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3rd Future Leaders Business SummitAugust 1-2, 2008Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit PrimerThe 3rd Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit aims to bring together the top 85 Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao-based college students in the following fields: Business Management, Accounting, Communications, Political Science, Computer Science / IT, Marketing / Finance, Engineering, Psychology and Economics.Summit ObjectivesThe summit aspires to inspire young promising students who excel in their scholastic field to develop renewed faith and hope in the country’s economy by encouraging them to establish their careers locally rather than abroad. The summit endeavors to tell the students that ‘the grass is just as green on the local side’.The summit aims to achieve this by: Providing students with a close preview of the corporate scenario. “What’s it like inside that big office building?” Giving students a preview of possible career choices. “What does HR, Accounting, Sales, QC, IT, R&D, Distribution, etc. really do?” Simulating real work and business scenarios through various activities & forums ranging from planning, design, execution and evaluation Exposure to CEOs and other key people in the organization to prepare students through small group discussions, plenary speakers and similar activitiesProgram Concept Shaping World Class Leaders as our theme, is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and motivation to be the best that they can be in their chosen field, become aware of their unique talents and skills and believe in their potential to be at par with the world’s best. Each CEO speaks about a business function, the jobs that make up that function and its relevance to the business; the forum also tackles management & leadership, business strategies; open forum to follow per speaker Culminates to case studies and student presentations13rd Future Leaders Business SummitAugust 1-2, 2008Student Qualifications Filipino citizen, 25 years old or younger by August 2008 Bonafide student of the school Undergraduate pursuing a bachelor’s degree for the 1st time (incoming 3rd or 4th year students by August 2008) Ranked in the top 20 of their college or department Model of integrity, discipline and excellence Recognized, active and effective student leader on campus Active leader or officer of any student organization – student government, academic, cause-oriented, socio-civic or religious in nature Possesses excellent communication skills No disciplinary case in or outside campus Former AFLBS delegates will no longer qualify but may volunteer to be part of our working committeeApplication Process For students to qualify, they must fill out the attached forms. These forms must be submitted to their designated school official. Along with the forms, transcript of grades (TOR) must also be attached. From the student applications, the designated school official will choose the top 20 3rd and 4th year students to be submitted by Friday, April 25, 2008 to:3rd Aboitiz Future Leaders Business SummitCorporate HRABOITIZ & COMPANY, INC.Aboitiz Corporate CenterGov. Manuel A. Cuenco Avenue, Banilad6000 Cebu City23rd Future Leaders Business SummitAugust 1-2, 2008 Cebu candidates will be invited to the Aboitiz Corporate Center in Banilad, Cebu City for an interview with Corporate HR. Non-Cebu candidates will be interviewed in their respective schools. Interview schedules will be announced. The top 85 students will be selected and invited to join the 3rd Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit on August 1 and 2, 2008 at the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City. They will be officially informed through their designated school officials. For non-Cebu delegates, Aboitiz will take care of the fare, meals and hotel accommodations during the Summit.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
2nd ABOITIZ FUTURE LEADERS BUSINESS SUMMIT- UC DELEGATES
12 UC students join 2nd Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit posted July, 2007 by ucwatch
After the success of the First Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit (AFLBS) last year, outstanding UC students attended the second convention held on August 10 and 11, 2007. This year, 12 UC undergraduates from different colleges were named to participate in the event.
After the success of the First Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit (AFLBS) last year, outstanding UC students attended the second convention held on August 10 and 11, 2007. This year, 12 UC undergraduates from different colleges were named to participate in the event.
College of Commerce - Paul John B. Gesta (Banilad)
College of Education - Jay Cavales and Tiffany Abellana (Main) and Sheila Peligrino (Banilad Campus)
College of Liberal Arts - Angen May Fabro, Redford Oliveros and Virgil Vallecera (Main)
College of Information Technology - Charlene Cani, Clyde Deligero and Melvia Orofeo
College of Nursing - Teffanie Llamada and John Paul Putong (Banilad)
College of Liberal Arts - Angen May Fabro, Redford Oliveros and Virgil Vallecera (Main)
College of Information Technology - Charlene Cani, Clyde Deligero and Melvia Orofeo
College of Nursing - Teffanie Llamada and John Paul Putong (Banilad)
Last year’s participant Sheila Benedicto, a recent AB English graduate recalled that the experience gave her a realistic idea about the business world as she and the student participants were given direct access to talk with the CEOs.
The summit’s significance even went beyond the two-day convention. Last year’s delegates are still invited by the Aboitiz Group in their activities, especially the socio-civic ones. Information is disseminated through an online blog which serves as their electronic bulletin, moderated by an Aboitiz Group staff. It is also through this medium that the former participants are kept abreast of recent job openings in the Aboitiz Group of Companies.The first AFLBS was held on August 18 and 19, 2006 at the Waterfront Hotel, Lahug where 13 UC undergraduates were in attendance. The caucus was highlighted by the “Your Turn To Ask a CEO” where the CEO of a particular company in the Aboitiz Group interacted with the participants.
The participation of UC students in events like AFLBS underscor s the school’s passion to develop its students in establishing productive contacts with different industries.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
2008 BAYER YOUNG ENVIRONMENTAL ENVOY REGIONAL FINALS FOR VISAYAS AND MINDANAO
"It was not the typical convergence of students...it was cause-oriented!"
May 24, 2008 is one of the most memorable dates in my calendar. Nine students from the best universities in Visayas and Mindanao came to the Queen City of the South for the regional finals of this year's most-coveted search for Bayer Young Environmental Envoy.
Held in Marriot Hotel, the regional finals was something I definitely treasure for a lifetime. Not only I was able to meet students who have exceptional passions for the environment, I was also able to meet the well-respected panelists like Maam Odeth, Maam Dorothy and Sir Rey.
Prior to the interview proper, the very kind Sir Cedie and the very humble Sir Edge called the successful applicants who got a slot for Regional Finals. While it was smooth "congrats, you got a slot!" experience for some, mine was nerve-racking and truly rocky!
I could still remember the night when Sir Cedie phoned in the regional finalists one by one. Sadly, that same night, my phone was dysfunctional. So, the entire night when Sir Cedie was calling the finalists individually, Bayer couldn't call me of course. I was nervous the entire night but I got no choice since i don't have cellphone to insert my sim in.
The following day, it was past 8:00 a.m. when I woke up anxiously with what the results were which i believe Bayer released the preceding night. Apprehensive, i texted Sir Cedie, "May results na po ba sa BYEE?" and i couldn't help but tremble. Seconds after, he responded, "yes, we already have and we already called successful applicants last night." And i became blank. He continued, "...what school do you belong?" And i hesitantly gave my name, "I am Paul sir of UC." My heart's beat became more fast and while writing this entry, I can still remember what I exactly feel that morning. It was almost five minutes, still no reply. What I was thinking then was that probably I did not get a slot...it's that simple. Then, a beep resounded my room. As I read the message slowly, "Im sorry, NOBODY from University of Cebu got a slot for this year..." and I was stunned like a typical loser would initially react. But few seconds after reading it, there's something in me that's not at ease and so i replied,
"Sir Cedie, nakarating po ba jan 'yong BLACK SHAMA entry ko?"
Hopeless of course, I diverted myself reading and checking the mails I had in my yahoo mail. Until,
"kringg, kringggg, krringggggg, kringggggggggg, kringgggggggggggggggg..." and the rings went on and grew stronger even.
When I checked it, it was Sir Cedie!
What I had in mind was that probably, he'll just confirm that "nobody from UC" got a slot and that he'll simply say thru protocol, "thank you very much for joining this year!" Nothing more, nothing less but that.
Expecting it was merely a miss call, but it was not, I answered it and then Sir Cedie remarked,
"Paul John right? of University of Cebu?" and I simply nodded and said "yes!"
"I am so sorry..." and I retorted, "Sir, it's ok, I mean, eventhough I won't be getting a slot this year, I would still be implementing my project though, no matter what!"
And Sir Cedie said, "well, that's a good sign but..."
I got blanked... as in blanked.
"...but CONGRATULATIONS 'COZ YOU GET A SLOT!!!"
"Are you serious Sir?" that's what I told him.
When he said "yes, you get a slot," I was just shouting over the phone....
"OH MY GODDD...OH MY GODDDDD...OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD..."
Overwhelmed, I asked apologies to Sir Cedie who by that time laughed and then, he told me of the details.
And that's the story I bore with me in Marriot Hotel aside from the very heavy loads of inspiration and motivation given to me by Sir Mars, by Sir Collin, by Sir Biore, by Rogie, by Michael, by Jun, by May, and by all the people in the Student Affairs Office who all witnessed my struggles during the crafting stage of my proposal.
What's more humbling to me was the time when Sir Edge called me up and told me that,
"YOU ARE THE ONLY FINALIST FROM CEBU THIS YEAR!"
That would have made my head a little bigger, but, fortunately, it humbled me and even made me realize how God has been so good, really good to me.
But of course, since I am the only one from Cebu, the pressure is definitely on that's why I harnessed myself with the proper and the in-depth knowledge about my proposal.
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And then, I entered the room being the FIRST ONE to be interviewed since I came from Cebu. As I walked nearer and nearer to the room assisted by Sir Cedie and Michael, I had a flicker of nerves moving...and then I met THEM...THE FOUR OF THEM....
And I smiled to them and had a nice eye contact...and then, the first question rolled in.
WHAT ABOUT THE INTERVIEW?
WHAT ABOUT THE QUESTIONS of the FOUR?
WHAT ABOUT THE QUESTIONS of the FOUR?
WHAT ABOUT THE COMMENTS?
Well, please leave it to me as part of my CONFIDENTIALITY RIGHT...I want that next year's finalists won't have the idea what the Interview Questions would be like...so that they'll have thesame trembles like mine...lol!
To sum it up, I roughly had ONE HOUR that is 60-MINUTE INTERVIEW with the FOUR.
I left the room assessing how I did in the interview until the remaining finalists' glaring eyes caught me.
And then, I smiled and smiled and smiled.
And I sitted and sitted and sitted and sitted.
Until there was lunch with the finalists and the judges.
Lucky enough, I was seated in the same table with Ms. Dorothy, Ms. Odeth! and had a very very very informative discussion with them with the other four finalists.
And then, the group was divided...Michael and I went to Ayala and then to Larsian's Barbecue Haus to celebrate the culmination of the interview.
I am writing this blog now... and I believe the result will be out this day or this week...that I do not know. Whenever that is, I am determined to start the implementation of my project proposal today, June 1, 2008.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------My project proposal is entitled Black Shama Conservation and Promotion Project in Casili, Consolacion. Black Shama is an endemic bird of Cebu, Philippines but is currently declared by International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as Endangered (EN). This bird lives territorially in bamboos and in the pursuit to stop its near extinction due to the absence of its habitat, that's how my project proposal had a strong basis. The Earth is experiencing global warming brought about by excessive Carbon Dioxide gases in the atmosphere. Bamboos sequester Carbon Dioxide gases by 12% therefore, the bamboo planting together with several sub-components which I will be conducting from June-September (1st Week) will both provide home for Black Shama and mitigates Global Warming.
Here are some of the citations and awards received by the project proposal:
1. Funded project of Rotary Club of Cebu Mabolo
2. Funded project of Rotaract Club of Cebu Mabolo-Canduman Community-Based
3. Finalist, Best Project Proposal Team of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
4. Finalist, Most Innovative Project Proposal of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
5. Presented Project, Rotary Youth Leadership Institute
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The Project:
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Title: Black Shama Conservation and Promotion Project in Casili, Consolacion
Start of Implementation: June 1, 2008-September 7, 2008
Name of Proponent: Paul John B. Gesta
Funding: Rotary Club of Cebu Mabolo and Rotaract Club of Cebu Mabolo-Canduman Community-Based
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Thursday, May 29, 2008
Throwing Starfishes Back: Shaping the City of My Dreams
An old man saw a young man throwing one starfish at a time stranded after the tide back to the limpid waters of the sea in one sunny morning. After minutes of watching the futility and the idleness of his act, he went near to the man and condemned with sarcastic lines, “you must be crazy! Thousands of starfishes are trapped in the waterless sand. How can you expect to throw them all back into the waters?” The man in his youth simply replied, “I don’t expect either, but if you’ll help me out, surely can!”
The youth of today are totally not apathetic. We are dynamic, passionate, enthusiastic, and above all, aware. If there are people who are more concerned with the ill consequences of today’s alleged breakthroughs of human existence such as technology, innovation, and globalization, it is the socially involved youth. The theme for this year’s essay writing contest came to me as a surprise when I received an invitation directly emailed by World Bank. I almost forgot why they have my email address and later on realized that I submitted an entry last year. Particularly, my participation in this competition is not all about recognition but it is all about the money. I will be using the cash prize to supplement the budget needed by my project proposal dubbed as “The Black Shama (Copsychus cebuensis) Conservation and Promotion Project in Casili, Consolacion, Cebu, Philippines,” which is a Finalist of the Best Project Proposal of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI); and having learned that “Shaping the city of your Dreams” is this year’s theme, prompted me to grasp this opportunity and with the highest hope that I can get the money to fund my project proposal for the environment. A common cliché, “Think Global, Act Local,” brought me a very recent realization that this oft-quoted words do not merely apply to Entrepreneurship but to the different spectrums of the society at large.
In the blossoming Cebu City where I belong, fast paces and longer strides take place every passing second and minute. Business establishments continue to flourish and newer structures are built almost every day and every week. The business industry truly is a marvelous creation of pooling minds of the intellectuals. Benefits and convenience have been poured down among the city’s locals by this breakthrough. If the business world came in so fast in Cebu, a growing and a recently discovered potential Tourism industry thrives. Cebu City, being one of the culturally knitted cities in the Philippines and in the world, has much to offer with regards to scenic spots and interesting, frolicsome nights among local and foreign passersby. The world-renowned Magellan’s Cross, Fort Santiago, Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, white sand beaches and ecstatic night life, to name a few, are the splendors making the city busy and dynamically-paced.
Educational systems and institutions, moreover, had leaped through years since the very beginning when the Americans went to the country and brought in the idealism of the primordial role of education in a society. Numerous schools had taken its stronghold in terms of global education i.e., aiming internationally competitive individuals after graduation. Technology and innovation are undeniably two of the greatest creations of men showcasing the ingenuity and resourcefulness. In the past years, the academic institutions agreed to the idea that these two need not be disregarded especially in the efficiency and coziness in its operations. To cite, most schools in Cebu are using Electronic ID System in the entrance and Online Public Access Cataloguing (OPAC) in the library to easily locate books.
Hospital and bank services must not be left in the brink when referring to the potentials and opportunities of the city where I belong. It is without reluctance that public health has been considered gradually as among the few hidden spectacles that is unleashed in the past five years and to prove this statement is the explicit increase of number of Nursing students in most universities, if not all, in the Philippines.
The swift movement of the urbane air has been bittersweet, but largely bitter. The abovementioned spectacles dragged issues and concerns in hidden. While it is very true that we must not overrate the obstacles over pinnacles, weaknesses over strengths, as a morally and spiritually upright youth, I know how to draw the line between advancement and contentment, between too much and enough.
The Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index ranks the Philippines in the 12th place as the Most Corrupt Countries in the World and 2nd in the Asian Region in 2007. Here, corruption is being defined as “the abuse of public office for private gain.” Corruption has always been an issue in the Philippines and tracing the history of such word would merely lead us censuring and blaming each other, even worse blaming other race like Senator Miriam Santiago’s seemingly unserious accusation among Chinese as the inventors of corruption. I could still remember the social turmoil which vibrated the entire country during the chairmanship of the Philippines in the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) last year where most top-ranking officials from different member countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines came over to tackle about fostering peace, stability, courage, dynamism and prosperity. The alleged anomalous construction of the Cebu International Convention Center, the grandest stadium in the province, was for many months the headline of most dailies and newspapers. And then, I realized, there was one element which the state leaders must have been discussing and fostering, the virtue that is honesty.
When elected as the President of the Commerce and Accountancy Students Society (CASS), the official student organization of the College of Commerce and Accountancy of the University of Cebu where I am studying, I was then a Second Year College Student. We collected membership fees and the amounts would even range to 100,000 pesos (that is a very significant digit here in our country). Should I have the criminal and stained mind, I could have corrupted the money and had a nice vacation stay in Africa or Europe.
Now that I am a Third Year Management Student, I had a landslide win over a Fourth Year political rival and become the incumbent President of the Council of Business Executives (CBEX), the official student body organization of the College of Commerce, Accountancy and Business Administration, this time with a broader scope, bigger number of members, bigger funds, bigger temptation to corrupt. In addition, I was elected as the youngest Chairman of the University of Cebu Council of Presidents (UCCP) which would mean that aside from the funds of CBEX, I may corrupt the funds of UCCP. But, I do not have a corrupted mind. Never did it came to my mind to corrupt a single centavo in the funds of the organization because that is my principle, and that is my way of making a difference to stop corruption--since corruption begins from each one of us. By promoting transparency in the student council and publishing Financial Statements every after event, I was able to shape an organization that is responsible and accountable in terms of cash disbursements and outflows.
The issue here is not whether or not corruption comes in an extreme or mild degree, nor whatever societal status one has; rather, the true issue is the ill-effects of the malversation of public funds. The money should have been given to different sectors of the government for noble purposes and certainly not for purchasing luxurious Chevrolet vehicles nor multi-million house and lot. This corrupted money would have been utilized for the social and environmental efforts, the issues which we will confront maybe in few seconds, minutes, hours, weeks, or months from now.
Environmental concerns are a great issue. In fact, the world is currently having a widespread environmental awareness programs and lectures with heavy emphasis on the depleting ozone layer, the only shield that protect us from the heat of the sun. Not only that, as a clear manifestation of such issues, most species was declared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as endangered and worst, declared extinct. These issues slapped me from left to right one morning after hearing the melodious song of the Black Shama and I was awakened of the actions that we have to take in order to retain if not regain the environment that we had lost and still is.
The rationale of the project proposal that I had about the Black Shama (locally called Siloy) comes running in my brain neurons after many researches and immersions showed the absence of governmental and people’s interventions to conserve this endemic bird of Casili, Consolacion (the location of my environmental project), which can be found in the Northern part of the province of Cebu, Philippines.
Having studied in the Young Minds Academy, a youth development and citizenship program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit organization whose main thrusts entail the inculcation among the youth the spirit of active participation especially issues of public concern, I was able to disclose the strength within that as a youth, I could make a difference by making project proposal and present it to the people in authority. During the presentation of varied proposals in Cebu International Convention Center, different funding agencies went inside the big hall and listened to the vibration of our passionate environmental ideas. Representatives from the Municipality of Consolacion were around and took a copy of my project proposal.
The youth of today’s vigilant generation, obtain out-of-the-box but realizable ideas in mind. If only the youth will be given the right avenue to present what our minds are thinking, then certainly, Cebu and the rest of the corners of the Earth would not be stricken by a disease that is complacency. While it is genuinely acceptable that the old ones contain fixed, conventional philosophies, I assert their critical minds may be a complement to the enthused attitudes of the youth; and I strongly stand that if this phenomenon will be changed, what kind of Cebu and city each one of us will belong – a non-discriminatory and highly-synergized place.
The noble purpose of my project proposal attests that the youth are not indifferent. In fact, when I presented the same project in the most-coveted Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) sponsored by Rotary International Gloria Maris, Rotary Club of Mabolo would be glad to sponsor some parts of the funds needed by the project. But, to partner with World Bank whose history of charity and environmental undertakings is unstained, would be a great opportunity so that the youth from different countries will be motivated in the same manner that I did encouraged my colleagues and members of the organizations that I handled and still handling. In that note, the youth can create an impact to the world by “Thinking Global, Acting Local,” which I mentioned in my second paragraph.
The crucial months of the preparation of this project proposal opened my mind to the reality that partnership and synergy are both key indispensable elements in order to create a change that is gradual but constant. The youth, just like what I did, must establish linkages with established clubs and organizations such as Rotary, ROTARACT (the youth version of Rotary), RAFI, Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation (CBCF), Cebu Daily Newspaper (CDN), Local Barangay and Municipality Officials of Consolacion, Public and Private High Schools, Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council), and People’s Organizations (P.O.), and a lot more. This mode of thinking is changing the old paradigm that “two heads are better than one,” into “thousand of heads creating the change.”
I am not shielded away from the sad realities of the environmental disposition of Cebu, and partially of the Earth. I had been an active delegate in several immersions, exchange series, and leadership programs and talks within and outside Cebu. In my Guiuan, Samar Exchange Series, I saw the patches of mangrove forests that remain from the supposed hectares of their dominance from past years. In my April 2007’s Immersion in Biasong, Balamban, I saw the effect of gradual entrances of stone factories. In my three-time visits in Baguio City, northern part of the Philippines, from August 2004, November 2006, and December 2007, I witnessed the warming of the supposedly “Summer Capital of the Philippines.” From the airplane, I saw Manila’s polluted and worsening waters of Pasig River. Landing from that view, mobbed the clogged canals due to improper disposals of garbage and wastes. Trees and flowers were nowhere to see but remain the wildest hope from the eyes of a newly-borne child in light that he could still see at least one. There are many environmental tragedies that put the Filipinos in a state of predicament, and to name them will be a ceaseless day of enumeration.
These sad realities are but only a few of the challenges confronted by the Philippines particularly in the city where economic progress steps in first. In as much as these headways arrowed the city up, every Cebuano must take note of the evils and the consequences of such advancement. Of course, the awareness comes in, but this becomes totally nothing when a person doesn’t act and brought about the difference and the change he wanted to be part of the culture of the common good.
What needs to be done to transform my city to a city of my dream is very simple. Like the starfish which the young man keeps on throwing back into the sea of uncertainty, it commences from the heart and from the mind. Every person must have the changing heart and driving mind to persistently and constantly show to the world the Leadership by Example; leadership that is genuinely accepted in order to inflict the good things through optimism and eradicate the bad qualities through constant reinforcement.
Being the Chapter Viceroy, Director, Coordinator and National Authorized Representative of the Young Earth Savers (YES) of the Philippines founded by Honorable Rittie Subingsubing III, I always show to the community what leadership by example means. Give me the liberty to redefine what leadership by example means and how could this be effective in transforming our respective cities towards the cities of our dreams. Leadership by example is leading the people through upholding the virtues of honesty, responsibility and accountability, awareness and involvement, and above all, godliness. In this world, many leaders arise with different skills and potentialities, with varying virtues and idealisms, with varied forms of managerial styles and concepts, etc. It must be considered in the mind that in order to transform our individual cities to the cities that we envision, we must choose the right leaders for the country and that is the basic thing that every individual must strongly think during elections.
As youth and students, we must be actively involved in several social activities. In the academe, we can have our say by engaging in productive clubs and organizations which aim to produce more accountable and responsible leaders and members. Just recently, March 7, 2008, I witnessed the depths of youth’s thinking during the Final Round of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Debate Competition with which I was one of the 12 finalists. We debated on issues of local and national concern and from that roughly six hours of competition, I pondered that the youth of today are significantly outspoken and confident. By appropriate extroversion, the youth may be able to shape the country of our dreams and certainly frame a perfect national picture that is harmonious and participative.
Having turned 20 last February, I raised the level and the degree of my participation in the society and in the environment. I was 18 years old and a Sophomore College Student then when I handled three classes in one of the subjects mandatory for all tertiary level students, the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS). My role during those very memorable months of my life was to facilitate the learning and to promote citizenship and social entrepreneurship among the youth. I was able to create an impact towards these students by helping them get rid of insensitivity and indifference especially issues which demands public attention. By that simple act of volunteerism, I was somehow able to shape the city of my dreams which every youth may do the same. What made teaching a challenge for me, aside from the fact that I was still in my second year that time, was the fact that I was maintaining my grades as an academic scholar of the Mandaue City Government Scholarship Program. Nevertheless, I treated that as a challenge to conquer and not a tsunami to die for. If there was something more fulfilling about the entire teaching experience, that was the leadership by example that I portrayed at all times especially when we went to our community areas to conduct outreach programs and productive activities. Take note, I never received a salary while teaching these students about citizenship because I believe that the most rewarding thing in this world is being able to create the change without expecting something in return, worse financial rewards. If we have the same viewpoints about life and working, then “…we will never work at all for the rest of our lives.”
As a member of the Philippine Association of Campus Student Leaders (PACSL), a national organization which gathers student leaders from different colleges and universities, I am driven to create the change that I want to experience. We were taught of the oft-quoted words of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the country’s national hero, that “the youth is the hope of the fatherland.” Expanding my experiences and wide involvements from different clubs and organizations would be an easy duty for me to do because I know that I have empowered my fellow youth to come out from their shells and complete their long, delicate process of metamorphosis just like the butterflies. The key to establish a homeostatic society is to understand differences and to foster individual strengths and capacities.
We need not to be a club’s President in order to create change. The youth of today are participative in nature and all we need is the motivation from our greatest counsels who have given us the wide horizon of comprehending things, our mothers and fathers, our parents. The family, being the most fundamental unit of the society as per defined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, is our main source of motivation which can provide a great foundation as a support system to mould and shape the city of our dreams.
The starfishes are all out there waiting for us to be picked and thrown back into the crystal-clear waters of the ocean, no longer sea. As we try to delve what strengths we have to make this city a more beautiful place to live in, let us not forget the lessons we’ve gained from the experiences that we have had in the past. For the youth of today are dynamic and highly cognizant, aggressive but knows how to control, dominant but learns to listen from others, fast-paced but understands the importance of patience, and idealistic but delineates the line between fantasy and possibility. Let us all shape the city of our dreams because the youth are the next in line!
The youth of today are totally not apathetic. We are dynamic, passionate, enthusiastic, and above all, aware. If there are people who are more concerned with the ill consequences of today’s alleged breakthroughs of human existence such as technology, innovation, and globalization, it is the socially involved youth. The theme for this year’s essay writing contest came to me as a surprise when I received an invitation directly emailed by World Bank. I almost forgot why they have my email address and later on realized that I submitted an entry last year. Particularly, my participation in this competition is not all about recognition but it is all about the money. I will be using the cash prize to supplement the budget needed by my project proposal dubbed as “The Black Shama (Copsychus cebuensis) Conservation and Promotion Project in Casili, Consolacion, Cebu, Philippines,” which is a Finalist of the Best Project Proposal of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI); and having learned that “Shaping the city of your Dreams” is this year’s theme, prompted me to grasp this opportunity and with the highest hope that I can get the money to fund my project proposal for the environment. A common cliché, “Think Global, Act Local,” brought me a very recent realization that this oft-quoted words do not merely apply to Entrepreneurship but to the different spectrums of the society at large.
In the blossoming Cebu City where I belong, fast paces and longer strides take place every passing second and minute. Business establishments continue to flourish and newer structures are built almost every day and every week. The business industry truly is a marvelous creation of pooling minds of the intellectuals. Benefits and convenience have been poured down among the city’s locals by this breakthrough. If the business world came in so fast in Cebu, a growing and a recently discovered potential Tourism industry thrives. Cebu City, being one of the culturally knitted cities in the Philippines and in the world, has much to offer with regards to scenic spots and interesting, frolicsome nights among local and foreign passersby. The world-renowned Magellan’s Cross, Fort Santiago, Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, white sand beaches and ecstatic night life, to name a few, are the splendors making the city busy and dynamically-paced.
Educational systems and institutions, moreover, had leaped through years since the very beginning when the Americans went to the country and brought in the idealism of the primordial role of education in a society. Numerous schools had taken its stronghold in terms of global education i.e., aiming internationally competitive individuals after graduation. Technology and innovation are undeniably two of the greatest creations of men showcasing the ingenuity and resourcefulness. In the past years, the academic institutions agreed to the idea that these two need not be disregarded especially in the efficiency and coziness in its operations. To cite, most schools in Cebu are using Electronic ID System in the entrance and Online Public Access Cataloguing (OPAC) in the library to easily locate books.
Hospital and bank services must not be left in the brink when referring to the potentials and opportunities of the city where I belong. It is without reluctance that public health has been considered gradually as among the few hidden spectacles that is unleashed in the past five years and to prove this statement is the explicit increase of number of Nursing students in most universities, if not all, in the Philippines.
The swift movement of the urbane air has been bittersweet, but largely bitter. The abovementioned spectacles dragged issues and concerns in hidden. While it is very true that we must not overrate the obstacles over pinnacles, weaknesses over strengths, as a morally and spiritually upright youth, I know how to draw the line between advancement and contentment, between too much and enough.
The Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index ranks the Philippines in the 12th place as the Most Corrupt Countries in the World and 2nd in the Asian Region in 2007. Here, corruption is being defined as “the abuse of public office for private gain.” Corruption has always been an issue in the Philippines and tracing the history of such word would merely lead us censuring and blaming each other, even worse blaming other race like Senator Miriam Santiago’s seemingly unserious accusation among Chinese as the inventors of corruption. I could still remember the social turmoil which vibrated the entire country during the chairmanship of the Philippines in the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) last year where most top-ranking officials from different member countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines came over to tackle about fostering peace, stability, courage, dynamism and prosperity. The alleged anomalous construction of the Cebu International Convention Center, the grandest stadium in the province, was for many months the headline of most dailies and newspapers. And then, I realized, there was one element which the state leaders must have been discussing and fostering, the virtue that is honesty.
When elected as the President of the Commerce and Accountancy Students Society (CASS), the official student organization of the College of Commerce and Accountancy of the University of Cebu where I am studying, I was then a Second Year College Student. We collected membership fees and the amounts would even range to 100,000 pesos (that is a very significant digit here in our country). Should I have the criminal and stained mind, I could have corrupted the money and had a nice vacation stay in Africa or Europe.
Now that I am a Third Year Management Student, I had a landslide win over a Fourth Year political rival and become the incumbent President of the Council of Business Executives (CBEX), the official student body organization of the College of Commerce, Accountancy and Business Administration, this time with a broader scope, bigger number of members, bigger funds, bigger temptation to corrupt. In addition, I was elected as the youngest Chairman of the University of Cebu Council of Presidents (UCCP) which would mean that aside from the funds of CBEX, I may corrupt the funds of UCCP. But, I do not have a corrupted mind. Never did it came to my mind to corrupt a single centavo in the funds of the organization because that is my principle, and that is my way of making a difference to stop corruption--since corruption begins from each one of us. By promoting transparency in the student council and publishing Financial Statements every after event, I was able to shape an organization that is responsible and accountable in terms of cash disbursements and outflows.
The issue here is not whether or not corruption comes in an extreme or mild degree, nor whatever societal status one has; rather, the true issue is the ill-effects of the malversation of public funds. The money should have been given to different sectors of the government for noble purposes and certainly not for purchasing luxurious Chevrolet vehicles nor multi-million house and lot. This corrupted money would have been utilized for the social and environmental efforts, the issues which we will confront maybe in few seconds, minutes, hours, weeks, or months from now.
Environmental concerns are a great issue. In fact, the world is currently having a widespread environmental awareness programs and lectures with heavy emphasis on the depleting ozone layer, the only shield that protect us from the heat of the sun. Not only that, as a clear manifestation of such issues, most species was declared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as endangered and worst, declared extinct. These issues slapped me from left to right one morning after hearing the melodious song of the Black Shama and I was awakened of the actions that we have to take in order to retain if not regain the environment that we had lost and still is.
The rationale of the project proposal that I had about the Black Shama (locally called Siloy) comes running in my brain neurons after many researches and immersions showed the absence of governmental and people’s interventions to conserve this endemic bird of Casili, Consolacion (the location of my environmental project), which can be found in the Northern part of the province of Cebu, Philippines.
Having studied in the Young Minds Academy, a youth development and citizenship program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit organization whose main thrusts entail the inculcation among the youth the spirit of active participation especially issues of public concern, I was able to disclose the strength within that as a youth, I could make a difference by making project proposal and present it to the people in authority. During the presentation of varied proposals in Cebu International Convention Center, different funding agencies went inside the big hall and listened to the vibration of our passionate environmental ideas. Representatives from the Municipality of Consolacion were around and took a copy of my project proposal.
The youth of today’s vigilant generation, obtain out-of-the-box but realizable ideas in mind. If only the youth will be given the right avenue to present what our minds are thinking, then certainly, Cebu and the rest of the corners of the Earth would not be stricken by a disease that is complacency. While it is genuinely acceptable that the old ones contain fixed, conventional philosophies, I assert their critical minds may be a complement to the enthused attitudes of the youth; and I strongly stand that if this phenomenon will be changed, what kind of Cebu and city each one of us will belong – a non-discriminatory and highly-synergized place.
The noble purpose of my project proposal attests that the youth are not indifferent. In fact, when I presented the same project in the most-coveted Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) sponsored by Rotary International Gloria Maris, Rotary Club of Mabolo would be glad to sponsor some parts of the funds needed by the project. But, to partner with World Bank whose history of charity and environmental undertakings is unstained, would be a great opportunity so that the youth from different countries will be motivated in the same manner that I did encouraged my colleagues and members of the organizations that I handled and still handling. In that note, the youth can create an impact to the world by “Thinking Global, Acting Local,” which I mentioned in my second paragraph.
The crucial months of the preparation of this project proposal opened my mind to the reality that partnership and synergy are both key indispensable elements in order to create a change that is gradual but constant. The youth, just like what I did, must establish linkages with established clubs and organizations such as Rotary, ROTARACT (the youth version of Rotary), RAFI, Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation (CBCF), Cebu Daily Newspaper (CDN), Local Barangay and Municipality Officials of Consolacion, Public and Private High Schools, Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council), and People’s Organizations (P.O.), and a lot more. This mode of thinking is changing the old paradigm that “two heads are better than one,” into “thousand of heads creating the change.”
I am not shielded away from the sad realities of the environmental disposition of Cebu, and partially of the Earth. I had been an active delegate in several immersions, exchange series, and leadership programs and talks within and outside Cebu. In my Guiuan, Samar Exchange Series, I saw the patches of mangrove forests that remain from the supposed hectares of their dominance from past years. In my April 2007’s Immersion in Biasong, Balamban, I saw the effect of gradual entrances of stone factories. In my three-time visits in Baguio City, northern part of the Philippines, from August 2004, November 2006, and December 2007, I witnessed the warming of the supposedly “Summer Capital of the Philippines.” From the airplane, I saw Manila’s polluted and worsening waters of Pasig River. Landing from that view, mobbed the clogged canals due to improper disposals of garbage and wastes. Trees and flowers were nowhere to see but remain the wildest hope from the eyes of a newly-borne child in light that he could still see at least one. There are many environmental tragedies that put the Filipinos in a state of predicament, and to name them will be a ceaseless day of enumeration.
These sad realities are but only a few of the challenges confronted by the Philippines particularly in the city where economic progress steps in first. In as much as these headways arrowed the city up, every Cebuano must take note of the evils and the consequences of such advancement. Of course, the awareness comes in, but this becomes totally nothing when a person doesn’t act and brought about the difference and the change he wanted to be part of the culture of the common good.
What needs to be done to transform my city to a city of my dream is very simple. Like the starfish which the young man keeps on throwing back into the sea of uncertainty, it commences from the heart and from the mind. Every person must have the changing heart and driving mind to persistently and constantly show to the world the Leadership by Example; leadership that is genuinely accepted in order to inflict the good things through optimism and eradicate the bad qualities through constant reinforcement.
Being the Chapter Viceroy, Director, Coordinator and National Authorized Representative of the Young Earth Savers (YES) of the Philippines founded by Honorable Rittie Subingsubing III, I always show to the community what leadership by example means. Give me the liberty to redefine what leadership by example means and how could this be effective in transforming our respective cities towards the cities of our dreams. Leadership by example is leading the people through upholding the virtues of honesty, responsibility and accountability, awareness and involvement, and above all, godliness. In this world, many leaders arise with different skills and potentialities, with varying virtues and idealisms, with varied forms of managerial styles and concepts, etc. It must be considered in the mind that in order to transform our individual cities to the cities that we envision, we must choose the right leaders for the country and that is the basic thing that every individual must strongly think during elections.
As youth and students, we must be actively involved in several social activities. In the academe, we can have our say by engaging in productive clubs and organizations which aim to produce more accountable and responsible leaders and members. Just recently, March 7, 2008, I witnessed the depths of youth’s thinking during the Final Round of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Debate Competition with which I was one of the 12 finalists. We debated on issues of local and national concern and from that roughly six hours of competition, I pondered that the youth of today are significantly outspoken and confident. By appropriate extroversion, the youth may be able to shape the country of our dreams and certainly frame a perfect national picture that is harmonious and participative.
Having turned 20 last February, I raised the level and the degree of my participation in the society and in the environment. I was 18 years old and a Sophomore College Student then when I handled three classes in one of the subjects mandatory for all tertiary level students, the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS). My role during those very memorable months of my life was to facilitate the learning and to promote citizenship and social entrepreneurship among the youth. I was able to create an impact towards these students by helping them get rid of insensitivity and indifference especially issues which demands public attention. By that simple act of volunteerism, I was somehow able to shape the city of my dreams which every youth may do the same. What made teaching a challenge for me, aside from the fact that I was still in my second year that time, was the fact that I was maintaining my grades as an academic scholar of the Mandaue City Government Scholarship Program. Nevertheless, I treated that as a challenge to conquer and not a tsunami to die for. If there was something more fulfilling about the entire teaching experience, that was the leadership by example that I portrayed at all times especially when we went to our community areas to conduct outreach programs and productive activities. Take note, I never received a salary while teaching these students about citizenship because I believe that the most rewarding thing in this world is being able to create the change without expecting something in return, worse financial rewards. If we have the same viewpoints about life and working, then “…we will never work at all for the rest of our lives.”
As a member of the Philippine Association of Campus Student Leaders (PACSL), a national organization which gathers student leaders from different colleges and universities, I am driven to create the change that I want to experience. We were taught of the oft-quoted words of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the country’s national hero, that “the youth is the hope of the fatherland.” Expanding my experiences and wide involvements from different clubs and organizations would be an easy duty for me to do because I know that I have empowered my fellow youth to come out from their shells and complete their long, delicate process of metamorphosis just like the butterflies. The key to establish a homeostatic society is to understand differences and to foster individual strengths and capacities.
We need not to be a club’s President in order to create change. The youth of today are participative in nature and all we need is the motivation from our greatest counsels who have given us the wide horizon of comprehending things, our mothers and fathers, our parents. The family, being the most fundamental unit of the society as per defined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, is our main source of motivation which can provide a great foundation as a support system to mould and shape the city of our dreams.
The starfishes are all out there waiting for us to be picked and thrown back into the crystal-clear waters of the ocean, no longer sea. As we try to delve what strengths we have to make this city a more beautiful place to live in, let us not forget the lessons we’ve gained from the experiences that we have had in the past. For the youth of today are dynamic and highly cognizant, aggressive but knows how to control, dominant but learns to listen from others, fast-paced but understands the importance of patience, and idealistic but delineates the line between fantasy and possibility. Let us all shape the city of our dreams because the youth are the next in line!
NOTE: This is my official entry for this year's World Bank Essay Writing Contest. When I checked the entries of the finalists, they more or less, presented a research paper with formats and all, at least, lesson learned. I'll be joining next year though.
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