On April 28, 2009, I went to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) or the legislative building of my city to fulfill an invitation to become a guest speaker to give a success testimony for this year’s induction of Davao City’s Pag-asa Youth Association (PYA) city-wide officers. PYA, as it is popularly known, is an out-of-school youth program spearheaded by the City Social Services and Development Office.  

Here’s the speech the I delivered to them:

First of all, maayong hapon sa inyong tanan! (good afternoon to all of you)

It’s my utmost pleasure to be invited by our City Social Services and Development Office, to be here and to be a guest speaker of this induction of officers for the Pag-asa Youth Association (PYA).

I’m John Raul Joven II, I’m from Lasang, Paquibato District and I currently work for someone in Canada as web developer.

Many years ago I used to be an active participant to the Davao City Children’s Congress. Just like PYA, it’s a local government-backed program except that it focuses more on activities that advocate the welfare and rights of every child. I was a Children’s Congress officer both in our district in Paquibato and in this city for several years and I actively participated programs initiated by our city government which include but not limited to art workshops, children literacy campaign, leadership seminars, recycling, anti-porno and anti-gambling rallies.

Many people say that the youth is the best part of every man’s life. I think I can agree finally agree to that now that I’m grown up. Why I say this is that during my days of youth, it wasn’t completely pleasant and it was more like a bunch of difficult challenges and hard-time dilemmas.

My college years saw the worst part of my life so far. It was during those days that my mother was assigned to Marilog from Paquibato District as a result of our local government politics. It affected my family so much. My mother had to travel every day to a district very far from home at the same time she and my father worked really hard to support me in college, and my brother, who was studying in Davao City National High School at that time.

Knowing that I’m on the financially disadvantaged side, I decided to use those grievances to focus on things that makes sense, to be realistic yet optimistic, to be active in the community than repressive or passive, to be more productive, creative, and resourceful, than just wasting time waiting for help and to be totally reliant from someone which could be our own parents, our family members, our relatives, our friends, or our government. I knew back then that the best thing I could do is to do the best I can to improve myself without losing the quality of being humane and kind to others.

There in college, I started to realize that money doesn’t really improve a person’s personality, and having money does not necessarily mean it can make a person fully happy. I had classmates who are financially more capable than me. While they go out to eat somewhere or go to malls, I was stuck in the library working for my education and got so many questions in my head asking why I am working while other people of same age are enjoying their college lives after classes. How unfair was that?

It also recalled my experience when I was a kid when I sold bananas in NHA Ma-a and in CENRO office. While I was shouting and trying to get people’s attention and persuade them to buy bananas, there were instances that I asked myself why I was walking under the sun when other kids that I saw on the road were having parties, playing, and generally enjoying life. Although those events were painful, it made me think that there is more to me to do and to understand the realities of life.

I realized later in college that all the hardships and complexities I’ve experienced tend to be designed for me to become a better person. I never thought of winning in the midst of my adversities and during our college graduation day, modesty aside, I was extremely surprised that my school recognized me as the best in the class. All I remembered was that I just did what I must do: I just carried out the purpose why I was sent to school (that is, to study and to absorb knowledge as best as I can).

Now, I’m happy that I’m living a life that is much better than before. I’m able to support and reciprocate my parents in a new way that I am now capable of, help my brothers, and now I’m trailing a path to my own future.

Success to me doesn’t only mean getting what you want, reaching places you want to go, or becoming who you want to be; it is having the greater capacity to help, support, and enlighten the lives of other people not just within the walls of our biological families, but also with people whom we directly interact each day in our community.

That being said, the reason why I telling you my story is to share with you that there’s always hope towards something good and it is something I can give. Refuse to be defeated by financial obstacles, stand up, learn, do what you must, and strive for the betterment of our community.

It doesn’t matter now if you’re poor, rich, successful, or not; everyone can fail, yet everyone can do something good for our society. Each of us has the ability to help and support one another, especially the youth, to collaborate for progress and to motivate each other. The more challenges we face and make through, the better persons we become.

So to all of you, elected city officers of the PYA, the chosen out-of-school youth leaders of our city, I hope that my little story was able to spark motivation not to try but to do your best during your term, and to grab the self-defining leadership opportunities from the government through this youth program.

Finally I hope that you share what you will learn from every activity that will be funded by our government to other youths who are in danger of being derailed in life, those who are still seeking refuge in your districts and communities. There’s always a way to be productive and PYA gives you an arm to help them out. So, you got to give them hope.

That’s all. I wish you all the best, congratulations, and daghang salamat! (many thanks)

The event marked a history in my life to become a guest speaker in a formal, government event. Before, I was one of the audience who listens to someone standing in front sharing his wisdoms in life. Now, it is my turn to share and I’m glad that in one way or another, I was able to inspire the lives of people. Such achievement is priceless.

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