Remarks At Youth Leadership Summit

Remarks of MGEN ROMEO D LUSTESTICA Commander, 1ID YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT, CLOSING CEREMONY Philippine Science High School, Balo-i, LDN 14 November 2009

AMENITIES… FIRST OF ALL I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THE PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL CENTRAL MINDANAO FOR HAVING THIS KIND OF ACTIVITY FOR YOUR STUDENTS. I BELIEVE THAT WE ALL HAVE TO TAKE THE STAND AND GIVE OUR SHARE IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE TO GIVE MINDANAO A CHANCE FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT. LET ME STRESS TO YOU, THE BRIGHTEST MIND OF YOUR GENERATION, THAT YOUR MILITARY SHARES YOUR ASPIRATION FOR A BETTER LIFE FOR OUR COUNTRYMEN. ONE OF THE GREAT STEP TOWARDS THIS END IS GIVING OUR YOUTH THE PROPER

FORUM

OR

VENUE

WHERE

THEY

CAN

SEE

THEMSELVES AS INDIVIDUALS WHO BELONG TO A SOCIETY WHICH NO MATTER HOW YOUNG YOU ARE, YOUR VIEWS AND OPINION COUNTS. AS TO WHAT WILL BECOME AND WHERE THIS COUNTRY WILL BE IN THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS OR SO---

LIES

ON HOW WE HAVE EDUCATED AND PREPARED OUR YOUTH OF TODAY.

SEEING YOU, YOUNG PEOPLE OF PISAY INDEED THE

WORDS OF OUR HERO JOSE RIZAL HOLDS TRUE “ANG KABATAAN ANG PAG-ASA NG BAYAN”.

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THE YOUTH OF MINDANAO IS ALWAYS UP TO FACE THE CHALLENGE OF THE DIVERSE ENVIRONMENT OF THIS REGION IN TERMS OF BELIEF, ETHNICITY AND ORIGIN THUS SYNERGIZING THESE ELEMENTS IS A TASK WAITING TO BE TOILED BY OUR FUTURE LEADERS – YOU-- YOU ARE THE FUTURE LEADERS. THE CHALLENGE POSE BEFORE YOU NOW MUST NOT BE SEEN AS BURDEN LAID UPON YOUR SHOULDERS BUT AS A ROLE THAT YOU NEED TO PARTAKE AS FILIPINOS. THE CHALLENGE YOU ARE ABOUT TO FACE IS ENORMOUS BUT I SEE THE VIGOR IN THE HEART OF EVERY FILIPINO YOUTH TO TAKE THE STAND AND BE COUNTED.

THE TASK OF BRINGING CHANGE IN

PHILIPPINE SOCIETY IS EVEN GREATER. THE CONFLICT AND PRESSING ISSUES OF PHILIPPINE SOCIETY WERE THERE ALREADY EVEN BEFORE YOU WERE BORN, EVEN BEFORE I BECAME A LIEUTENANT. DESPITE THIS UGLY TRUTH WE HAVE STOOD AS A NATION, WE HAVE LIVED AS PROUD FILIPINOS AND TOGETHER WE HAVE SLOWLY WORKED OUR WAY TOWARDS THE VISION OF A PEACEFUL AND DEVELOPED PHILIPPINES. WITH THE GENIUS OF THE PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, WHO SAYS WE CANNOT MAKE IT? BUT THE FOUR CORNERS OF YOUR CLASSROOMS IS NOT THE ONLY WORLD THAT YOU NEED TO FACE. THAT IS WHY YOUR ARMED FORCES, REPRESENTED IN THIS PART OF THE REGION BY THE 1ST INFANTRY (TABAK) DIVISION UNDER MY COMMAND AND MORE PARTICULARLY BY THE 104TH (SULTAN) BRIGADE LED BY 2

COL BENNY DE LEON, THE NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION AND LOCAL

GOVERNMENT

AGENCIES

COLLABORATED

IN

THIS

PROGRAM “YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT”. THE LECTURES GIVEN TO YOU BY NO LESS THAN DISTINGUISHED GOVERNMENT PERSONALITIES TOUCHED ON IMPORTANT ISSUES SPECIFICALLY GEARED TO IDENTIFY YOUR INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTAL EFFORTS

OF

LOCAL

STAKEHOLDERS

IN

GOVERNMENT YOUR

UNITS

RESPECTIVE

AND

OTHER

LOCALITIES.

SPECIFICALLY, OUR OBJECTIVE HERE IS FOR YOU TO REALIZE YOUR ROLE IN ADVOCATING PEACE, PARTICIPATE IN THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS CONCERNING THE YOUTH SECTOR AND THEIR COMMUNITIES. FROM TIME TO TIME, YOUR “ATES AND KUYAS” INFUSED TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES TO EMPHASIZE TEAM SPIRIT AND CAMARADERIE. OUR SOLE OBJECTIVE HERE IS TO DEVELOP TEAMWORK,

TOIL

AND

SPEAK

AS

ONE

IN

ADDRESSING

PRESSING ISSUES AND CONCERNS INVOLVING THE YOUTH SECTOR. AS WE CULMINATE THIS ACTIVITY, I HOPE THAT EACH ONE OF YOU WILL WHOLEHEARTEDLY INTERNALIZE THE MOST PRECIOUS VIRTUE THAT THIS SUMMIT HAS IMPARTED ON YOU – LEADERSHIP. AND JUST LIKE THE MILITARY ORGANIZATION, WE ALWAYS EMPHASIZE LEADING BY EXAMPLE. LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE MEANS WE AS LEADERS MUST DO THE RIGHT THING. WE MUST WALK THE TALK SO TO SPEAK. WE MUST NOT ONLY SHOW THE WAY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY LEAD THE WAY. AS 3

LEADERS, WE MUST SEE OUR POSITION NOT AS A BADGE OF ENTITLEMENT THAT GIVES US THE LICENSE TO DO WHAT WE WANT. INSTEAD, WE MUST SEE THE POSITION ENTRUSTED TO US AS A CHALLENGE TO PERFORM ACCORDING TO THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE VERY PEOPLE WE LEAD. INVARIABLY,

LEADERSHIP

IS

A

MORAL

CALLING.

IT

REQUIRES IN ALL OF US THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF DECENCY, ETIQUETTE, FAIRNESS AND MORALITY. IT IS NOT ENOUGH THAT WE REJECT WHAT IS WRONG; WE MUST ALSO SEEK WAYS TO RECTIFY WHAT IS WRONG WITHIN THE ACCEPTABLE PARAMETER. WITH THAT, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO RECTIFY WHATEVER WRONGDOINGS YOU HAD IN THE PAST, AND WORK FOR THE BETTERMENT OF YOUR PERSONALITY AS YOU GROW THROUGH THE YEARS TO COME. AND FINALLY, TO THE FUTURE LEADERS OF OUR NATION, WE YOUR “TATAY, NANAY, ATES AND KUYAS” WILL REMAIN TO BE YOUR PARTNERS FOR GROWTH. EVERY SOLDIER WILL REMAIN A FRIEND AND MENTOR THAT ALL OF YOU CAN RELY ON FOR ASSISTANCE. THE TABAK DIVISION AND SULTAN BRIGADE AFFIRMS

THE

IMPORTANT

WHOLEHEARTEDLY

TAKE

ROLE

YOU

AS

OF

THE

OUR

YOUTH.

INSPIRATION,

WE IN

PERFORMING OUR DUTIES WITH A RENEWED SENSE OF URGENCY, TO CARRY OUT OUR MISSION TO SAFEGUARD OUR PEOPLE AGAINST THOSE WHO WISH TO DESTROY OUR DEMOCRATIC WAY OF LIFE. BUT

WE

CONTINUING

CANNOT

DO

SUPPORT

OF

THIS ALONE. THE

WE NEED

COMMUNITY

AND

THE THE 4

PARTNERSHIP OF THE PEOPLE ESPECIALLY THE YOUNG GENERATION. WE NEED YOUR INSPIRING SUPPORT IN BRINGING PEACE

IN

THIS

PART

OF

MINDANAO.

WE

NEED

YOUR

ASSISTANCE IN SPURRING GROWTH IN OUR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES. WE SHOULD WORK AS A TEAM, AS A FAMILY. WE MUST SHARE THE SAME VISION OF HAVING A UNITED COUNTRY WORKING TOGETHER TO BRING THE BENEFITS OF ECONOMIC PROGRESS DOWN TO OUR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES. I AM SURE THAT AFTER YOUR MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES HERE, ALL OF YOU ARE ONE WITH US AT TEAM TABAK IN PUSHING

FORWARD

1ST

INFANTRY

DIVISION-COMMUNITY

PARTNERSHIP TOWARDS A PEACEFUL AND PROGRESSIVE MINDANAO. YOU BELONG TO A GENERATION THAT RESORTS TO NONVIOLENCE AND ADVOCATE PEACEFUL MEANS TO RESOLVE CONFLICT. REFUSE TO BE PASSIVE AND DO NOT MISS THE HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THE CONFLICTS TO AN END. WHAT BETTER STAND THAN PEACE! WHAT BETTER TIME THAN NOW! SA MGA PAG-ASA NG BAYAN, SALUDO AKO SA INYO! MARAMING SALAMAT AT MABUHAY KAYO!

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