00:00My fellow workers in government, our partners from the private sector, ladies
00:06and gentlemen, good afternoon. Well, before anything else, allow me to
00:14congratulate the 661 graduates who hold senior and middle management positions
00:21in various organizations. Every time that we cross or go past a new landmark
00:35in our lives, it is a great success and it is a great testament
00:43to the work that you put in because you will not have arrived to this day had
00:48you not been dedicated to the work that you have taken on to yourselves, and that
00:54is learning how to be better, how to be more effective, how to be more
00:59compassionate in public service. So here at the first Academy-wide graduation
01:05ceremony of the Development Academy of the Philippines, it brings me great pride
01:09to know that I am leading our nation alongside competent and highly skilled
01:15individuals. So as you include another academic and professional achievement in
01:20your list of accolades, be reminded of the great responsibility you hold to use
01:26the knowledge you have gained in the Academy to uplift good government and
01:31promote the welfare of every single Filipino. As graduates of the prestigious
01:37DAP, you are called upon now to consider how you can contribute to the noble yet
01:43formidable pursuit of public service. Public service is a different undertaking
01:51than any other sector of society. I refer to public service as a calling. It is
01:59something that is inherent in our natures. Many people do not
02:05feel the need to serve the public. We do, and we dedicate our lives to public
02:12service because it is the one thing that we have found, the thing that
02:19to be able to help people outside yourself, outside of your family, is what
02:26brings the most meaning to our lives, and that is why we enter into the sphere of
02:32public service. Many people have said, and I'm sure you have heard it yourselves,
02:38that public service is a thankless job, and I can also understand why people
02:44might say that, because the rewards that we gain are not rewards of treasure, of
02:49fame, of high position, of high influence. No, our rewards are more subtle, more
02:59nuanced. Our rewards are the satisfaction we gain that the work that we do, that
03:06the work, that the compassion that we bring is helping other people, and when
03:14we see that somehow we get frustrated and we say that, well, we are trying very
03:21hard, but the system is difficult. The system is not conducive to all the
03:27things that we would like to do. My advice to you is be patient. The time
03:32will come when you will see that you continue to go at the problem, and
03:39sometimes it feels like you're banging your head against a brick wall. Well, keep
03:44banging, because one day you will see the effects that banging your head against
03:50the wall and continuing the work that you have committed your life to, you will
03:57see that the effects and the results of your hard work, and to the benefit of
04:06other people, you will have changed lives. You will have made lives better for
04:14ordinary people, people you do not even know, and they say we are generous and we
04:22are giving, but on the other hand, I must say that there is a selfish aspect to it.
04:30We do it because we want to feel that satisfaction. We want to feel that joy of
04:38having helped, of having made a difference, of having brought maybe just
04:43one person to a better place, but in helping that one person, that one person
04:50is part of this society, and the better position that you have put them in will
04:57contribute to the progress of the entire society. That is how important is the
05:03work that you do. And so we are dedicated, we are passionate, and we are committed
05:10to the work that we do, but passion and commitment, no matter how great, can only
05:18take us so far, and that is why we must learn the skills to be better, more
05:25efficient, more proactive, more innovative, and we have to learn new skills because
05:32the world continuously changes, and that is why it is important what you have done,
05:37to go through these courses on the Development Academy of the Philippines,
05:42to learn the skills that are necessary, to be able to use the tools that are
05:48available to you to their best effect, and that is the achievement that we
05:53commemorate today. Without a doubt, our nation is in need of leaders who are
05:58committed to the greater good, leaders who embody the highest ideal of a
06:04disciplined Bagong Pilipinas, always opting to choose a difficult right over a
06:10convenient or easy wrong. We are working to ensure that the government budget and
06:16spending shall help improve the lives of our people and propel our nation to
06:21greater heights. Armed with new learnings and the values inculcated by this
06:26institution, I ask that when you fully resume your work, you will be the stewards
06:32of transparency and good governance. I trust you to ensure that every centavo
06:37appropriated to your offices be spent judiciously and wisely for projects that
06:42sustainably benefit the Filipino people, not only of this present generation, but
06:49all those who are to come. The Filipinos deserve no less than our utmost
06:53diligence, accountability, and our integrity. So I ask that every time you
06:59come to work, ensure that your efforts are geared towards uplifting the lives
07:03of our fellow Filipinos. Start by helping the government improve the delivery of
07:08services to our citizens. Amongst the many strategic initiatives and
07:13innovations that we should improve are promoting the ease in public
07:17transactions, for example, reducing red tape, eliminating unnecessary bureaucratic
07:22processes. So as you move forward, never lose sight of your core. Remember why you
07:29joined the public service and why you even pursued additional and rigorous
07:33competitive programs in this academy. May you carry your newly acquired knowledge
07:39and skills while embodying the academy's core values of dangal, galing, at tatag, as
07:45we collectively realize our aspirations for a bagong Pilipinas. Once again,
07:53congratulations to all our graduates. Mabuhay kayo, mabuhay ang DAP, mabuhay ang
07:59bagong Pilipinas. Maraming salamat sa inuli.
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