Respice stellam. Look at the stars. Thats the motto of our school.

The star has always been within our sight, but never within our reach. Peace is like the star: always within our sight, but never within our reach. For sure, all of us agree that there should be peace among peoples of Mindanao. We just cant agree, however, how exactly we can achieve peace. For the separatist factions, only when Mindanao is made into an independent state can there be real peace. By then, wars between the government and rebel groups will have ceased. Muslims will be free from the shackles of Imperial Manila. They will have governed and managed their own resources. For the government, only when rebels and those who took up arms against the government are eliminated can there be real peace. Socio-politico-economic and educational reforms are hard to initiate in a war-torn environment. Remove the rebels, peace will follow. For us Marisians, how can we help achieve peace? Lets be guided by our motto. Respice stellam. Look at the stars. Indeed, we are asked only to look at the stars, not to get hold of it. For no man has ever gotten hold of the star. But stars have guided countless men in their quests. Let peace be our star. We may not get hold of it, but it would guide us in all our dealings with men of different class, color, and creed. Professor Edith Brown Weiss said In all that we do, we inherently represent not only ourselves but past and future generations. We represent past generations, even while trying to obliterate the past, because we embody what they passed on to us. We represent future generations because the decisions we make today affect the well-being of all persons who come after us and the integrity and robustness of the planet they will inherit. As representatives of the future generations, how can you ensure that they will enjoy the blessings you are enjoying now? What specific ways will you take so that those who will come after you shall look to the past, not with grudge, but with gratitude?