Response Delivered During the 10th Graduates’ Forum by: Leo Carlo H. Sarion, MBFI Class 2008 Scholar BS Biology, Summa Cum Laude De La Salle University, Manila
 

By Leo Carlo H. Sarion

To Mr. Placido Mapa, Vice Chairman of the Metrobank Foundation, the energetic president of the Foundation Mr. Aniceto Sobrepena, ASSET national president Jasper Munji, staff, guests, and fellow Metrobank Scholars, good morning. It is such an honor for me to give a response in behalf of my fellow Metrobank Scholars and graduates, and because of this, allow me to congratulate all of us as we have successfully completed our collegiate education as Metrobank scholars.

Never had been in my thoughts that I would be given a great opportunity to study in a well-known university in the country. I thought before in high school that it would be great already just to be able to enter college and finish it. I know that I just came from a poor family happily living in Manila, and I have already accepted before that I might not be able to enter a dream university. But then, there were great things that I really did not expect to happen, as though I was one of the luckiest people on earth during that time or the whole universe simply conspired with me.

I was given an opportunity to enroll at De La Salle University. Actually, I thought of this university as one for the elite and the opulent only. When I learned about the large total amount of money a Lasallian pays for a term, I was quite intimidated. It was also a culture-shock--coming from a public high school then going to an expensive university and having classmates who have their own beach resorts in Cebu had truly put me in awe when I entered the university.

Besides the astonishment I had when I first entered La Salle, I already started to feel the pressures of college life. Paper requirements were already felt even during the first two weeks of the term. The pacing of lessons was very fast, given that the university adopted the trimestral system. Professors were very much demanding when it comes to course requirements, that even small details of each term paper and examination were elaborated and seemed to be obfuscated. But all of these were merely small problems compared to another requirement that is virtually true in all schools and universities—the requirement of financing my studies.

Books were supposed to be bought during the first week of the term. Photocopies and print-outs as thick as an Encyclopedia Brittanica book were needed by next meeting. Payments for field trips and laboratory tours should be given as soon as possible so as to avoid hassle. Add to these were other required materials that should already be purchased. And during my second and third year, being the secretary and president of an organization involved inevitable spending of money for the implementation of organization’s activities. In addition, the personal expenses I had for food and transportation had given their own respective weights as problems. All of these trickle down to the problem of sustaining my collegiate education. I could remember one time when my mother actually told me that I should not have enrolled at an expensive university. But does this only happen in a school such as La Salle? I believe that this is a problem for all college students.

Then all of a sudden, an unexpected help came. It was in a form of another scholarship, but with an added benefit of receiving semestral or trimestral allowance. It was in a form that any student would really ask to have. This was the Metrobank College Scholarship Program, created by one of the most respected and commended corporate foundations in the country. It was indeed a turning point in my life when I became a Metrobank scholar.

But how did Metrobank Foundation change our lives as scholars? Many of us, I believe, had faced a lot of challenges--it maybe in grades or organization, family or health. Sometimes, we feel discouraged because of our problems in life. Then we would realize that there were indeed things in our life that seemed to be impossible to resolve without the help of others. But in our case, as Metrobank scholars, the whole Foundation served as the helping hand whenever we have problems. The privilege of not paying our tuition and receiving allowances had already taken a great part in lessening the financial burdens of our families. We did not have to think about where we could get big amounts of money for our tuition—in the first place, we could not afford the expensive education we have in our respective universities, whether private or public. Just to think of this, if we have not been a Metrobank scholar, how much would our parents try to earn just for us to study in college? But everything changed because of the free tuition and fees we enjoyed, and the allowance we received that served as our source of money during times of emergency. In relation to this, being Metrobank scholars gave us the opportunity to prove something to ourselves and to others. I believe that all of us felt that we were highly regarded by our colleagues in work or classmates in school. But more than that, Metrobank Foundation did not only help through financing our studies, but also, through guidance and support. The inspirational and spiritual books we received during Christmas were the foundation’s instruments of the emphatic moral support and encouragements that we especially needed during times of crisis. Therefore, the foundation did not only focus on how to help us financially, but also on how they would help us in increasing our morale and making us become morally upright and responsible Filipinos. Take for example, if I may, the things that happened to one of our scholars who graduated with Latin honors. One of our scholars here had her father confined in a hospital. The hospital bills and medicine disbursements were automatically a problem. The foundation lent its hand to help her by contacting an alumna of Metrobank Scholarship Program who is a doctor in the Philippine General Hospital. Because the Metrobank foundation had inculcated in that individual the importance of the morals of sharing, the father of our fellow scholar was able to recover. Furthermore, the Foundation helped our fellow scholar by increasing her self-esteem and giving hope that her father would recover.

Likewise, since we started to enjoy the scholarship, the Metrobank Foundation had already set up a direction in our life. We know that Metrobank brought us to the light, which by itself had created for us. Many of us had already been interviewed by Metrobank for a perspective career in banking and finance. Those who would be accepted would might be the next CFO or CEO of this company. Who knows, you might also be the next Aniceto Sobrepena, or Nicanor Torres. These opportunities are already manifestations that Metrobank Foundation did not just want to focus on our education, but also on our future. Metrobank indeed assures us of a brighter future.

But of course, we indeed had certain difficulties as regards the maintenance of our scholarship in school. In La Salle, I had to maintain a Grade Point Average (or Grade Weighted Average in other schools), of at least 2.500 over 4.000, and I also had to aim for a 4.000 in all of your subjects just to prove to myself that I really deserve the scholarship. The pressures of maintaining your grades really gave a hard time to most of us. Add to this pressure was our involvements in organizations, which even though we chose it, sometimes, we felt we wanted to reject our responsibilities at times of burnout and stress. I was the president of my organization in the university and I felt already that I would not be able to get high grades because it seemed that I gave more priority on my organization than on studying. And to complete the equation, our responsibilities at home and to our family and friends created more difficulties when it comes to setting up priorities and managing time. And since we had a lot of things to do, we tended to prioritize one thing over another, like prioritizing organizations than academics, which would might be the reason of our disqualification from the scholarship program.

Now, as official graduates from our respective schools, who have already utilized all benefits that we received from the scholarship program, it is now our time to thank those who changed our lives. I admit that I do not know how I would thank the whole Metrobank Foundation because of the immensity of the value of the financial and moral help they gave. In the first place, we would not be here, sharing our thoughts and making friends, if not because of the generosity of the whole Metrobank Foundation. A million thanks would be too little for what the foundation has done to each of us. Now, I would ask every scholar to stand up, look at our beloved sponsors, and let us clap our hands as loud as we can to show how we are very grateful to have them. Truly, their contributions in our lives are simply incomparable.

But then, I think that it is not the mere thank you’s that the Metrobank Foundation really wants from us. I believe that it is more on how we would also share the benefits that we received from Metrobank. I believe that Metrobank wants us to also contribute something to our society. What they want from us is to make a difference in the lives of others. It is the giving out of the blessings that we obtained from being an ACCESS, ETP or GRACE scholar that really matters. It is all about having commitment and dedication on how we could also help people in need. And I encourage everyone to emulate what the Metrobank Foundation had done to our lives.

Remember the things we have envisioned and proposed that would mark a legacy to the community during the Conversations yesterday? Remember the desires we yearned for the betterment of the society, like putting up a weekly recollection for government officials to moralize them again? Those things are possible if we really are determined to help others, and if we truly want to show our gratitude to the foundation of what they have changed in our lives. Whatever career path we take, I encourage everyone to take initiative to start the change we want to see. We should be the catalyst of change and progress in a country that is in dire need of youth who have vision, and could turn these visions into realities. We are the future leaders and movers of this country in our own respective fields, and as Metrobank scholars, we are indebted so much to the foundation that we could, by ourselves, be another foundation that would help others improve their lives. To borrow from the Lasallian educators’ words of commitment, Metrobank scholars are capable of “teaching minds, touching hearts and transforming lives”.

Mabuhay ang mga Metrobank Scholars, Mabuhay ang Metrobank Foundation!

The Metrobank Foundation is the corporate social responsibly arm of the Metrobank Group of Companies. Over the last 28 years, it has promoted a culture of excellence among Filipinos through its various programs notably the Search for Outstanding Teachers, the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence, The Outstanding Philippine Soldier, Country's Outstanding Policemen in Service, the Metrobank Math Challenge, and College Scholarship Program. The Foundation also has a grants program that assists NGOs and government in the fields of education, healthcare, and the arts. Metrobank Foundation celebrates Filipino excellence and presents wellsprings of hope in the future of our nation.

go to College Scholarship Program