Chief Justice urges graduates to be of service to the nation
Chief Justice Reynato Puno on Sunday called on graduates to live and work for great ideals and to serve the country as they enter a new phase in their young lives.
Speaking before more than 1,000 graduates and their parents during the 80th commencement exercises of the Central Philippine University here, Puno challenged the graduates to help "look for a formula that will push up some without pulling down the many."
Quoting Simon, a character in Jose Rizal's novel "El Filibusterismo", Puno asked the graduates: "What do you for the country that gave you birth? What do you do for the country that gave you life? What do you do for the country that furnished you with knowledge?"
The quotes are part of Simon's dialogue with another character of the novel, Basilio, when the latter talked about his plans to become a doctor.
Again, quoting Simon, Puno said: "Perhaps, you will be a great physician. But greater is still is the man who will imbue new life in an anemic people. Don't you know that a life not dedicated to a great ideal is useless?"
Puno made the speech after the Baptist-run university, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the country, conferred to him an honorary doctoral degree, his seventh.
In conferring the degree, Dr. Alfonso Uy, chair of the CPU board of trustees, lauded Puno as an "embodiment of a true man of justice."
Uy said Puno has shown "dynamic leadership in all his endeavors." He also cited his leading role in initiating an unprecedented summit on political killings last year and instituting the petition for a writ of amparo amid the numerous cases of political killings and abductions.
In his speech, Puno called on the graduates to look back and learn the lessons from the past in order to courageously face the future.
"We need an eye that can penetrate the fog that envelopes the future. We may not possess the all-seeing eye. But we have a 20/20 vision of the past. And beyond debate, the past is the gateway to the present."
He said the previous century had brought unprecedented development especially in the fields of communication and transportation.
But the 20th century also brought "unprecedented barbarism with which wars were fought for the predominance of ideology and the victory of culture" and resulted to the deaths of around 187 million people.
Puno told the graduates that "there is no turning back on globalization" as he urged them to be involved into "this continuing debate about plus and minuses" of globalization.
"We need the uncontaminated view of young, idealistic graduates like you."
He said the challenge to everyone, especially the graduates, is how to balance contending forces in globalization.
Puno said "there is a need to let go with creative market forces, to let go with the advances of science and technology to fast forward the growth of mankind."
But he said there is also an equal need to soften the impact of globalization on countries that are unprepared to compete economically on equal footing.
There is a need to "to extend safety nets to people who will be pauperized..., prevent death of weak industries" and the "erosion of moral and technical values from materialism," according to Puno.
Closing his speech with a quote from Simon, Puno said: "Remember, always remember, that the greatness of a man does not consists in going far ahead of his generation. But his greatness consists in knowing each aspiration, meeting each necessity and guiding it to move forward."