Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest species that survives, nor the

most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
My highest respect to our stunning and indefatigable Principal III, Ma’am Vivian
Bernardita Elumba; To the highly competent molders of young professionals, our
beloved teachers; Proud and loving parents; Visitors, Friends, Fellow classmates from
MALANGAS CENTRAL SPED CENTER, Ladies & Gentlemen, a healthy and blessed
morning to each and every one!!
If this year has taught me anything, that would be learning how to utilize GOOGLE
resourcefully. Just kidding!
On behalf of the 2021 candidates for graduation, I find myself on this
podium experiencing numerous warring emotions, and I am certain that many of you
here empathize with me on that point.
Like many of you, I had grand visions of where I saw myself by my sixth year, I
figured I would have my baon increased by five-ten pesos, joyfully finishing all our
science-lab experiments, playing on that vast plaza just after the last subject in the
afternoon class, holding a parade, and participating in those various festivals. I imagine
we all had our dreams on how our “Grade 6” year would be like and none of them
included a global pandemic, having to wear mask, spraying alcohol at least 20 times a
day, and most importantly not being allowed to go out like how IATF explained why.
How could we possibly know that when we went out to grab our snacks on that
certain Friday of March 2020, that would be the last time that we could ever eat
together in the canteen? Who would have thought that when we walked out of school
on that final Friday of March 2020, that would be the last time of seeing each other face-
to-face, in the four walls of the classroom, with our teacher trying to hold her temper
because of how unruly we were?
Days and months passed by, and we find ourselves waiting for our guardians who
picked up the Self-Learning Modules that we are expected to accomplish (yes from face-
to-face lectures to modules real quick), find ourselves being contained on our homes
without having to say, “hey, pila imong balon? Mag recess na ta”, find ourselves not
having to wake up very early in the morning, take a bath, wear our uniform and kiss
goodbye. Oh, how I miss that moment and I imagine that many of you out there feel the
same sadness I do when I reflect about all our “lasts” we missed out on. 
However, I challenge you all to conceptualize our predicament in a slightly
different light. This may not be how we envision a “normal graduation ceremony” is, but
I wanted to say congratulations! And despite the unconventional format of our
graduation, no one can take away our accomplishments.
I would not want to take all the credit of these accomplishments alone because I
wouldn’t have done it without the constant support of these people. Even though at this
moment the future is very unclear, and we may be frightened by what comes next, we
also know that we have the teachings and support of a magnificent, interwoven
community. Firstly, I would like to thank God for giving me the strength to endure this
School Year. It is indeed undeniable how tough the school year 2020-2021 was. With
that I commend and salute the Department of Education for coming up with a solution,
like a phoenix rising from its ashes, turning the impossible to possible with the
introduction of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan and the different programs
launched by the agency to continue “Strengthening the Quality of Education Amid the
COVID-19 Pandemic”, like how the theme for this Graduation is. They have cleared all
the stakeholder’s confusion when Secretary Liling Briones said that “Education must
continue.” The Department’s effort was truly worthy of emulation.
Moreover, my immense gratitude goes to the teachers who crafted the Self-
Learning Modules, whom as we unfold those pages, it made me feel that they were with
us, doing the best they could to encourage us that we could do it because nothing worth
having comes easy; Our parents turned educators, who never gets tired from guiding us
in accomplishing the Modules (I bet you’re out there thinking “Salamat nahuman ra jud
gikapoy namig answer) HAHAHA just joking; To our Alma Mater who may not be able to
prepare the future for us, but most importantly, it has prepared us for the future; and to
everyone who is one way or another contributed to the success of this School Year
2020-2021, thank you so much.
Graduation Ceremony- the culmination of our hard work and sacrifices which are
six years in the making and the commencement of another journey which is the high
school life.
Class of 2021, we have made it! I know how scary it is to stand with one foot in the
world we knew and one dangling off the edge of an uncertain future. But the spice of life
is on its uncertainty. We just need to hold on to God’s promises on Jeremiah 29:11 that
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you a hope and a future.” We are on the rush to go back to normal but let me tell
you that we need to envision a new world better than the one we called normal.
Lastly, I wanted to emphasize that, “No pandemic could ever derail plans for
education. No pandemic could ever stop a child who has a passion to learn.”
Congratulations! And To God be the Highest Glory!