Below is the Valedictory Address of CSSP Batch 2025 valedictorian Sophia Beatriz G. Cruz (Pia) as delivered at the UP Theater during the CSSP Araw ng Pagkilala on July 5, 2025. On top of serving as the CSSP Representative to the USC Student Council and Project Head/Student Convenor of the UP Diliman Department of Philosophy’s inaugural Emmanuel Q. Fernando Philosophy Undergraduate Conference, Pia actively served in a wide variety of other functions and organizations during her stint as an undergraduate. Pia is an incoming student at the UP College of Law.
Video highlights of Pia’s speech may be viewed here.
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Bilang panimula, nais kong ipaabot ang isang taimtim na pasasalamat at pagkilala sa ating faculty at staff sa kanilang walang humpay na patnubay at pagtaguyod sa buong panahon na ating ginugol sa ating mahal na kolehiyo!
Higit sa lahat, isang taos pusong pasasalamat sa ating mga mahal na magulang, pamilya at sa lahat ng sa atin ay tumaguyod, sa kanilang walang sawang pagtangkilik sa ating paglalakbay patungo sa katuparan ng ating mga pangarap!
At syempre pa, isang mainit at nag aalab na pagbati sa mga kapwa nating Konsenya ng Bayan, sa ating pagtatapos ngayong araw na ito!
Today, we share in the joy of reaching an important milestone in our lives. After years of hard work, sleepless nights and balancing acts, we are finally here to share in our collective triumph. Wearing our Sablays with great pride, we are all eager to graduate and face the next chapter as we continue to write the story of our lives. Without a doubt, today is the fulfilment of one of our many dreams, that is, to be called: a graduate of the University of the Philippines.
Lahat ay handang harapin nang taas noo at buong tapang ang bawat hamon ng kinabukasan.
Subalit hindi nyo ba napapansin, na lagi na lang, sa bawat pagtatapos ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan, inihaharap sa atin ang hamon ng mga problema ng ating lipunan: ang mga isyu patungkol sa pamamalakad ng ating pamahalaan, ang matamlay na ekonomiya, ang lumalaganap na kahirapan at kriminalidad at marami pang iba.
Lagi na lang, patuloy na nagiging hamon sa lahat ang korapsyon na nanunuot di lamang, sa may kapangyarihan sa negosyo at pamahalaan, kundi bumabalot na para nang isang kultura sa ating lipunan.
Lagi na lang, hinahamon ang mga Iskolar ng Bayan na maging lunas / sa mga problema ng ating Bayan, na maging handang maglingkod sa Bayan.
Lagi na lang, ay paulit ulit na pinapaalala na ang nagtaguyod sa ating pagaaral dito sa UP ay ang buwis ng mga mamamayan, kaya’t nararapat lang na tayo ay maglingkod sa Bayan.
Ngunit, sa nagdaang panahon, ilang graduate na ba ng UP ang namuno sa ating lipunan?
A recent article written by a proud UP alumnus noted that: 6 out the 17 Presidents of the Republic, 16 out of 28 Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, 14 out 24 Senate Presidents, and 14 out of 27 Speakers of the House of Representatives, all graduated from the University of the Philippines. This list does not even include the captains of industry and business leaders who are also proud Iskolars ng Bayan. This begs the question, if UP Graduates have taken positions of great responsibility and service to the country through the years, why are we still saddled with the same problems that we face today as a people?
These leaders of our nation once stood in the same place we do today, excited with their graduation, eager to serve the people. They likely heard speeches with the same theme, a call to arms to provide solutions to what ails our nation and ending with an exhortation to serve. But what has come of them since?
We have seen leaders of our nation use what they learned from the hallowed halls of our University to shield the powerful from being held to account. We have seen former Iskolars ng Bayan use their gift of gab to sow disinformation and intrigue to divide us to serve their selfish ends. We see UP Graduates make it to the Forbes list of Filipino billionaires at the expense of the exploited multitude. We see scores of proud alumni of our beloved University become well-educated and well-heeled sycophants ready to do the bidding of people possessed with great power and wealth. We see UP Graduates hold the keys to sweeping societal reforms only to turn their backs on their promise to serve the people and end up serving themselves. Sadly, we have seen countless UP Graduates, frustrated with our nation’s fate, succumb to sheer apathy.
This leads us to ask ourselves this question: WHAT MAKES US ANY DIFFERENT?
Alam nating lahat na ang Kolehiyo ng Agham Panlipunan at Pilosopiya ay ang pangunahing institusyon ng pagaaral at pagsisiyasat na sumasaklaw sa mga isyu ng lipunan. Dahil dito, ang mga nakapagtapos sa ating kolehiyo ay tinagurian mga Konsensya ng Bayan. Kung kaya’t, hindi lamang taos pusong paglilingkod ang hamon sa bawat isa sa atin. Hindi lamang serbisyong makabayan kundi serbisyong makatao ang kinakailagan. Yun bang, may tunay na malasakit sa kapwa tao.
Iyan, sa wari ko, ang siyang pamantayan ng isang tunay na Konsenya ng Bayan. Isang taong handang ialay ang lalim ng kaalaman at lawak ng pananaw upang magbigay ng karampatang tugon sa mga suliranin ng bayan patungo sa isang kultura na maghahatid sa ating lipunan sa isang malaya at masaganang kinabukasan.
Ngunit maraming nagsasabi, bagama’t pabulong:
Lagi na lamang bang bayan muna?
Lagi na lamang bang bayan bago sarili?
Sa palagay ko, ang malasakit sa bayan at pagkalinga sa kapwa ay di dapat mangaluhugan na ating dapat isan tabi ang ating mga pangarap para sa sarili at sa ating pamilya.
As my father taught me, doing well for yourself and doing good unto others are not mutually exclusive.
I tried to apply this lesson well in my years in CSSP. I still remember being a wide-eyed freshman entering UP with a simple goal: charting a respectable academic record that could lead to greater opportunities in the future. Embracing the ethos of a true Konsensya ng Bayan, it did not take long for me to realize that succeeding academically was not enough. I felt the need to be involved. After all, CSSP is not just a college, it is a community that needs tending.
Thus, I heeded the call and served in the CSSP Student Council and later joined the University Student Council as the college’s representative. In both instances, I ran as an independent candidate, without carrying the colors of any party. Some of my most enduring memories in college will be those spent with the maninindas, security guards, and college staff who I had the pleasure of working with. They were real people with real needs. I would not have had these experiences if I did not choose to be involved.
On the other hand, I also witnessed what divisive politics could do: When I was elected as CSSP Representative, UP did not have a University Student Council for the first time since Martial Law. To me, it was not due to the apathy of the student body. It manifested a yearning for true leadership that champions the concerns of the community — above all else. These experiences made real to me the oft-repeated claim that UP is a microcosm of our society. It provided a glimpse of how we can navigate the future and fulfill a desire to serve and make impactful changes in our nation.
On a personal level, it also made me realize that it was possible to achieve my own goals while being of service to others. I was able to do well for myself, while doing good unto others.
Napatunayan ko sa aking sarili na hindi kailangang isakripisyo ang sariling pangarap sa ngalan ng taos pusong paglilingkod.
Mahalagang alalahanin na sa bawat nagtapos sa UP na tumalikod sa ating mga adhikain bilang mga Iskolar ng Bayan, mayroong laksa-laksang nagtapos sa ating Kolehiyo na taos puso, buong galing at tahimik na naglilingkod sa bayan. Sila ay nagsisikap sa iba’t ibang larangan at paraan, maging dito sa ating bayan o sa iba’t ibang sulok ng mundo. Patuloy silang nagbibigay dangal sa ating pagka-Pilipino.
Handa ba tayong lumahok sa kanilang hanay?
Sa harap ng tukso ng kapangyarihan at kinang ng yaman, handa ba tayong itaguyod ang malasakit sa kapwa at bayan?
Bilang mga Konsenya ng Bayan, alam nating lahat ang nararapat na tugon sa mga tanong na ito at sa hamon ng ating panahon.
Nawa’y magbunga ang lahat ng ating dalisay at wagas na mga pangarap para sa isa’t isa at para sa ating bayan.
Maraming Salamat po sa inyong pakikinig.
