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Nothing is impossible

Last year the Philippine won an Olympic medal for the first time. In 20 years. Hidilyn Diaz, a 25-year old weightlifter from Zamboanga, won the silver medal in Brazil for the 53-kilogram weight division.

Much like our Pambansang Kamao, Senator Manny Pacquiao, sports allowed Hidilyn to dream big and hope for the better. At such a young age she understood that sports could be a way to overcome her family’s poverty.

In an interview she said, “everyone, mapamahirap, matanda, bata, lahat tayo pwedeng mangarap at kung gugustuhin, walang impossible.” This is the inspiring message of hope that she delivers to aspiring athletes, the same message that I would like to echo today.

Walang imposible. These are the words of a Filipino Olympic medalist, someone who bested other athletes from around the world. Walang imposible. It is a reminder to commit to your dreams, to show up everyday to practice, to persevere against the odds until you win. Walang impossible. It is a mantra that unites all of us here today. That we, too, can defy gravity. That if  we can imagine our future, we can make it happen.

Under the leadership of Secretary Briones, the Department of Education envisions holistic development for our Filipino youth through sports, culture and arts. And slowly we are taking the very first steps to do just that.

Our vision, as the Executive Committee of the DepEd, is that” by 2022, we will have a nation-loving and competent lifelong learners able to respond to challenges and opportunities.”

Apart from the Palarong Pambansa, where a select number of you will be competing in few weeks time, there are also other National Events that cater to the interests of other students. Just a few weeks ago, we concluded the National Festival of Talents and the National Schools Press Conference in Pagadian and Dipolog Cities respectively, where students competed in various competitions on journalism, performing arts and other fields.

We are also proud to announce, through the efforts of the Youth Formation Division, that the First National Student Leaders Congress is set to open this March, bringing in Presidents of both Supreme Student and Supreme Pupil Governments. We want to make this an annual event for our student leaders, to provide them the rare opportunity to rub elbows with officials such as the heads of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice, the DepEd ExeCom, and perhaps the Vice-President and the President himself.

But going back to our Palaro, Sports has always proven to be an effective way to learn how to overcome adversity. Through Sports, we learn to work with teams, to win or lose graciously, to work hard with a goal in mind. Sports teach us many valuable life lessons while keeping our youth active and healthy.

As your DepEd, we would like to continue to lead programs that will develop young Filipinos so that they can have a full and happy life.

In rallying more athletes to compete in the Olympics, Hidilyn Diaz said “Kaya nating makipagsabayan sa ibang bansa.” What she means is that because she already won, any Filipino with the right attitude can win in the Olympics again. If she can do it, so can you.

But achievement and validation need not come in the form of an Olympic medal alone. We encourage every single one of you here today to push your boundaries because you are not just student-athletes, or campus journals journalists, or student officials alone. Nothing makes us prouder than seeing students  who are dynamic, versatile, and have the skills and confidence to contribute in as many areas as they can.

Let’s remember her words: “Kaya nating makipagsabayan sa ibang bansa”. Today, I echo her message to remind ourselves that our athletes are world-class, that Filipinos can win more Olympic medals in the future. But we can also say that we Filipinos can compete in any arena on the world stage, if only we remember walang imposible.

Maraming salamat at mabuhay kayo.