Honored guests, members of the board of trustees, school administrators and faculty, parents, fellow graduates, and to all who are present today, GOOD MORNING!
    It seemed only yesterday when we first set foot on JBC grounds, PARANG KAILAN LANG, DI BA? We were then curious, tense and bewildered children. But because of the insuitable intention, not only ours, but also of our parents, to study, to acquire more knowledge we were left with no choice. And, look! Here we are now, in neatly arranged rows, donning the white caps, ready to face greater magnitude of challenges, and about to enter a new horizon of life.
    In this tender age of ours, we already knew that life is not the fabled bed of roses, it is difficult and it is a series of problems. And yet, certainly, it is one of the greatest truths. But for always, we should be reminded of a passage that, “THE HARDEST THING TO ACCEPT IS THE TRUTH.” However, even how hard it may be, we cannot do otherwise, but accept it, more so, understand it, by doing so, we can then transcend to realty and nurture it in much clearer and better perspective, then life, GOD’S GREATEST GIFT OF LOVE, COULD BE BEAUTIFUL.
    As we look back and reflect on the pieces of our pasts, we can recall the countless times when we were challenged and threatened, when we had stumbled and failed. There will always be flashbacks of instances when we were neglected, frowned, laughed-at and belittled. There were times when we were prevailed by weakness, instead of mustering the needed courage, times that we were subdued by frustration and anxiety rather than acquiring strength. AHH... This could be a dark side of life, yet it still life.
    Indeed, there will be moments of trial and difficult, and the road futher will be rough and bumpy, but we should believe that sheer determination, the skill, the knowledge and the know-how that we’ve learned in the hallowed classroomsof JBC will provide us with the appropriate tolls to overcome all of these travails, and ultimately make us strong, brave and courageous as we enter into the real world and all its challeges lying ahead.
    To you dear Alma Mater, to the La Salle Brothers, school admistration, members of the faculty and all the rest of the staff, we’d like to extend our sincerst appreciation for having molded us into knowledgeable, disciplined, compassionate and responsible youth, and gradually imbued un us the proper values needed as we are about to join the mainstream of the society and unto the next millennium.
    To our dear parents, we will offer our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for your undauted sacrifices and unwavering patience, for inculcating in us our ambitious spirits. Let it be that our dreams are your dreams and your dreams are our dreams. And together we hope that some day, these dreams will cease to be dreams and become reality.
    To my fellow graduates, especially those who are graduating from high school, it’s safe to say that...
    Some of us are fortunate and privileged enough to go straight to colleges in the big metropolis and choose the best school. But, I think it will not be wrong to say, that there are those who cannot afford to pursue their college studies or enroll in better schools. And of course, if one does not have the required course to land into a stable job and have the modest pay, what assurance can one have that he or she will have a life much better without having the pre-requisites, compounded by the duration of the present economic crisis? Thus, right among us, it is obvious that some would be hounded by hardship, and their future could be uncertain. Transforming thereby this vivid experiences into clear examples, what guarantee can we expect that after finishing high school this supposed high standard school will authentically give us prospects of a better life.
    So, let our goal be stated here and now, that we must not just stop by merely studying in college or having a degree. Let not our succes and accomplishment ne measured only by having a career or a white-collar job, or leading a normal, moderate and/or financially stable living. But I urge everyone to look around and be extra-aware. Our bishop, Msgr. Amantillo and the priest made mention of our search for peace. But what peace can we achieve without development, specially economic development? If there is, can we recognize such development with the prevalent poverty right in our midst? And poverty breeds conflict, violence, crimes and most of the social problems. So I summon you, fellow graduates, especially the fortunate and privileged, that in our youth, resolving these social ills be our objective and their solutions be our mission. Let the knowledge, talents and capabilities that we acquired and those to be acquired become the instrument that we could utilize, and that someday the JBC family would be able to say, and can afford to annuance proundly to the world that one or two of its graduates formulated and provided the resulotion to end this country’s quelling misery to its dehumanizing poverty, therefore offering a lasting contributing to the welfare of humanity. To this, we seek the guidance of the Divine Providence, request the prayers of the brothers of Saint La Salle and all of us present here today. This way, we could be one with the Holy Spirit, one in our Lasallian mission to this, I say and pray, good luck and God bless.
    Thank you, once again good morning, and to you my fellow graduates,
    Congratulations!