President Rodrigo Duterte called on the Honorees of The Outstanding Young Men and Women to share the responsibility of leading and lifting the Philippines out of the quagmire of complacency and to foster a culture of innovation and excellence that they epitomize.
“Our nation is in a crucial period of introducing concrete and meaningful change. I need your support now more than ever so that we can collectively overcome the ills of illegal drugs, criminality and corruption that has plagued our nation for so long,” he said.
The President stressed that corruption has pulled the country down which he vowed to stop as he also called on the public to support his drive to rid the government of this practice.
The President made the statement as he led the awarding of the eleven honorees of The Outstanding Young Men and Women for 2016 on Monday, Dec.12 in Malacanan where he lauded their accomplishments in nation-building that effected meaningful contribution to the country’s transformation by using their experiences, talents, and skills in their chosen fields to inspire others.
As the President vowed to keep his campaign promise of his vision to rid the country of graft and corruption, drugs and criminality, he noted that corruption has really pulled our country down.
“Let me just give you an analogy of something like an airplane running at a full speed on the runway for so many years but without really lifting. Wala. Hindi tumataas. That is what the Philippines is,” he said.
At the same time, he vowed to continue with the government’s war against criminality and illegal drugs given the enormity of the problem.
The President awarded the honorees of The Outstanding Young Men and Women namely: Carmela Andal-Castro, Law (Child Protection); Clarisse Delgado, Education; Ryan Guinaran, Indigenous People Advocacy; Richard Heydarian, for Social Science; Richard Muallil, Marine Science; Ronivin Pagtakhan, Youth Leadership; Geraldine Racaza, Medicine; Saturnino Tiamson, Arts in Music; Jhett Tolentino, Arts in Theatre; Earl Martin Valencia, Entrepreneurship; Randy Halasan, Education.
The President also recognized the role of Junior Chamber International (JCI) for establishing The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) as their landmark project which has stayed true to its mission of providing development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.
He said JCI has effectively promoted leadership and exemplary innovation among the youth their service to the community and the nation, their professional excellence and untarnished integrity and their exemplary leadership.
The President stressed that by committing to do everyone’s part in nation-building and by even simply doing the things that is expected from everyone every day, “we can immensely contribute to the cultivation a far more better and more secure future for ourselves, our families and our communities.”
“Together, let us work hand in hand to secure the lives of our people, give them the best quality of life that can rightfully be deserved,” he said. ##PND
