After finishing another book, A Thousand Pieces of Gold by Adeline Yen Mah, I decided to check my e-mail. Tin, my colleague in the department and now my boss, sent an e-mail about the Commencement Address of Ms. Cheche Lazaro. Upon seeing her name, I was brought back to my old days in UP Diliman as a student of Broadcast Communication. Then, I was hoping to have Cheche Lazaro as my Broadcast Journalism teacher. I was disappointed when she wasn’t available to teach when it was time for me to take the course. However, I did not have any regret taking the course under Ms. Nessa Valdellon, another very competent teacher and someone who worked under Cheche Lazaro’s Probe Productions team.
When I started reading her commencement address to graduating students of ADMU, I could not help but think again about my undergraduate course. I did not pursue a job in the broadcasting industry. I remembered so well when I embarked on an individual project about Nara Dormitory, an all male dormitory inside UP, researching about the funds provided for the dorm, checking the facilities and bravely taking footages alone of its basement rooms and areas which were not allowed for students to occupy because of frequent flooding, and conducting interviews with UP authorities about plans for the dormitory and why it has remained unattended to for quite some time. Then, I also remembered when I made a documentary of the streetchildren of Monumento immersing myself into their “culture” and following them around doing their daily activities as kids and even as “young vendors” helping their families augment the family income and pay for daily basic expenses. I can still clearly remember when these street children, given their very limited time to budget everything that they have to do (they study and at the same time work) still manage to find time to visit their friends who are admitted at an institution for the abused…still trying to cheer up their friends even if they themselves were quite tired from all the day’s activities and they need to still head home to do some more work. I remembered almost forgetting that they’re still kids…because at the last day of my visit, Pau and I decided to bring them to Glorietta and allowed them to enjoy one whole day of fun and games! Then, I saw in their eyes how they were really starving to play mindlessly and to just enjoy without even having to worry about time and basic concerns.
I remembered these things similar to how Cheche Lazaro narrated the life of Victor. Her speech reminded me of what I used to dream. I wanted to make documentaries and investigative reports then hoping to expose more similar stories and touch the lives of the people to avoid indifference and continue advocating generosity for others. I saw myself then as an instrument of communicating for them. Ms. Nessa even told me when I did my own on-cam narration that my strength lies as an on-cam personality - I can deliver my messages well on-cam, both as a newscaster and as a correspondent/investigative reporter. It was flattering and I was very hopeful then to continue pursuing my undergraduate course and land a job in a broadcasting firm.
However, Cheche Lazaro’s statement is right:
“When we are young, we spend time thinking of how we can achieve our dreams. As we grow older, we turn our focus on how we can enable the dreams of others much like what this great university teaches, to be a man for others.”
I realized that as I got older, I wanted to reach out more. Although a part of me still wants to produce documentaries/investigative reports I am sure that I can do this even if I have pursued my current job. In fact, I know I can reach out to more people and interact more with them especially the young. The shift to a teaching career was something my mind was trying to oppose then especially when I saw my batch mates already earning more and easily acquiring cars or even traveling abroad. Yet, my heart conquered my mind! I still allowed myself to pursue teaching and to hone myself at it! I still pursued it and remained idealistic even up to now that one day I will also achieve the material wealth I so desire for myself and for my parents, and still get the chance to travel and to see the world. I told myself I will be rewarded because I am doing what I love to do and, in the process, I am extending my talents in a challenging profession that most do not see anymore as noble, but as a profitable profession and a means to go abroad.
Right now, the speech was my reminder. It reminded me of my past which I hold so dearly in my heart. For without my experiences then I would have not been able to think and act like this now. It reminded me of the people in the past who humbled me and who continued to inspire me to pursue my dream. I still am positive that one day I will be able to extend my helping hand to the likes of the street children in Monumento or to even give back whatever I can to my college alma mater. It reminded me that right now I have indeed achieved a higher level of maturity over priorities in life which I feel proud I have achieved - being able to think and to do something beyond what I want for myself…but most especially for others!
