Board of Trustees, the Acting Directress, the Faculty and Staff of Philippine Christian Gospel School, parents, guests, fellow graduates, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

        I pass this way but once, I shall not pass this way again. This is the first, last, and only day we will be able to spend for this occasion, at this place, in this time, and with these people.  We owe it all to the One who mapped our lives through even up to this day. The One who stood by the graduates through the most difficult, most confusing, but at the same time most beautiful years of our lives. He was there for us when everyone else left; He forgave us when everyone else condemned; He understood us when no one else could; and He loved us when no one else did. He never turned his back on us even when we did, nor did he ever forget us. That in why He is God, and that is why we praise Him.

        It is because of Him that PCGS stands, the institution that allows us to hold our heads high today knowing that we have accomplished something. The school that took us from our childhood fantasies to what we thought was captivity - but was actually nurturing. A nurturing that we did not want, but a nurturing that we did need. And it is now releasing us into a world that is fully prepared for us. But the question is, are we prepared for it? Whatever the answer, the fact is we are now four years older than when we began high school. And after spending approximately 7,560 hours within the walls of PCGS, surely what has taken place in that duration of time will affect whatever decision we will make now or in the future. And for that we thank the school.

        For the people here today who are here to witness their loved-ones graduate, thank you. You don’t know how much this means to them and probably neither do they. But I assure you everyone here in togas has made some effort in order to deserve what they are about to receive today. [Graduates, thank your parents because I am speaking before you now, but my parents aren’t even here.] I also would like to apologize for all those times we disappointed you, worried you, hurt you by talking or fighting back, all those things we could never take back. But we stand before you now to prove to you that you did not put up with nothing. So we thank you and congratulate you for putting up with us.

        Let’s give a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen to the people before us – they are the teachers of Philippine Christian Gospel School, and we applaud them because they have achieved a mentor's purpose and more. They have taught us graduates and we have learned. We may not always remember who discovered gravity, or what a conjugate is, or how it is to calculate economic equilibrium – but for sure we will remember that you have taught us that we could succeed, IF we worked – IF we tried. You didn't teach us to stand, but you taught us to stand after we fall. You taught us to see what others would find vague. You taught us to hear others aside from ourselves. You taught us to think. Because of you, we were pushed to our limits for us to test what we are truly capable of, we were torn to see what is truly in us, and we were crushed to feel what we could truly bear. And for all that we are indebted to you for life.

        To the graduates, may I remind you that we do not stand at the brink of success but at the brink of an abyss. What is at the bottom remains a mystery to us for it is our future. Some would dare to face it and jump, however there are those who would rather stay behind and cling to what was. But face it we must and face it we shall whether we like it or not. The problem now is if we are going to land on our feet or are we going to sprawl all over the ground? If you trust the One who stood by you through all these years, then surely He will stand by you for the rest of your life. "As long as we have memories, yesterday remains. As long as we have hopes, tomorrow awaits. As long as we have GOD, today is the tomorrow we have always dreamed of."