Commencement address of Mr. Noel A.

Balares, during the

64th Commencement Exercises of the
Basic Education Department
Naga College Foundation,
Naga City
March 29, 2011

The college president, Mrs. Marguerite Michelle Padua-Hornby; The Chairman of the Board of
Trustees, Mr. Benjamin P. Villanueva; the Vice President for Administration, Mrs. Ann
Villanueva-Hidalgo; the Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Meda D. San Juan; the Vice
President for Finance, Mrs. Emerita V. Padua; the Principal of the Basic Education Department,
Mr. Ramon H. Nuiz; the Assistant Principals, teachers, graduates, parents, ladies and
gentlemen, good afternoon.

HOW DOES ONE START A COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS? This was the question I posted in my
status in Facebook, two days ago. A couple of minutes after, somebody posted, start with a
joke, then somebody said start with a story... a situational example. My former teacher here in
high school said, “sing a song for them”. The suggestions were considered except for the last
one. I may have a very good speaking voice but not a singing voice. Another reason is that it
may be unfit to a ceremony like a graduation.

THANK YOU

Twenty two years ago, I had a similar question posed before myself: How does one start
a valedictory address? That was my opening statement as the class valedictorian of class
1989. I started my address then and I will do it again this time, by saying thank you.

Thank you for our God Almighty for giving us this beautiful and memorable day that
marks the end of your high school and elementary days yet just the start of another journey
towards a complicated part of your lives.

Let us thank our parents for their unconditional support and guidance. They who
painstakingly look for so many ways to shoulder everything we need just to finish our studies.
Graduates, who among you has parents who are not graduates of this institution? There are a
lot of them, maybe half. To those whose parents are not graduates of NCF, good for you, you
were sent here for your studies!

Thank you my dear Alma Mater for the invitation and trust to talk before the new generation of
graduates. This is an honor. Let me share some of my thoughts. As one of the class
valedictorians have said before, you have taught us well, I would agree and say: You really
taught us well!

To all my former teacher, mentors, whom I still recall, their names, starting from my
Kindergarten teacher: Mrs. Genie Orea, then to my elementary teachers, Mrs. Clutario, Mrs.
Naty Dizon, Miss Japa, Mrs. Anita J. Ramos, Mrs. Rechilda Velarde, Mrs. Teresita del Valle-
Barrameda, Ms. Chavez, and Dr. Elizer Caculitan.

My high school teachers, include, Mrs. Nomer Endrano, Mrs. Salve Jollado, Mr. Jariel,
Ms. Dela Cruz, Mrs. Dory Ceraldino Doringo, Ms. Vista, Mrs. Peñafrancia Vargas, Mrs. Betty
Badiola, Mrs. Lorna Caseles, Mr. Clerigo, Mr. Nuiz, now the BED Principal, Mr. Romulo Alarcon,
Mrs. Adelita Dela Cruz, Mr. Albino, Mrs. Myrna Tiay, Mrs. Rosario Ordas-Papaya, Mrs. Cecille
Ebora and a lot more. Some of them are already retired from teaching, and also some of them
have retired from their own roles in this world. I would extend them my sincerest thanks and
gratitude, since because of them, I have learned so many things and because of them, I may
not stand before you today.

I can also even name some of my classmates in high school which include: Roberto
Almonte, Pedro Anselmo, Roberto Asis, Vicente Buena, Vladimir Talan, Eugenio Manondo,
Augusto Bermillo, German Marsel, Baloro, and Lopez, the girls which include Daisy Mahayhay,
Amy Escribano, Josephine Obrero and Elizabeth Hidalgo. These people are the ones who
don’t have facebook accounts, and we don’t have any contact on them.

SCHOOL OF LIFE

Most students would say their unforgettable memories in school were during their
elementary and high school life. I firmly believe it is true. The experiences that you may have
while attending school was either rewarding or worth remembering. That is because school is
from the Latin word schola, which is used to refer to learning of singing and a mode of
writing, or the leisure given to learning, a learned conversation or debate, and so many other
activities. But the question is: did you really enjoy attending classes?

If I may ask, how do you react when your teacher or the school administrator informed you
that classes are suspended? In that case, you did not enjoyed being in school. Because if you
do, you should be sad if classes are suspended.

If you already have heard the passage: Non scholae, sed vitae discimus is a Latin
phrase meaning We do not learn for the school, but for life, meaning that one should not gain
knowledge and skill to please a teacher or master, but because of the benefits they will gain
in their life.

The saying is adapted from a passage in one of Lucius Annaeus Seneca's letters to his friend
Lucilius. Seneca (or Seneca the Younger) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, a tutor and later
advisor to Emperor Nero.

A starting-point for our reflection is the conception of education that. Education is more
than just learning. It is about daring to know, do, relate and become. Education is
contextual. To this, one can add only that education is also sharing the teacher's personal
experience with the student and sharing the experience of one generation with another.
Every generation transmits to those who are younger the fullness of its experience: religious,
scientific, technological, social, political, and moral.

Why experience? Let me point that experience is the best teacher. You learned from
what you are doing. But it is far better to learn from other’s experiences. Let me cite an
example. If somebody commits mistake in his life, you don’t have to replicate his mistake just
to learn. You don’t even have to be a teacher to reach out.

Thus the word "education" implies not only the academic routine of communicating some
knowledge, fostering some skills and training specialists for various fields of action, but also a
strategic task of the whole culture. Education is the dynamic of culture.

As you leave the portals of your Alma Mater, always remember and do not forget your
past. Sabi kaiyan sa Tagalog: Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan, hindi
makakarating sa paroroonan.

To gain the future, you have to honor the past! Graduation ceremonies like this, with us who
were ahead of you actually reminisce our pasts. It is a good venue of honoring the past and
the present at the same time. The school administration is actually bridging the gap. Awards
and citations in graduation ceremonies like this are merely rewards of your accomplishments
as a student but that is not really the fruit of your studies. What is rewarding for the part of
your Alma Mater is to see you in the next maybe 15 to 20 years, happy and contented in your
respective lives.

The experiences that you had in your elementary and high school days must stimulate your
urge or encourage striving for the betterment of your respective lives. You should have a goal
and no matter or whatever gets in the way, you have to realize it. Have focus to realize your
ambition. Aram ko gabos kamo, gabos kita, igwa ning kanya kanyang pangiturugan o ambisyon.
Poon sa simpleng gamit na gustong mabakal hanggang sa magyaman tanganing magkaigwa nin
marhay na buhay para sa sadiri asin sa magiging pamilya. Alagad tibaad mas dakul sa saindo,
ang nangingiturugan iyo an saindong mga magurang.

Sabi kan si ama sa aki: ika ngaya ta matibay ka sa klase, mag doctor ka o mag engineer o mag
abogado! Si ngohod na aki, ang sabi: ika ngaya ta maluya luya ka, mag maestro o maestra ka!
Anoman ang pigsasabi ninda, mayong magigibo ang mga aki kundi ang magsunod asin
magtubod (ta kung dai ka matubod o magtumang ka: makurikot ang saimong mga muro)
I, for one was not looking to become a teacher during my high school days, my interests was
in journalism and inclined to take journalism or political science and to become a lawyer. But,
my parents told me you better take education; maybe because, both our parents were
educators and principals for that matter. My elder brother and sisters took up business
related courses and nobody took education. So I obligingly enrolled in education, which I
fortunately finished in 13 years. I started at the University of Nueva Caceres until I quitted in
1995 and came back to NCF in 1999 and finished the course in 2002.

Ang dapat lang na giromdomon, dai ka man dadarahon kan saindong mga magurang sa maraot.
What I did was just enjoy whatever activities relative to my studies and the profession. That is
what you should do too. While you are enjoying what you are doing, you will be rewarded and
whatever are your ambitions are, it will be realized. So pay it forward!

Today’s graduation has a little of my old school and a little of your new. There is actually a
taste of old school in this, which sometimes you have to take it back. In this way, you can lead
any and all passionate group of your peers to become a useful part of our society. It is like
when you are playing in a band, you have to love the sound of the band and not the sound of
your own instrument. You could be the best player in the band, yet you don’t blend with the
rest, then you do not deserve to be part of the band. But it is alright, we actually lost of the
things sometimes.

Remember this: the graduates are the reflections of its school. I would say, you do not need to
be well-known and popular, but you should be a useful citizen of this country.

Today’s society is fast changing. It converts one person to be fit and qualified to face
any and all challenges it bring. If you would not, the latest trends of technology today may be
outdated tomorrow. A new version is immediately released. So you have to be abreast with
this, because if you don’t you will be left behind. Nevertheless, all kinds of development
started from a humble basic things or theory.

Whatever you have, should be shared to prove its worthiness. In that way you should be
able to make yourself worthy to change our society.

Thank you and good evening.