WORDS OF GRATITUDE

To our motherly school principal Ma’am Susan O. Pizzaro, to our esteemed

district supervisor, Dr. Helen C. Brian, our beloved headteacher, Sir Rey B. Padilla, to
our barangay officials, spearheaded by our reliable barangay captain Hon. Armando N.
Ocde, to the class advisers of Junior High School completers, Sir Larry A. Jose, Ma’am
Pilar A. Espinueva, Sir Brandon S. Carolino, and Sir Ronie M. Opolinto, to our honored
guest speaker Sir Genesis Gabriel Aliven, to our approachable PTA President, Mr.
Nonato Aliven Jr., to our competent teachers and faculty members, families, friends,
visitors, and my fellow completers who will move up to their senior years, GOOD
AFTERNOON!
We have gathered here today to celebrate our moving up ceremony. As our
parents witness the culmination of our four years of learning within the walls of
Zaragoza National High School, we are filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude
and pride. It is an honor to stand here before you and express our heartfelt appreciation.
First and foremost, I would like to thank my family who always supports me,
especially my father (Papa Oning) who always motivates me to study. Pa, ito na, mag e-
speech na’ko as per your request back in JULY of 2022, kasi sabi mo gusto mo’ko
makita mag speech, this is the result of all the pressure and stress you’ve made me
feel. Now, don’t get me wrong, I bear no ill will nor hard feelings for you Pa, if it hadn’t
been for you, my life would’ve been miserable. I would also like to thank my friends
(especially my besties, Raj Yohann Quebada, Daniel Rabadon, my best bud who loves
various types of trivia, Karl Gagarin, my best duo in ML, tara ml ipag core kita mamaya)
and my caring teachers; without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Salamat dahil
kung hindi dahil sainyo, hindi ako mabibigyan ng oportunidad na maibahagi ang aking
saloobin, sabi nga ni Sir Larry, moment ko’to, and of course I would like to take full
advantage of this moment.
Delivering the “Words of Gratitude” is a very remarkable privilege one can attain
by being one of the best in class. I am truly thankful that I will be the one to represent
my class. Honestly, I didn’t think I would be able to reach this, but I wanted it, so I
worked hard for it, and I got it. Our class was dubbed as the “worst star section” back in
our first year in high school and we retained it pretty well up until now. I am not saying
that our teachers named our section the worst, but we earned that for ourselves.
Despite our unpleasant reputation, we’re just like any other section, full of life,
humorous, and sometimes naughty.
To my fellow completers, ang buhay natin sa high school ay parang puzzle,
noong una siyempre tayo’y tahimik lang sa umpisa, wala pa tayo gaanong kakilala,
maraming papasok sa utak natin like “who am I gonna be friends with here?” ‘How am I
gonna fit in?” sa mga ambitious naman, “kaya ko pa rin kaya mag top 1 dito?” mag
ooverthink tayo, until years go by our high school life, and we can adapt to our new
learning environment, very different from our previous one. It will shape and hone our
new personalities and skills, meet new friends, encounter new obstacles until we fit the
puzzle in our life perfectly and neatly.
Our generation is not very fortunate because we lived through a pandemic, it was
a tough challenge for us to cope with the lessons we are obliged to learn through online,
and we all know that listening to a teacher in person is still a very different experience
than the ones on calls, but still look at ourselves, we are still intact, we are still thriving
to learn for more despite the hardships we’ve been through.
 I would also like to encourage more learners that they must live their life to the
fullest, pinapaaral tayo ng libre ng magulang natin why waste it? To live your life to the
fullest, I believe you must have some type of goal, prioritize that goal, and never give up
achieving it, at the very least, if you ever feel like you’re not gonna achieve your goal,
well at least you tried, maybe it’s your destiny or maybe God has some other plans for
you. Always be thankful that you’ve been given the opportunity to live, do not waste it,
and live every day like it’s your last.
Today, completers, is a significant day in your life that marks your hard work,
determination, and personal growth. As we embark on a new journey, and pursue higher
education, we must never forget the lessons we were taught, honesty, (katapatan)
compassion, (pagiging Mahabagin) resilience, (Katatagan), and a thirst for new
knowledge. I would like to share the quote, “The greatest successes come from having
the freedom to fail” inspired by Mark Zuckerberg. Although we can’t say that we already
succeeded in life, we’re not even halfway there. But at least we succeeded in moving up
to higher education, we must cherish that accomplishment and be proud of ourselves.
Take a moment to reflect upon the cherished memories you’ve made during your
time at our school. The friends you’ve made, the relationships you formed, and the
lessons you learned that you’ll never forget. Remember to carry on these gems you
found as a Junior High School learner to the next chapters of your journey.
Now, I would like to properly express my gratitude to my family, my lovely mother,
who is the ONLY one who sincerely tells me that I am good-looking. My father, who
teaches me the most valuable lessons, to my two older brothers who always support me
even though we go through misunderstandings sometimes (san nanga ba sila ohh ayon
sila). THANK YOU! I would also like to thank my hardworking teachers kasi di ko naman
talaga maaabot ‘to kung hindi dahil sa kanila. They are our second parents. We must
appreciate all their hard work and efforts because they are the ones who molded our
personalities.
Lastly, to the graduates, learners, and my fellow completers,
CONRATULATIONS! My dear classmates and friends, thank you so much for the
memories we’ve made and for letting me be a part of your life, (WALANG LIMUTAN HA)
kahit maghiwahiwalay man tayo ng landas, sana’y makamit natin parepareho ang ating
mga pangarap. (MARAMING SALAMAT!) I hope that we will strive for more and achieve
our goals.
THANKS FOR LISTENING, GODBLESS, and have a wonderful day ladies and
gentlemen.