You
have earned the chance to pursue your dreams.
I
congratulate Pamantasan for building a culture of
commitment to public service in its students,
faculty and alumni. The satisfaction of serving
your country is a feeling that I hope you all feel
during your careers. While the challenges and
complexities that our world faces may seem
daunting, the only hope we have of facing those
difficulties is that brave, committed and talented
young people will rise to the challenge. You
are those young people and your time is now.
I
am proud to have chosen to dedicate my life to
public service and I have been privileged to feel
the satisfaction of making a difference for my
country and its citizens. Nowhere has that feeling
been stronger than in my current job as the U.S.
Ambassador to this great country. Our
countries have shared so much: families united,
battles won and lost, and bridges built, both
literally and figuratively. Those bonds
continue to grow through our shared aspirations
for freedom, prosperity, and justice for our
citizens and our friends throughout the world.
It is truly an honor to serve my country and
doubly so to serve here. I see in the faces before
me here today the future public servants of the
Philippines.
While
I have chosen government service through which to
make my contribution, and I hope some of you will
also, “public service” can take more diverse
and subtle forms. You can serve by mentoring and
tutoring children, participating in neighborhood
clean-up programs, involvement in civic groups,
leadership in parent-teacher organizations, paying
one’s taxes, exercising one’s right to vote,
participating in Earth Hour by turning off lights
for one hour tonight; these are all forms of
public service. Public service is not a
position, it is an action and anyone who acts to
make their fellow citizens’ lives safer, healthier,
intellectually richer, or filled with more beauty
is worthy of our thanks and respect. Please
join me in thanking our teachers, professors,
doctors, artists, law enforcement and
firefighters.
U.S.
and the Philippines have a long standing
partnership of public service, especially in
education. Most of you probably know about the
Thomasites, U.S. civil servants who founded the
first public education system more than 100 years
ago in the Philippines. While they initially
taught children directly, their true legacy was
their partnership with the thousands of Filipino
educators that they trained. Those Filipino
teachers trained other teachers and together they
taught a nation. This partnership has been a
blueprint for U.S.-Philippine cooperation ever
since.
Peace
Corps volunteers, Fulbright scholars and other
Americans have continued to work with their
Filipino counterparts, not only in formal
educational settings, but side-by-side in cities,
villages and barangays throughout the Philippines.
Through exchange programs like Fulbright and the
International Visitor Leadership Program,
Filipinos have worked side-by-side with U.S.
counterparts in our country, displaying their
world-class talents, adaptability and insight.
As
you all rise to meet the challenges and
opportunities that await you and your country, we
will be with you. The U.S. and the Philippines are
bonded by decades of friendship, cooperation and
joint sacrifice. That bond will remain strong, not
only because of our shared past, but our shared
vision of the future where our two countries
prosper together in a world of freedom, security,
and justice.
You
have invested in yourself throughout your school
days, and I am sure you are eager to get jobs and
reap the fruits of your labors. As you succeed
individually, I hope that you remember what others
have done to make your successes possible and that
you choose to give back to your family, your
community and your country.
For
the graduates, I’d like to offer some career
advice as you begin the next phase of your life.
These are guidelines that have helped me
throughout my life and I hope will help you as
well. I call these my “keys to success”
–
1.
Be Your Best. You have unique
talents and should never settle for being anything
less than your best. Challenge yourself to
improve everyday.
2.
Be a Player. Make a difference,
solve problems, offer ideas. Life is too
short to spend all your time sitting on the bench
or to wait until you are asked to contribute.
3.
Play fair. Show integrity.
Don’t get ahead at the expense of others.
You have to live with yourself. Success is
only meaningful if earned the right way.
4.
Love what you do. Pick work that
makes you happy and you will succeed. If you
find joy in what you do, that is what matters.
Being happy is far more important than having a
big salary or a big title.
5.
Be Proud. Take time to celebrate
your achievements, both big and small.
Starting with today – you have achieved a great
milestone. Congratulations. You should
be proud of yourself and we, your families,
friends, and teachers share your pride.
Thank
you for letting me share this moment. Congratulations
and best wishes. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
Mabuhay tayong lahat!
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