This speech was delivered on August 1, 2024, during the Installation of the New School President
Students, parents, alumni, and all our guests, brother, priest religious sisters, seminarians, especially to ma’am Istrelita Plarisan, the former Vice President for Institutional Affairs, who today starts his retirement days. I stand before you today, and worthy as I am, with a heart full of gratitude gratitude and humility as I accept the incredible honor of being the new school President of our beloved Catholic school, the Saint Joseph College. I am deeply moved by the trust and confidence that the bishop has placed in me in letting me lead the boat to cross over to the other side of the lake. I am committed to uphold holding the values and principles that our school stands for. I want to express my sincere thanks to His Excellency, the most Reverend Bishop of Maasin, for his unwavering support and guidance and for entrusting me with this important responsibility. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve our school community in this capacity, and I promise to do my to lead with integrity, compassion, and dedication. As we move forward together, I believe it is crucial for us to remember the core values that define us as a Catholic school community, as an educative family.
Let us always strive to uphold the principles of love, compassion, and respect for one another, and let us seek to create an environment that where all members of our community feel valued and supported. I pray to God, to the Triune God, with Mary and Joseph, that in this school, every student is empowered to reach their full potential, where learning is a joyful and
transformative experience, and where we work together to create a positive impact in our school and beyond. Let us embrace diversity, foster a spirit of collaboration, and cultivate a culture of excellence in all that we do. Together, we can achieve great things. Let us stand united in our commitment to uphold the mission of our school, to serve others with kindness and humility, and
to strive for excellence in all aspects of our lives. With the Bishop’s blessing and the support of our school community, I am confident that we can make a difference and create a brighter future for all. Thank you once again for this incredible opportunity. Bishop, your Excellency, I should say, and all people here agree with me on this, that for 25 years of your leadership as school
president, you have successfully brought the whole educative family to Mary, which stands not only for the Mahal Nga Patrona, but also to this words, Millennium advances reform and youthfulness.
Millennium, you have successfully led SJC to cross the new millennium when you assume the presidency in 1999. The advent of the new millennium had brought a lot of challenges to St. Joseph College and its faculty staff. But you successfully faced all those challenges, and now we reap the brevity of yours in crossing the new millennium. Advances. It’s under your watch that our school accelerates its growth and progress, which we describe such level of growth as unprecedented. Reform. You have made reforms to make HDC look more Catholic and professional. Youthful. By placing new faces to head different offices and departments, you have made the school youthful because there is now the bridging of the gaps between the old and the young. You look at the faculty, the administrators, they look like students. Their faces are also like students because they are youthful. As your excellency successfully brought us to Mary, in my tenure, I will try harder to bring these young people to Joseph. Having found Mary, the students and staff will become more joyful, more open to promptings of the Holy spirit, to be more service-oriented to others. Excellent and intellectual moral and theological virtues, pious and humble, that is Joseph.
Thank you, your excellency, for and bless us to find Joseph as we start this new journey. Again, I am honored to serve as this for President, and I look forward to working alongside each and everyone of you to make this school the best it can be. May God bless us all on this journey together.
Thank you.
[This article aligns with Sustainable Development Goals: No. 4 (Quality Education)]
