Full text of Jessica Soho’s speech at UP Cebu’s graduation rites 2015

GMA News anchor Jessica Soho gave a keynote speech at the University of the Philippines Cebu graduation rites last Thursday, June 25,  2015.

Soho is one of GMA Network's top and veteran news anchors who received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award.




Maayong hapon kaninyong tanan.

It was only late yesterday when I found out that I have a very tough act to follow; the toughest, in fact. No less than Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, your guest of honor and speaker in last year’s graduation.

Sabi ko, bakit ko ba ito na-oo-han.

Because how can I possibly top the Master of Soundbites and Pick-up lines? Anong pasabog o paandar ba ang dapat kung gawin? Dubsmash?

Ay ambot!

Song and dance? Paano ba iyang Nae Nae dance na iyan? Naku, baka mawalan ako ng trabaho, kawawa naman ang mga magulang ko.

***

Ako po si Jessica Soho, Student Number 81-46200. Like most UP alumni I know -- with the exception maybe of 1 or 2, I have not forgotten my student number. UP makes sure you remember it for life. You are branded and numbered forever.

Hindi po ako nahihiyang sabihin ang aking student number even if it gives away my age.

***

Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kaya Kayo Ngayon?

Titulo ito ng isang pelikula noong 1976 na maganda ring tanungin ngayon, lalu na sa mga millenials na tulad niyo. Wala pa noong MTV o MP3, sabi nga ng kanta, pero meron kaming naglalakihang cassette recorder na tinawag naming magkakaibigan na "Saudi" kasi ang madalas magkaroon nito ay yung mga may tatay, kuya, tito o lolo sa Middle East and the bigger the music player, the better it sounded.

Hanggang na-imbento ng Sony ang walkman then music became personal.

***

Kung gusto mo noong mag-research, pumunta ka sa library. Hahanapin mo muna sa bibliography cards yung kailangan mong libro bago ka pumunta sa section o aisle kung nasaan ito.

Saksakan talaga kayo ng suwerte ngayon dahil anumang impormasyong kailangan niyo, hindi lang abot-kamay. Mga daliri na lang ang kailangan. Searchable ang lahat sa tulong ng google.

Minsan nakatanggap ako ng spam, hindi yung delata, kundi iyung email na 'di gaanong importante pero kung minsan naman may saysay at nakaka-aliw.

You are so '80s daw kung literal pa para sa iyo ang definition of terms.
Ang windows, bintana.
Ang notebook, cuaderno.
Ang virus, pinapatay.
At ang mouse, ang katapat lang ay Dora.

***
Ang hashtag ay pound sa typewriter na ginagamit na shortcut for numbers o pang-end ng mga artikulo na isinusulat ng mga journalist tulad ko kung ayaw mo ng number "30."

Ang friend ay yung totoong kaibigan. Nakikita, nakakasama, nasasabihan ng problema, nahihingan ng tulong, nauutangan. Oo nga, marami kaming wala noon – internet, gadgets at kung anu-ano pa.

Pero malinaw sa aming Martial Law babies kung sino ang kalaban noong panahong iyun. Kung alin ang problema at kung ano ang dapat mangyari para magbago ang lipunan.

***

Wala noong bida-kontrabida. Walang frenemy. Black or white. Red o Yellow. Hiwalay kung hiwalay, hindi complicated; parang paglalaba lang ang peg.

Hindi puwedeng magsama ang mga de-color. Klaro kung sino ang dapat patalsikin.

Ang tanong at hamon ko sa inyo ngayon—kayo, alam niyo ba kung sino o ano ang kalaban.

Iniisip niyo rin ba kung paano magbabago ang ating lipunan; para baka sakali ang inyong henerasyon ang makalulutas sa mga matagal na nating mga problema?

Kung bakit magagaling naman tayong mga Pilipino, marami ang umaangat kapag nasa ibang bansa, pero bakit lugmok pa rin tayo sa kahirapan?

Tanong ni retired General Jose Almonte sa kaniyang memoir, "Endless Journey" na tinatanong na rin daw nila noong sila'y mga bata pang sundalo "Why are Filipinos killing fellow Filipinos?"

The nationalist writer F Sionil Jose asks in his writings why despite our heroic heritage, we still are a fractured nation. Ang mga oligarch noon, sila-sila pa rin hanggang ngayon.

An acquaintance once told me that everytime he comes from abroad, from countries far better-off than ours; at sa NAIA pa lang ay naaamoy na niya ang basura at nakikita ang traffic, baha at kung ano-ano pa…

Hindi niya raw maintindihan sa kaniyang sarili kung bakit siya natutuwa na para bang ayan na, amoy ko na ang basura, Pilipinas na! Home na me!

Ako naman, everytime I go overseas, na-va-validate ko sa aking sarili, through our OFW’s na napakabubuti talaga nating mga Pilipino.

Mababait, matulungin, laging nakangiti. Pero di ko rin maiwasan magtanong at magduda. Maybe there lies the problem.
We are too nice that’s why our goodness is often abused.

I read from the New York Times recently that our millenials are so different in the sense that they have pretty much streamlined everything in their lives.

Sa mga magulang, huwag niyo na raw po ipamana sa kanila ang inyong mga kubiertos, plato at muwebles because this is a generation that does not attach much value for those.

They don’t even have (real) photo albums.

Which got me into thinking —hindi ba ito rin yung at the core of the issue about the so-called Pambansang Photobomber or that condominium building that ruins the view of the Rizal monument?

The issue is putting value to our heritage, the legacy of our past.
Kaya sa atin pong mga magulang, huwag niyo na raw po ipamana sa kanila ang inyong mga lumang gamit; perahin niyo lang daw.

***
Pero alam niyo po tuwing pumupunta po ako rito sa Cebu, I always feel hopeful. Here somehow I get the sense that things work. Maayos ang infrastructure kahit ma-traffic din.

I remember coming here during the 1997 Asian Crisis and wondering why Cebuanos remained optimistic. I was told then that Cebu had a higher growth rate than the rest of the country; equal, in fact, to our more progressive neighbors or the so-called Asian tigers at that time.

I hope this still holds true now.

And so it was that everytime I visited Cebu to marvel at your furniture, enjoy your scenic spots, taste your wonderful seafood and experience the

warmth and hospitality of the Cebuanos—my faith in our country and in our people is always renewed.

Sinasabi ko po ito hindi para kayo'y bolahin.

But to express my fervent hope that some of our graduates will choose to remain in Cebu; invest your talent here and create more opportunities for your provincemates. Proud "promdi" rin po ako. Taga-probinsiya ng La Union, dun sa kabilang dulo ng Pilipinas, sa Ilocos region.

Like many of you, I also come from a small town. Nagsimulang dehado sa buhay, kasi 8 years old pa lang po ako naulila na kami ng kapatid ko sa ina.

We are fortunate to have a loving and caring dad, a kind stepmother and the devotion of my grandmothers.

Laki po ako sa mga lola ko, on both sides of the family. Pero iba pa rin siempre ang pagmamahal ng isang ina.

But I did not let our family tragedy get me down. My mom's life may have been short; but she lived long enough to instill enough confidence in me and this is what has sustained me through the most difficult times.

To this day, I can still vividly remember my very first day in UP Diliman. What it was like for a promdi, Catholic-school bred, small town-girl like me.

How insecure and scared I was; how everyone seemed so confident, good-looking and rich. I felt inferior, yes, but it is also in UP where I eventually felt pantay-pantay lang naman pala tayong lahat.

Pare-parehong pumipila sa napakahirap na registration o enrollment; pare-parehong kailangang mag-aral and prove that you deserve to be called "Iskolar ng Bayan".


Habang sinusulat ko po ang aking speech, napaisip ako. Ano nga ba ang napala ko sa UP, bukod sa bragging rights? Ano ang value ng edukasyon ko sa UP? Ano ang naituro ng UP sa akin?

Siempre, excellence.

UP students and graduates like to think of themselves as the ones on top of the food chain. Aminin!!!

Pero sabi nga ni Tita or Mareng Winnie or my Professor Solita Monsod in Economics 11, and now my colleague in GMA News and Public Affairs –“Before excellence, honor”.


And there is a reason why they put honor FIRST before excellence. Excellence is not good if you have no honor.

Dapat Tama!

Sana tandaan niyo ito, saan man kayo makarating.

***
I did not really intend to become a journalist. My dream was to become a lawyer.

When I was a new-hire in GMA News, I was assigned odd jobs- answer the phones, replace the ribbons or the paper of the teletype machines, recycle and staple paper for our scripts.

There were even times na kapag hindi sumipot yung make-up artist ni Mike Enriquez, ako na po iyun!

Back in 1985 when they hired me, I suspect they didn't really know what to do with someone whom our cameramen described as "mukhang pinabili lang ng suka, naligaw na sa newsroom".

But God obviously had other plans for me and I truly believe, His were the unseen hands that guided me throughout my career.

Sa maniwala man po kayo o hindi, ni sa hinagap o panaginip, I never planned on becoming a TV news reporter, appear on camera and be known by many.

Tip sa mga gustong sumikat: Fame, like wealth, should only come as a consequence of hard work.

Dadating ang mga iyan, magpursige ka lang. Now, when all else fails, there is always youtube. (Ang suwerte niyo talaga)

***
Journalism is all about telling stories, the truth. And I have always maintained that it should NEVER be about ourselves.

We are not the story, save for the few times when unavoidably we ourselves became the story because of assignments that almost cost us our lives. Buwis-buhay.

In my case – Like covering the rescue of villagers trapped in a camachile tree in the middle of the rampaging Marikina river during a typhoon in late '80s.

Getting lost on a plane that had almost ran out of fuel in our way to the Spratlys in the late 80s, long before these became disputed territory. Getting briefly-hostaged by a rebel governor in Cagayan province in the '90s.

And after 9/11, almost getting blown to bits by a landmine in Afghanistan. Yes, it has been a dangerous life but it has also been most rewarding.

God has been very, very kind. I was able to help my family and I am also proud to have paved the way for a new generation of journalists and news and public affairs videographers and producers in our organization.

Some of them have moved on to other fields and other networks but many are still with us, in higher positions even and nothing makes me prouder than their success.

***

Success should humble us. Walang isang taong naging successful dahil lang sa sarili niya.

***

I have always believed that it is when you begin to believe your own propaganda that marks the beginning of your end. To keep our egos in check, we in GMA News like to say, that you are only as good as your last story. At bukas makalawa, baka ka ma-i-scoopan ka.

This is how you keep improving; to keep persevering; to never stop. To always have a healthy dose of self-doubt. Life was never meant to be easy. So you have to keep levelling-up.

Parang exercise—not that I am an expert on it, obviously. Like my favorite comic book character "Cathy" once said, "everything has calories".

***

Brace yourself for the inevitable: failure. Prepare to fail but of course it’s better if you can avoid or prevent it from happening. Now if, despite all your efforts, you still fail, don't take too long on the ground.

Get up and get up, fast!

And make sure you learned something from your failures. As someone once said-- there are no mistakes in life, only lessons. Errors are prerequisites to lessons.

Iyun po, original, sa akin; Hashtag Hugot line. Malalim at maraming kapalpakang pinanggalingan. Opo, sa likod ng mga award na nakuha ko at ng aming mga programa, marami rin po kaming palpak, este, lessons learned.

***

People who have worked with me say I have one favorite word, which they have also come to dread. And that word is, basta. Kapag sinabi ko na raw po iyun despite their objections and explanations, tapos na ang usapan.

Sa journalism class, we were taught to climb the fence should people slam the door on us or to our faces.

Ang nagturo po sa akin nun ay ang aming journalism Professor Louie Beltran sa UP College of Mass Communication and the one who inspired me to become a journalist.

Siguro kakaunti na lang sa atin ang nakakaalala sa kaniya but in the 80's, he was THE foremost tri-media journalist covering all media platforms then radio, TV and print.

He was also Chancellor for Student Affairs of UP Diliman at that time and he liked to say na tuwing may rally dispersal, siya raw ang tagapulot ng mga naiwang tsinelas o sapatos ng mga aktibista.

Another valuable lesson Mang Louie taught us and which I would like to pass on to you today, is to keep reading; in other words, to never stop learning.

Kabilin-bilinan niya sa amin noon, pati raw iyung diario na ipinambalot sa tinapa o iyung label ng toilet paper, basahin namin because that's added value to your brain; brain food. Sayang naman daw ang brain cells kung hahayaan lang mag-atrophy.

***
So 30 years and counting as a journalist, I also occasionally ask the Oprah Winfrey question: What do I know for sure?

My personal theory, although this may not be original—I think the universe is not without walls. Whatever you bounce off it will always come back to you. Karma for Buddhists and Hindus; the Golden Rule for Catholics.

Madalas mas mahirap maging mabuti pero mas mabuti pa ring maging mabuti. And God is always watching. Be generous.

Like the poet, Maya Angelou, has said—when you learn, teach. Help the ones who will come after you.

Kaming mga Ilokano, kuripot daw. But I believe my aunt when she said “Ang kamote kapag hindi natatalbusan, hindi lumalago.” When you give, you will not only receive so much more; you will also thrive.

***
I also believe that it is when we come to terms with life's many ironies or the dichotomies of our existence, that we gain maturity and wisdom.

Night and day. Yin and yang. The thin line between comedy and tragedy. Turning negatives into positives. Your weaknesses can also be your strengths and opportunities. The sun always shines even after a supertyphoon.

It is also written and I heard Pope Francis himself say it in his homily before Yolanda survivors in Leyte, in the midst of yet another typhoon.

It is when we suffer that we are closest to Jesus Christ. I hope you remember these when you go through bumps in life.

***

Nurture your creativity, think out-of-the-box. Sabi nga ni Steve Jobs, "To the crazy ones!" At diyan magaling ang mga taga-UP, to never accept anything at face value. To challenge the status quo.

Huwag tanggapin na hanggang dito na lang tayo because it could only go downhill from here. Remember my question or my challenge to you a while ago?

Kami noon, alam namin kung sino o ano aming lalabanan. Kayo, alam niyo ba?

Kahirapan? Mga Dayuhan? O ang ating mga sarili, mismo?

Huwag sana tayong masanay sa mga tinatawag nila ngayong “new normal.” At lalung huwag tanggapin na lang as “facts of life” na may mga kababayan tayong nagugutom, natutulog sa lansangan.

Apathy is a crime, especially for UP students and alumni. Kayong mga tinatawag nilang selfie generation, justly or unjustly.

Kung hindi kayo, sino?
Kung hindi ngayon, kelan?

Where the previous generations, including ours have failed, I wish YOU will succeed and realize your full potential.
At a time when walls and old concepts are coming down and your possibilities are becoming limitless.

For your sake and your families as well as for our beloved UP and country, the best of luck to you.

Sabi nga sa pelikulang The Hunger Games,"May the odds always be in your favor" at maidagdag ko lang, May wealth follow.

Sana huwag niyong kalilimutan ang inyong pinagmulan.

Daghang salamat, UP Cebu!!!