JOSE KARLO C.

MANLAPAZ 1

Jose Karlo C. Manlapaz

Marcelo H. del Pilar National High School

Entry for 2020 Regional Digital ASEAN Conference

Online Extemporaneous Speech

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Online Extemporaneous Speech

Greetings! I am Jose Karlo C. Manlapaz, an 11th Grade student from Marcelo H. del Pilar

National High School. And like many other students in other schools, this COVID-19 pandemic

has been difficult for us. However, we are not so ignorant and full of ourselves to think that we

have been the only ones affected by the pandemic, we know and acknowledge that thousands of

literal lives have been taken, but it has also taken the life out of the living. The pandemic has

been a devastation to our social lives, it took our last opportunities to say our only-god-knows if

temporary farewells to our classmates, our dearest teachers, and even our friends who have

become a large part of our lives.

We have never experienced anything like this before. I, and I’m sure lots of other people

such as myself am full of anger and frustration for what COVID-19 has cost us. It has given birth

to a whole new level of separation in a society. But in this time, unity and understanding has

become one of the most relevant things to possess in a time of chaos such as now. In contrast to

all the awful things happening in our time, individuals, organizations, and nations are

cooperating with one another, setting aside differences to battle the true enemy—the coronavirus.

It took some time, but we have discovered that there is more to this pandemic than just a

virus. It became a test for international relations and how competent governments are in dealing

with a catastrophe. A developing country such as the Philippines is vulnerable to a highly

infectious disease such as the coronavirus, because we simply lack the resources to mitigate the

damage. Initially, we thought that without a vaccine, there would be no end to COVID.

However, with the dissemination of information, we discovered that the fight against a virus

comes before the infection itself. Wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing, avoiding

mass gatherings, and just practicing proper respiratory hygiene can make the most significant of
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differences. The Philippines is very fortunate to have obedient citizens, not because of who is

leading our country, but it is inherent to our Filipino values. However, this is not a blind

obedience, but it comes from our own judgements, that without the collective actions of all

Filipinos, we would fail.

One of the most remarkable traits which Filipinos possess is our capability to make allies

and friends. We cherish those closes to us, figuratively, literally, or even geographically (laugh

haha), specifically, other South-East Asian countries. With the goal to stimulate sociocultural or

economic growth and innovation amongst South-East Asian countries, the Association of South-

East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed. An organization such as the ASEAN is crucial to

battling COVID—an organization that gives paramount importance to cooperation. Under one

identity and purpose, the members of the ASEAN have aided each other. It is undeniable that the

pandemic has been detrimental to lots of nations’ economies, and an organization such as the

ASEAN can make the process of dealing with the pandemic easier.

I still distinctly remember learning about bayanihan in 3rd Grade. Bayanihan is a Filipino

word that now commonly refers to teamwork or another word for helping, but it used to refer to a

practice which Filipinos used to do. Today, when we want to move to another house, we simply

move our belongings and possessions to that house. Traditionally, Filipinos lived in nipa huts

and a common representation for Bayanihan was a practice where Filipinos used to move the

house itself with the aid of their other Filipinos, carrying the whole house on their backs to help

their fellowmen.

The spirit of bayanihan, is still very much alive in Filipinos today. Even before the

pandemic, we have been subject to countless natural calamities, and Filipinos have been

relentless in their will to help their countrymen. Additionally, our desire and value of bayanihan
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did not become exclusive amongst ourselves. Evident with the Philippines’ participation in

international organizations, Filipinos extend that desire in their cooperation and unity with other

nations. Truly, in remembering our roots and integrating the inherent values which Filipinos

possess, we will be sure to win our battle against COVID-19.