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Commencements 27 March 2008 |
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AT the start of this
week, I was the Commencement Speaker at my old school in Argao, the town
of my birth. I am afraid that based on outstanding directives to the Cabinet, this will just be the first in a series of commencements we will address. The Cebu State College of Science & Technology Agro-Industrial & Forestry College, Argao Campus, a key component of the Cebu State College System, was known as the Cebu South National High School (CSNHS) and the Cebu Southern AgroIndustrial School (CSAIS) at the time of my secondary school graduation some 36 years ago. On the same drill field from whence I moved to the University of the Visayas in Cebu City, some 70 kilometers or two hours away, depending on road traffic conditions, I shared and savored old values with over 400 wide-eyed, highly motivated and hopeful youths, who were moving on from high school to college, from the ladderized certificate and four-year degree programs to the world of work. The course offerings of my old school, I was pleased to note, mirror the trends of the times: Hotel & Restaurant Services and Tourism; Computer Technology; Electronics; and Garments Technology had the higher graduate turnouts, with classes conducted even in the evenings. Of course the education courses, particularly Livelihood Education, also had quite a number of graduates. Argao, with its beautiful coast line and people who are by nature warm and hospitable, could be a natural magnet for tourists. At its prime, the Argao Beach Club was among the country’s tourism jewels. Also, Argao is known for such delicacies as the torta, the town’s ticket to the country’s gastronomic map. Dr. Pedrito Pontillas, CSCST Argao Campus Director, a dear friend and husband to my cousin, Florita, who in turn manages the Philippine Science High School in Argao, is doing outstanding work, matching the school’s output with the job market. About a third of the graduates were in the services and tourism courses, with an almost equal number in Electronics and Computer Technology. Things are surely looking up at the old town. As in most graduations or commencements, the hierarchy of institutional and individual values was high in our agenda, with loyalty taking the highest. I impressed on them the need to be ever-loyal. Just to make sure I made the ceremonies in time, I had to switch flights, take two helicopter hops, and rearrange my scheduled meetings, all in one day. Not to be there would have been less loyal. After having drummed up loyalty, it was time to challenge the young to rise to the opportunities created for them by government. The huge budget allocation for education — P176.47 billion for 2008 — creates opportunities for further and better education for all. Scholarships — P1.02 billion under the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education; P3.1 billion for Vocational Training; P350 million for Call Center Training; P1.04 billion for Teacher Training — levels the education playing field, to benefit those who otherwise have no chance at further schooling. But as a reality check, it was also time to show their young minds the threats to our economic momentum — external factors like the shrinking global markets, recession, spiral in oil prices — and the more pernicious internal threats driven by an excess of divisive politics. As we challenged the graduates of our State Universities and Colleges, our Iskolars ng Bayan, to use their knowledge to connect rather than divide people, to build bridges of understanding and support, I could see the youthful Mayor of Argao, Honorable Edsel A. Galeos, nodding his agreement. Commencement Exercises may indeed be modest beginnings for the young graduates, but with leaders like Mayor Galeos to steer by, we expect them to track great growth trajectories. |
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