Since I assumed the Vice Presidency, I have been to China twice but I have never been blessed with the chance to visit Shandong. I have heard wonderful things about the cradle which nursed Confucius and Mencius. As a lifelong student of governance and learning, it would be a privilege to study China’s center of education but this will have to wait.
My last visit to China was to Beijing. I travelled as the emissary of President Benigno S. Aquino III to plead for clemency for three (3) of our kababayans who were sentenced to death. While the sentence was eventually carried out, I was deeply grateful that the Chinese government granted a stay of execution as a gesture to an old friend, our country.
That gesture revealed the length and width of the bridge that exists between our nation and theirs. Our history and our present show how Chinese culture has carved so many facets into the Filipino identity. As we gather tonight to witness the new officers of your association take oath, we celebrate that bond and treasure what it has woven into our national fiber.
The work ethic of our Filipino-Chinese brothers is a tremendous example and a treasured legacy. Whether in school, or professional life, diligence in learning has shown what new paths to prosperity can be uncovered if one is willing to work hard. The values that accompany education, such as filial and fraternal piety, have created great solidarity and have made seemingly overwhelming challenges bearable and surmountable. The daring to take risks in business has created industries and jobs that benefit all, and these have stood firm against the problematic tides of international business.
In our duties to the most important element of our nation, our people, these contributions lend strength to our efforts. The milestones we seek are great and we, your elected leaders, take on our tasks with deep gratitude and firm resolve.
The Master’s words in his Analects contain rich lessons for all of us. As a public official, I share his conviction that “when a nation is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of.” As we look around us, we see what we should be ashamed of. A third of our countrymen still live in poverty. Almost 3 million are currently unemployed. The global financial environment has not spared us from rising costs and as decent men, we work tirelessly to make our economy expand as fast as it can, to provide opportunities for all Filipinos. Job creation is a firm focus and in all the things we do. In the areas entrusted to your humble servant, such as Housing, OFW Concerns, Human Trafficking and Illegal Recruitment, dignified employment is a cornerstone of our strategies.
We are also pushing for the equal protection of our informal workers, and labor to have them enjoy the fullest protection of law and the benefits of social security, health and housing. Just as they are covered by the SSS, I am pleased to announce that they are now part of the PAG-IBIG system. Access to affordable housing is something that they are also entitled to and it is our belief that this will lead them to a better quality of life.
Amidst all this, education’s value cannot be understated. Our world spins on the wheels of competition and at present, competition is fierce. Employers are looking for the best talent, and through the power given by wireless technologies, they can select from people who live thousands of miles away. We are competing for worldwide opportunities with professionals from every nation on earth. Anyone who is less than educated is at a disadvantage, and we have to do our part, to give our people that advantage.
We need to insure that all children can go to school. The adults who wish to pursue their education must be able to do so, without sacrificing their jobs and sources of livelihood. The education we impart must also be able to address the demands of the times. Going beyond the basic skills and focuses, schools must insure that their products and graduates shall be viable as the world changes.
Scholars from Asia have made bold predictions. They say that just as the East was the center of learning and trade in centuries past, the nations of China and India will once again emerge as global centers by 2050. Twenty years ago, this would have been dismissed as unlikely and inconceivable. Today, we see that this analysis is not without basis. In preparing for whatever frontiers our countrymen wish to blaze, the Shandong Association plays a great role.
You represent not just one but two cultures. You are part of that historic link that bridges the Philippines and China and it is your efforts that spur valuable cooperation between both countries. Beyond business, I urge you to spur greater activity in educational and cultural endeavors. Create opportunities not just for technological transfer and import-export ties, but also for the development of language skills and literacy. Help the younger generations prepare well for a multi-national and multi-lingual competitive environment and we shall have left a timely legacy for the nation.
While upholding professional competence, I humbly ask that you continue with your crucial mission of living the noble values and propagating them in people. In our quest to secure prosperity, it can be too easy to forget that values create, rather than impede true and lasting progress. Historians, philosophers and theologians all seem to agree, that Mankind’s darkest hours were caused not by an abundance of virtue but by the overwhelming absence of it. Indeed, if we “lead the people with correctness, who will dare not be correct,” to borrow the wisdom of Confucius.
I am pleased that today I have seen an inspiring brightness in our future. As new officers take stewardship of your esteemed organization, I sense great possibilities and richer bonds being forged in our country’s road to destiny. Today, I am inspired by the example of superior men and I thank you for keeping that bridge between two nations wide and strong.
Thank you very much and good afternoon.