To my fellow graduates, our parents, families, friends, our beloved SLIS Dean, Professor Mary Grace P. Golfo-Barcelona, our dear College Secretary, Professor Rhea Rowena U. Apolinario, the SLIS faculty and staff, our dear distinguished guests, our honorable guest speaker, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions President Ms. Christine Mackenzie, and to everyone else watching from home; a pleasant afternoon to all of you.

"Home." What a transformation this word has undergone. I remember how at the start of this year everyone was absolutely obsessed with playing the mobile game "Adorable Home" (not sponsored), an app where you play a stay-at-home husband or wife with the tasks of taking care of your pet cats and preparing your partner's lunch box for work. But now here we all are, probably doing the exact same thing--staying at home all day, probably taking care of a pet, or a family member who needs to go outside of the house to work. If only these actions can also be converted to coins, too, which we can use to buy furniture, or a pet cat or twelve. For sure, most of us stuck at home have been negatively affected by this pandemic in some way, and we are all probably sick and tired of our homes now. This pandemic has brought all of us some form of struggle that we must face. From as simple as mind-numbing isolation and boredom at home, to fighting for your life because of Covid-19. This pandemic has brought each and every one of us a certain form of adversity. With the things happening around us right now, it is so easy to lose hope. These are dark times we are treading, and the light at the end of the tunnel is still not in sight.

A couple of months ago, my very own adversity happened to be trying to graduate in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. And I am sure it was also the case for everyone else who is wearing a sablay right now. To my fellow graduates, I would like to request everyone to give themselves a big round of applause from home. Iniagdon natin ito! We succeeded despite the challenges. Graduating itself is already a hard task. Graduating in the middle of a pandemic is just downright ridiculous. I hope that we give ourselves credit for this difficult feat that we have achieved. And in a world currently full of darkness, I hope this achievement becomes a light that inspires both we and others to keep going and keep thriving and keep fighting and achieving.

And to my fellow graduates, I know that our journey does not end here. In fact, it only has truly just begun. And with the pandemic still looming over us, we, as upcoming library and information professionals, have a new responsibility of being beacons of truth in a time when information is an oh so invaluable resource and at the same time, a dangerous weapon. We must uphold our profession with constant vigilance and a firm stand for the truth. As communities continue to be divided during, and even before this pandemic, we must recognize information's power to unite people. Polarizing opinions and statements can divide a home and cause chaos. A simple scroll through Facebook would tell us (especially now) that this also applies to our homeland, our country. But this can be lessened or, hopefully, disappear completely with truth and understanding. As LIS graduates, we are given the power to help in this cause. And as cliché as it may sound, with great power comes great responsibility. Iaagdon natin ito. We can do it. We have to. For our shared home, the Philippines, and our shared family, the Filipino people. To those who are already currently fighting for and upholding true information, we salute you and we stand with you.

Iagdon: to achieve something despite difficulty. During this time of Covid-19, I am sure that this word could prove to be more of a challenge than it already is. It certainly is for me. But I have realized some things that continue to help me through this, and I would like to share them in the hopes of letting them help you out, too. Firstly, I realized that it is okay not to be okay. Our feelings are valid, no matter what our struggles are during this pandemic when mental health can be very vulnerable. But with this, of course (and I could not stress this enough), comes the recognition of one's own privilege. Secondly, I have learned to not be too hard on myself and to recognize my achievements no matter how little they are. If there is one thing this pandemic has taught me, it was to appreciate and be grateful for the little things. If you failed to do something, it’s okay. The world is already so dreary as it is, and the last thing we need is disappointment from ourselves. Lastly, I have realized the importance of empathy. Indeed, we are all on the same boat in this pandemic. But actually, according to that one viral Facebook artwork, we are on different boats. However, we are on one raging stormy ocean all the same. By understanding that all of us have different battles and coping mechanisms, it is my hope that we can lessen each other's struggles in a way. Quarantines and lockdowns can feel completely isolating, but with empathy I hope we can at least give each other a sense that we are not alone through all this. Sama-sama nating iaagdon ito. We can all get through this with each other’s help. Our homes do not have to be limited to what is under our roof in this time of Covid-19.

I can honestly and proudly say that one of the biggest places I have learned empathy from during my college life was at the UP School of Library and Information Studies. Like many of my batchmates, SLIS welcomed we with open arms when I thought I had nowhere else to go. I admit, I was a bit clueless at first. Of course, there was still so much fear of the unknown. It wasn't until after a few LIS 160 and, most especially, LIS 51 classes that I got to know more about this world that I stepped into with great uncertainty. I could not believe I was actually enjoying what I was studying and making friends at the same time! Before I knew it, I found a home in SLIS. SLIS not only equipped me with the skills needed to become an LIS professional, but it also imparted me with lessons and realizations that have forever changed me. SLIS introduced me to the world of library and information science, a field which I grew to absolutely adore. For the first time in my life, I finally had a field where I did not feel like an outcast; where I felt like I belonged. SLIS made me experience the feeling of loving what you are studying and having fun in the process.

SLIS taught me acceptance and compassion. It made me realize that colleges who actually care for their students still exist; that there are still faculties who are very supportive and kind and considerate and who see students as humans, no matter what their background is, and not just people they have to teach and grade. SLIS made me realize that everyone deserves a second chance, provided that they honor that chance given to them and not waste it. SLIS made me realize good things too many to mention in one speech, but I know that whatever they all are, my batchmates have also been touched by SLIS the same way. Apart from these, SLIS also gave me one major thing that I terribly miss during this time of pandemic: my friends that I will treasure for a lifetime. SLIS truly became a true home for me during my undergraduate life. To be abruptly taken away from your home is a very unpleasant experience, and that is exactly how I felt when this pandemic cut my final semester with SLIS short. I terribly miss my classes, my classmates and friends, my professors, the environment, and even the cats. There wasn’t a chance for proper goodbyes, but I know SLIS--my second home--will always be there and I will treasure the memories and learnings forever and I will be eternally grateful. Mabuhay ang SLIS!

Of course, I would not be standing here in front of you--or I guess sitting here in front of the camera—if it weren’t for the exceptional people that have helped me along the way. Thank you to SLIS, to my professors: Sir Dan, Ma'am Yhna, Sir Mark, Ma'am Sonia, Ma'am Rhea, Ma'am Rochelle, Sir Janny, Sir Isip, Sir PJ, former Dean Kate, and most especially to my thesis adviser, Mr. Elijah John F. Dar Juan. Thank you for your unparalleled support for my thesis despite the pandemic, and for making me fall in love with LIS during our LIS 51 classes. I will forever consider myself lucky to have been your student and advisee. And to Ate Oda and everyone else that comprises the SLIS faculty and staff, maraming salamat po!

Thank you to UP. When I got into UP all I wanted was to graduate, and oh did it take a while. But now that I am finally here, I can honestly say that am going to miss UP terribly. It took a long time but towards the end, I found a home in UP.  Thank you, UP, for molding me into what I am today.

Thank you to my UP FLIPP family for being my home away from home and thank you to the friends I have made throughout this journey. I will treasure the memories forever and look forward to making new ones. Special mention to Hennessy, Nissi, and Rorah; the "Powerpuff Girls," although one of them is really more of a Mojo Jojo than a Powerpuff Girl, but I won’t tell you who.

Thank you to my original home; my family, for always being there to support me. To my mother, Judith, and my father, Arnold, both frontliners; not health care workers but frontliners all the same. I love you so much. This is all for you. To my Tita Mariz and Tito Tony, who have been there to help us during trying times ever since I can remember, my eternal gratitude. To my Lola Pancing, thank you so much for all your support to me and my family. And lastly to God, who gave me strength to do all this.

Thank you also to my dogs, Lovely and Chewy, for keeping me company at home during these times of isolation due to the pandemic, and for just being your cute selves. I am so happy to be stuck at home with you.

And lastly, while we are on the topic of gratitude, I would like to express my immense and utmost gratitude to all the frontliners who are currently battling this war with Covid-19 for all of us. No amount of honor and sacrifice can compare to what you are doing for this country and this world and for that, on behalf of my fellow graduates, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we salute you. Thank you for leaving your homes to keep ours safe. You deserve so much more.

Sama-sama nating iaagdon ito. We will get through this together. We may be stuck at home and socially distant from each other, but I know that we have made multiple other homes; homes that transcend the confines of our houses’ four walls, and homes with families that we have made that will help us get through this pandemic. And with that, from my home to yours, congratulations to my fellow graduates, the SLIS Graduating Class of 2020! Padayon! Mabuhay ang Iskolar ng Bayan, para sa bayan! A pleasant afternoon to all of you!

You can watch the 2020 SLIS Recognition Rites livestream recording here: