|
(Speech delivered at the awarding ceremonies of the
Gawad Haydee Yorac, Meralco Theatre, March 4, 2008)
Haydee
Yorac, whose memory we honor tonight with the
presentation of an award in her name, was essentially a
person for others. Her precious time, exceptional
talents and remarkable energy were all devoted
ultimately to make the nation better.
Those
who had the privilege to know her up close and personal
are one in saying she hardly had time for her own
personal needs. Her place for work did not matter. It
could be a classroom in the UP College of Law, or the
Commission on Elections. What mattered to her was she
must always give her very best.
Call it
an obsession with the pursuit of excellence. Haydee
Yorac could not tolerate mediocrity. She appeared to be
driven by a passion to give her law students her best
thoughts and insights; the Filipino voters, clean and
orderly elections; and the nation, full accountability
and transparency in the pursuit of ill-gotten wealth and
stewardship of recovered assets.
She
lived life to the fullest. She was capable of giving.
She provided a refreshing light and warmth to those
struggling to escape from the darkness of despair. She
was a rare example of a blessed person who generously
shared the gifts she received from God with those in
need of them.
She was
uncompromising in her defense of truth and justice. Her
courage sprang from the nobility of her spirit. Her
credibility was formed, sustained and strengthened by a
life of simplicity. Her integrity was the result of the
alignment of her thoughts, sentiments and deeds.
Like the
Man of La Mancha, Haydee Yorac had her share of
formidable windmills. She fought her own battles against
the betrayal of public trust with the only weapon she
ever had—the force of her conviction, the policy of her
mission and the power of her vision.
Indeed,
the nation has been enriched by Haydee Yorac’s life. Her
memory deserves to be honored, remembered and
perpetuated so that like a gentle ripple, it may morph
and expand into powerful waves that will wash away the
grime of indifference, cynicism and despair from our
hearts.
The
examples of Haydee Yorac cannot be multiplied by all the
eulogies in her name. There is a need for an
institutional mechanism that will identify individuals
who exemplify what our cherished public servant lived
for and in whose lives her spirit resonates.
A
meaningful recognition system is, therefore, necessary.
And it must be prestigious to draw public acceptance and
support. It has to be institutionalized to ensure its
sustainability. Also, it must be managed by a public
institution with an established track record in
initiating successful socially oriented projects.
The
Gawad Haydee Yorac meets these requirements. Meralco is
well- known for its continuing tradition of corporate
social responsibility. Involvement in public-service
initiatives is integral to Meralco’s vision and
mission.
With the
cooperation of the University of the Philippines, we can
very well say that the Gawad Haydee Yorac is here to
stay.
Tonight’s ceremony for conferring the 2nd Gawad Haydee
Yorac on the person who certainly deserves it seems to
be a counterpoint to what ails our society.
We speak
of hope in an atmosphere of despair. We envision a
bright future even as others see nothing but the coming
of a long night. We aspire to be competitive in a
globalized environment while there are those who
seriously doubt our capacity to make it.
To many,
it is much easier to curse the darkness, to give up and
feel numb. However, Dr. Milwida Guevarra, the
distinguished recipient of the 2nd Gawad Haydee Yorac,
would much rather light a candle so that the warmth of
its glow would give comfort and reassurance that
darkness is not forever.
Dr.
Guevarra, or “Nene” as she is fondly called by those who
know her well, has impeccable academic credentials and a
most outstanding performance as a career civil servant
when she was undersecretary of finance. She was a credit
to the government she served so well.
With her
world-class intellect, Dr. Guevarra can easily obtain
executive posting in any international organization. Her
exceptional talent for getting things done, her gift for
simplification and for seeing what is essential in what
is complex, her innate ability to work very well with
people of diverse backgrounds and persuasions, her
steady focus on what must be accomplished and her sense
of self-denial have a transformative effect on those she
works with.
After a
fruitful period in government, Dr. Guevarra could have
preferred a life of comfortable retirement. But a
restful life is never an option. She must have been
reminded by a line from a famous poem—“The woods are
lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep and
miles to go before I sleep.”
And so
she blazed a new trail that led to the improvement of
basic quality education in the countryside. It is a new
journey for her. Guided by her vision of forging
partnerships with all stakeholders—parents, teachers,
local government units, community organizations,
corporate donors and leading experts in educational
management, she embarked on a pioneering mission to
change the landscape of basic education in the
Philippines.
It is
heartening to know that Dr. Guevarra’s initiative in
Mindanao through the private foundation that she heads
is showing quantifiable results. It is very encouraging
to hear that even some of the Muslim leaders who were
initially skeptical of the work of Dr. Guevarra are now
her active partners. She is demonstrating that the
challenge of upgrading the quality of basic education is
a priority concern that transcends ethnic and religious
differences.
Dr.
Guevarra sees in every child in a remote grade school a
potential that should be carefully nurtured. In a manner
of speaking, she is devoting all her heart and mind to
help so many seeds grow.
May God
continue to bless her to have a bountiful harvest in His
vineyard. And may Dr. Guevarra find the strength always
to be a beacon of light in our darkened world. |
