Pasig City Mayor Victor Ma. Regis “Vico” Nubia Sotto delivered his speech as the commencement speaker for the Ateneo de Manila University’s graduating class of 2021 last Sunday, October 23.
Sotto, an Ateneo alumni himself, began his message saying that being back in Ateneo had brought him flashbacks to 10 years ago when his batch graduated in 2011, even recounting his choice to bring a puzzle book in case he gets bored during the long ceremony. He graduated Ateneo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and finished his Master’s in Public Management at the Ateneo School of Government in 2018.
During the young mayor’s speech, he stated, “Sigurado ako na hinding-hindi niyo makakalimutan na sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon sa kasaysayan ng ating pamantasan, ang inyong commencement speaker akala nyo ay pormal na naka-barong, pero ‘yun pala nakasuot lamang ng shorts. Kidding aside, if I am indeed kidding,” playfully joking about the typical virtual formality outfits.
Throughout his speech, Mayor Vico Sotto left strong messages to the graduates, addressing their future role in society and the challenges that they might encounter.
“Every graduating batch feels that feeling of uncertainty,” Sotto said, adding that the current batch that is graduating in the middle of a global pandemic would have more uncertainties compared to that of his own batch that has graduated back in 2011. He stated that even for those who already have everything in their lives planned out, the future still remains to be uncertain.
The Mayor of Pasig emphasized that the pandemic had exposed a lot of good as well as the bad in people, “We’ve seen how politics has caused deep-seated division amongst us,” he mentioned, adding how such issues prevented a better response in times of crisis. According to Sotto, the needs of the people are perfectly clear, and that graduates and the new generation should stand as the catalysts for change that the country needs.
Given that the graduates will be soon to exposed to different fields, Sotto challenged the youngsters to ask themselves, “Kung magiging lider nga ako, magiging klaseng anong lider kaya ako?” adding that it is easy to point out the wrong and blame other people, but what’s hard is to assess and admit to oneself, “kasama ka rin sa problema.”
Despite the circumstances the world is facing, Sotto emphasized his hopes that the new generation has the unique opportunity that no generation in history had, “And this is why my hope remains high—no generation in history has had the tools to succeed and affect change that you have at your disposal today. Your generation has the potential to make changes faster than any generation has done before.”
The Pasig Mayor reminded and encouraged the graduates to speak up according to what they believe in, stating that there’s time for everyone to speak up and when to stay silent, “a time to fight will never come before a time to listen,” he stated, prompting to talk to other people with different perspectives and reach outside the echo chamber.
Sotto acknowledged that the vast majority of this generation comes with the naturality of being bold, telling the graduates to “Dream audaciously and act courageously,” but also reminded to never forget the value of respect.
As he concluded his message, he emphasized his hope that the graduates before him would not consider the challenges that he had mentioned as a burden, instead, as “a unique opportunity that you cannot pass up.”