00:01Hi everyone! Thank you so much the 2025 Icons of Change International Awards for this incredible
00:08honor. It is deeply humbling to be named the changemaker among so many inspiring individuals.
00:16Before anything else though, let me ask all of you two simple questions. The first,
00:23if the earth could file a complaint against us, do you think we'd win that case? And the
00:29second would be, if the planet were a patient, would our environmental policies right now be
00:36considered treatment or neglect? First of all, my name is Sharm Zespina. As a media professional
00:43and lifelong advocate for the planet and animals, I wear many hats. And through my work in public
00:53broadcasting, as a senior broadcaster with a Philippine state-run network or PTV4, people's
00:59television, I am entrusted with helping shape our national discourse, not only on governance
01:06and public affairs, but also on sustainability and our shared and urgent responsibility to
01:11protect earth. Media shapes what people understand, what they care about, and ultimately what we
01:19demand from our leaders. That's why responsible journalism is essential to nation building.
01:26As an environmental planner, I help shape the spaces where people and nature meet, ensuring
01:33that progress does not come at the cost of the living world around us. I'm also an animal rights
01:40advocate and on weekends and sometimes at 2 a.m. an animal rescuer. I've pulled dogs out of floodwaters,
01:49turtles out of plastic, and once a very angry cat out of my car engine, just to name a few
01:55interesting instances. This year's United Nations theme, the International Year of Peace and Trust
02:02resonates deeply with me because peace isn't only the absence of conflict between humans, it's peace
02:09for every living being in our forests, in our oceans, in our skies, and trust. Trust is what people
02:18place in us when we work in media and public service. In my work, I remain fully committed
02:23to the sustainable development goals, especially those that intersect with my advocacies. SDG 13,
02:29climate action, SDG 15, life on land, 14, life below water, and 12, responsible consumption and production.
02:39Being recognized here as a change maker feels like a recognition not just of personal efforts,
02:46but of the many small, often unseen actions carried out by other people, media workers, rescuers,
02:54policy makers, volunteers, and ordinary people who simply care. Together, we are building bridges
03:02between humans and animals, between development and conservation, and between hope and action.
03:07I stand here not for myself, but for those who choose compassion over convenience. After all,
03:15change does not always arrive in grand speeches or global summits. Sometimes it arrives in small,
03:23simple acts, a rescue, a policy draft, a decision changed, or perhaps a story broadcast at just the
03:32right moment. To the organizers of the 2025 Icons of Change Awards, thank you for giving a platform to
03:39those who believe that healing the planet is not impossible, it's actually non-negotiable. And to my
03:46fellow awardees, you give me so much hope. And to all of you here, I leave you with this thought.
03:53History will judge our generation not by the wars we ended, but by the world we left behind. So I ask you
04:02all tonight, what legacy are you building? From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for this great honor.
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