(Delivered by Mary Ann S. Tacloy, a children beneficiary of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, during the ‘Pagdiriwang sa mga Pantawid Pamilya High School Graduates’ of the province on April 28, 2015.)

To our Congressman Carlos Padilla, Governor Ruth Padilla, DSWD Regional Director Remia Tapispisan, our Municipal Mayor Ruben Basconsillo, different mayors of Nueva Vizcaya,  Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Lita Tabudlo, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program implementers, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers, parents, friends, fellow graduates, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant afternoon to one and all.

I am Mary Ann S. Tacloy, a proud Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary of Brgy. Carolotan, Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya.

It’s quite surreal to think that after four years, dozens of projects, hundreds of tests and thousands of quizzes, we find ourselves today, about to formally close this chapter of our lives. For four years, we were like asymptotes getting closer and closer to the axis but never really reaching it and today, we finally crossed that axis. It’s a testament to who we are as people that we are here today, about to walk up on the stage. It’s not about the diploma, but it’s about what the diploma symbolizes- that we completed our high school life and we did it together.

It’s hard that after this day, we will no longer be high school students. We know that letting go is never easy, and once we exit these halls and classrooms that have become such a big part of our lives soon be reduced to memories.

In behalf of our entire batch, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you. First, I would like to thank God for leading us in this road. I know everything happened in the past was part of your plan and we will continue to be amazed by your wanders.

To my mother, thank you for being a great mother in this world. Thank you for your sacrifices and sufferings. Thank you for the love and comfort and for being there when I’m longing for a father. You are my inspiration to do better so I dedicate this honor to you. I will never give upon my dreams because I know I can make it with you by my side. I can turn dreams into reality.

To my father, I know you are happy right now. Although it is not enough for me to have just in just a short period of time, I’m still very proud to say that you are my father and you will always be a part of my success.

To my brothers and sisters, thank you for always being there for me.  Thank you for comforting me since I was a kid until now. I know that you really love and care for me. Always remember that I love you more than you do.

To the men and women behind the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program headed by Director Remia T. Tapispisan, thank you for making us realize that poverty is not a hindrance to a brighter tomorrow. It means that we need to succeed in order to open the doors to the future generations of our family, so as of right now, it is held very high in ly life. Education is our armor to combat poverty. Through it, opportunities will knock into our doors. With our strong determination to succeed, better days surely await for us.

To my fellow Pantawid Pamilya graduates, as we take a new chapter of our lives, we should be more determined to finish what we started, that we should always do our best and spread our wings and fly higher. That we should study harder and let poverty be our inspiration to prove to the world that we, even though we are poor, can do so much better.

Congratulations to us and once again, good afternoon!