ROCK STAR WELCOME | Guests and students take photos of Vice President Leni Robredo who was the guest speaker during the graduation ceremony of Philippine Science High School Class 2022 at its main campus in Quezon City on Saturday, June 11, 2022 —PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OVP
MANILA, Philippines — In a time when disinformation and misinformation have become rampant, upholding the truth with integrity is a must in defending what is right, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Saturday, in one of her public appearances after losing in the country’s most divisive and historic elections.
In her speech during the commencement exercise of the Philippine Science (PhiSci) High School Class of 2022 in Quezon City, Robredo reminded the new graduates to instill the core values of the school: Excellence, Integrity and Service to the Nation.
Robredo realized that the original core value “Truth” of the school was replaced with “Integrity,” believing that integrity can be done in upholding truth.
In these trying times, the outgoing Vice President reminded the graduates on the importance of the youth in fighting for what is right, as they have been molded to have the responsibility of making the people realize the truth in the sea of disinformation.
“What is integrity, if not doing what is right and just, no matter how easy or difficult, whether there is anyone looking or none?” she said in a mix of Filipino and English.
Robredo acknowledged how lies have been “actively spread,” which she described as being the root of division, “not just in politics and history,” but also in the field of science as she recognized how some believed that the earth was not round, that vaccines were not effective and that no one believed climate change was happening.
“In this context, expect situations where you will be surrounded by noises, as if while you’re holding onto the truth that we are fighting for, it will be denied. Perhaps it will cross your minds the question whether or not if it’s easier to just play along, just be silent to avoid any conflict,” she said.
Robredo then told the graduating students, “In these instances, remember that it is your duty to fight for what is right, since you have been molded by a well-known institution.”
“It is your duty to stand up, talk to people and make them feel that there is only the truth.”
She also pointed out what the graduates have been through in the past two years since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the country, saying that someday, the graduates would chat with each other in the future on how they saw the hardships of holding classes in the midst of a health crisis.
“This truth will not be stolen from you, because you have been through this, studied well about this, and discussed it among yourselves,” Robredo said. “The spirit of science is this commitment to a shared, objective reality, this ‘search for the untarnished truth,’ that establishes a common bedrock of experience, a common starting point that allows us to set our eyes on a common horizon.”
Among others, Robredo also recognized the “long tradition” of the Philippine Science High School when it comes to integrity, citing the school’s alumni members whose names are carved at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani or those who fought the martial rule of the deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
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