If you can hear me, please raise a hand. Now, point your index finger to yourself and say, “Me?” Thank you.
Life is a war. Though it is full of beautiful, fantastic, and aesthetic things, at the same time it offers things that are unpleasant and horrible. And you, yes you. You are the soldier of your own war. But if you were unprepared, untrained, and unarmed in this battle, your own battle, you will lose.
To the great judges, spectators, my worthy opponents, and my fellow soldiers, good morning.
Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero, has a poem entitled “To the Filipino Youth” in which he praised the young Filipinos and urged them to display their skills and potentials, not just for their own successes, but also for our motherland, Philippines. In his poem, he also compared the Filipino youth to timid flowers and asked them to bloom. But something is wrong with young Filipinos today.
The once treated as innocent and harmless children and youth of this countryare now facing accusations of being criminals, branded as irresponsible, always depressed, addicted to memes and lip tints, and as well as social media. Well, it is true but not all of us. It’s like meeting and loving a man whom you thought that would never leave you but caught him cheating in the end and then claiming to the world that all men are cheaters or reading a book for the very first time with unfortunately an uninteresting and plain storyline then say that all books are boring. Witnessing vast floating sea foam on the ocean surface doesn’t mean that there are no pearls at the very bottom. We just need to be found, to be discovered by you and by ourselves. Fighting against these makes us soldiers and our brains as the battlefields. It is filled with endless chaos such as self-doubts, the need to prove yourself, and being pinned down by a large pressure from external factors. There are screaming questions that are hard to answer. "Can I really do this? What if I failed those people who believe in me? What if I weren't able to meet their expectations?" Various conflicts are happening in our minds simultaneously. But dear, if you believe in yourself, if you believe that you can do it just like how other people believe in you, you can erase those chaos. You just need to be prepared, trained, and armed with your own weapon to win your own war.
As brothers and sisters having the same blood from our motherland that flows through our veins, let me stand here to provide encouragement. Together, let us prove to the older generations that we are capable of continuing what they have started and even surpass them, that we, the young Filipinos of today, are empowered and worthy to be trusted of tomorrow. But how?
First, prepare. What is the thing you like doing the most? Drawing? Writing? Dancing? Singing? Sports? Reading? Watching something? Speaking? Any of that can be your weapon, your talent, skills, potentials, and abilities. Show them how capable you are. Next, train. Hone your chosen weapon, improve your mind and think with tactics. Continue training until you think you're ready to go the front lines. And last, arm yourselves. Do not forget your weapon when going to war. It can be your voice, your dance moves, or pen.
These shall help you win your battle, erase the self-doubts, prove that you're capable and in control. And tomorrow, someday, you may stand covered with scars but you can be proud because those were scars of victory, of success, of your hard works for yourself and our motherland. If we could discover and maximize then show our full potentials, we, the young Filipinos of today would become the brave and large pillars supporting the future generations or a strong backbone for our nation.
The children of today are filled with dreams, goals, and are always ready to learn. I know because I've seen it. In our barangay, I'm quite close with children there. They would always say "Hi ate Joy," and ask me "Kailan tayo mag-aaral ulit?". Yes, "ulit". Our balcony with a once clean table now have scattered books and pencils, and the once empty chairs are taken by kids. I teach them how to read, draw, and solve math. I did not ask them to come to me, they did voluntarily. And Walin, a 7 year old girl and supposedly in 2nd grade but stopped going to school after kinder due to financial problems, learnt how to read through me. From learning alphabet, to phonetics, to small words, a sentence, then a whole story, it was satisfying. Being able to help your co-young Filipino felt really good and witnessing children who are willing to learn is amazing.
The students with overwhelming potentials are like healthy crops to be harvested in the future or a work-in-progress sculpture, being sculpted slowly with fine details, accuracy, and carefulness.
The youth who are now in their respective fields are like soldiers on the front lines, fighting bravely against reality. They are full of dreams, resolves, and hopes from people who believe in them.
To end my speech, I want to say that I am here in front of you, also fighting my own battle, prepared, trained, and armed with my powerful weapons which are my voice and confidence. As part of the Filipino children and youth, I’m here to prove that we are gifted with our own unique weapons and potentials, nurtured and empowered in our own ways. My fellow soldiers, be prepared, continue training, and hone your weapons so you won’t be afraid in the midst of your own war. Win your own battle!