MESSAGE

Good day to each and everyone who is attending virtually present at this time of our Graduation
ceremonies for our beloved and very precious graduates for the school year which ends at this time.

First of all, I like to greet the parents and family members without whose sacrifices whose
reminders and whose participation in the learning process for our graduates have resulted in this
culmination program. This year, your role has changed drastically where we’ve always thought, always
believed that the matter of educating our children rest nearly exclusively on our teachers and our staff.
This time, you parents, you family members, you who are in the households of our learners have
expanded your role and contributed to this wonderful day where in finally, finally our learners are
graduating in this culmination exercises. So congratulations because this year has not been very easy
has not been a picnic for our teachers for our family members as well especially parents, mothers,
fathers, sisters, brothers and all who have contributed to the achievement of our learners at this time
so Maraming Salamat at Congratulations parents and family members, mas Malaki ang role niyo this
time compared to earlier graduation exercises.

Secondly, I would also like to greet our teachers without whose very careful review and careful
supervision of the work of our pupils and our learners this event would not be taking place at all. And
so thank you teachers, your role has also expanded in addition to seeing to it that the modules are
faithfully followed the assignments are correctly implemented and the learners are truly learning and
you have had to deal with new ways of assessing the performance also of the learners. So
congratulations teachers for enduring, for your patience, for your love for our learners and your
willingness to engage in a way and methods of teaching which are different from those which are used
to. Assessment must have been especially difficult for you, especially since you were not able to see
most of the time our students in face to face meetings and most of the meetings of course were virtual.

We’d also like to thank the local government units for their interests, for their cooperation and
for their continuing contributions to the needs of education even as our children do not go to school.
Your donations of material as well as financial resources at this time are most welcome and your advice
has been taken seriously not only by our teachers, by our school officials but also by our officials in the
Department of Education. We continually talk with local government units especially in times of
disaster, in times of great need for classrooms, for space and for responses to unforeseen emergencies.
Thank you, Local Government Units.

But of course, most of congratulatory greetings fall on the deserving graduate each and everyone
of you is truly special. You are different from the other graduates who have passed through the portals
of your school. You went to school practically without seeing your teachers if at all. You went to school
with your parents, your mothers and your fathers hovering over your shoulders and seeing to it that
you are able to complete your assignments. You are completing your studies at a time when
examinations and assessments are different. You are culminating these long months of hard work at
this time eve as you have to do family chores even as you are distracted and even as your world has
turned upside down and it seems, and it appears as if we don’t know what the future holds and what
will happen next. But you have persevered and now you are ready to graduate and therefore you deserve
each and every bit of congratulations from us in the Department of Education from your parents and
family members, your teachers from the officials in local government as well as in the parent teachers
associations, you deserve each and every single congratulatory path on your back each hug virtually of
course and each greeting which I am sure you are also receiving virtually.

I don’t know if you will remember this event many many years from now. I have tried to
recall myself who our graduation speaker was when I finished high school and when I finished
my college studies. All I remember is that the graduation speaker was someone important,
someone who was invited because that someone is supposed to give a message what was more
important to us graduates at that time was the excitement of the celebrations.
The happiness and the joy of our parents, the sadness of parting from our classmates and from our
teachers and the enjoyment of all the graduation events that usually take place come commencement
day. When I was a college student, we had a series of events which were designed to embed in our
minds which were designed to help us remember and not forget our days in college. We would spend
one whole day going around the campus visiting the classrooms saying goodbye to our teachers and
sharing our memories. We would have bonfires to say goodbye to each other. We had baccalaureate
services where we committed ourselves to God and we pray for guidance when we go out into the world.
So many celebrations and the speaker of course is the least important and easily forgotten component
of the graduation exercise. Nonetheless, I will exert all efforts to share with you what I see are things or
issues which a graduate should remember and recall.

I have said that you are very special, you are very different, you are pioneering, there has been
no other class like your class. There has been no other graduate like you as a graduating student
because you are the very first graduate of the blended learning response to education in the
Philippines. And so, you ask yourself, what awaits you in the world outside? You can either work,
because the kind of curriculum you survive and underwent as a student will enable you to go to work if
you wish to go to work. Some of you will proceed to further studies and this would be a wonderful thing
because there are many opportunities for further expanding your knowledge, for further answering and
looking for explanations of issues, events that make you curious especially in science and technology
and also in the arts. So you can work, you can go to further studies and perhaps some of you will settle
down hopefully not too soon. So you can pursue what you really want to do.

So today, this is why we call this exercise a commencement exercise, its not the end of our
studies, its not the end of all our efforts with blended learning, with modules, with floods, with
earthquakes and of course with COVID. It’s a commencement of doors opening to you. More doors will
be open because you are a graduate. You can work, you can proceed to further studies, you can help
your parents and you can perhaps look for opportunities to do what you have always wanted to do.
Whether at work, whether at advanced studies, whether at learning more in science, technology, in
mathematics and in the arts. All of these opportunities are available to you. More doors are being
opened. I hope you will select the door which arouses your curiosity. The door which will help you know
more about this world and the door which will allow you to contribute to the development of our
country and contribute whatever we can to solve our problems and our challenges.

Congratulations once more to each and every one of you. Congratulations to you parents and
family members. Congratulations to you teachers

When I was chair of the board of Siliman University, each time we had graduation ceremonies
during the baccalaureate and during commencement itself, I would cry, I would cry because you are
sending out into the world a new batch graduates and we want to be sure that what is awaiting them is
appropriate. We want to be sure that they are ready for what awaits them when they select which door
to open and so we tell you, go out to the world, do whatever you want to do.

God be with you and be sure, be assured that all of us love each and every one of you.
Congratulations!

LEONOR
MAGTOLIS
BRIONES
Secretary
Department of
Education