‘Beloved siblings in the fellowship of the International Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, let us volt in and revive our motto: Philosophía Krateítíµ Phíµtí´n!’
FROM a civilization that had an enviable reputation for honesty (according to Queen Sima) to a “country where everything grotesque is covered with a mantle of seriousness, where many rise by the force of hot air (Chapter XXV: Smiles and Tears),” thus, we dedicate the menu to the bureaucrats and the mandarins! But the present company is one of sympathy, harmony and compatibility. One of intellect, artistry and excellence.
I was tasked to toast and I ask for your indulgence and forbearance, as we bask in the vapors of camaraderie, gathering for the laudation of scholarship in the Humanities, in the Social Sciences and Business, in the Sciences and Engineering.
Baubillious! We train the spotlight on Dr. Patrick Alcedo for Film and Dance, on Dr. Anton Juan for Drama, on Dr. Edgardo Manguiat for Choral Music, on Prof. Francisco Verano for Painting and Sculpture. Cistem Aperio! We open the treasure chest for Dr. Leslie Bauzon for History and Archaeology Research and Scholarship, for Prof. Elizabeth L. Diaz for Broadcast Education and Women Empowerment, for Atty. Rafael Morales for corporate law practice, for Judge Hazel Mae Tagupa for court practice, and for former Senator Manuel Villar for business and entrepreneurship as well as leadership in housing and real estate industry.
Erecto! We hoist the big tent for National Scientist Bienvenido Nebres for mathematics education and transformative science, for National Scientist Lourdes Cruz for biochemistry of conotoxins, for National Scientist Emil Javier for plant genetics and agricultural science, for Dr. Lourdes Ladrido-Ignacio for individual and community psychiatry and mental health, and for Dr. Rowena Cristina Guevara for engineering and space science education. Glisseo!
We open the ramp for former UP President Francisco “Dodong” Nemenzo.
Bursting forth here in the Republika ng Haringbayang Katagalugan, these Pagdayaw Awardees of the International Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 045 belong to the patrimony of the single Asean Community. They are the pride of Southeast Asia, they are the prize of Western Pacific.
Homenum Revelio! These Distinguished Achievement Awardees we have revealed tonight, the Phi Kappa Phi 90th Anniversary Reunion and Recognition. They supplied us the gems for inspiration, for application, for contemplation, for commission, and for dispensation.
And in communion, we each pay the coin of commitment. Commitment to the inculcation of patriotism and nationalism. Adherence to humanity, civil liberties, and civility. Fidelity to the sustainable development of our country. Affirmation of good citizenship. Attentiveness to ethics and spirituality. Modelling of moral character and personal discipline. Obligation of critical thinking. The assurance of innovation, invention and creative thinking. Devotion to scientific and technological knowledge.
Impervius! At the same time, we repel the hordes of Fascism. We eviscerate the tsarinas of Narcissism. Lacarnum Inflamarae! We incinerate the parasites and the bureaucrats.
Legilimens! As we wave chicken-bones in the air, we cry out: “Respect for the weaker, respect for the victims!
Impervius! We dislodge the daemonites of disinformation. For we are lovers of learning.
Comrades in the International Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, let us salute the illustrious members: Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, Nobel laureate George Andrew Olah, Nobel laureate Theodore William Schultz, NASA astronaut Timothy Lennart “Tim” Kopra, NASA astronaut Wendy Barrien Lawrence, composer and pianist William Elden Bolcom, jazz musician Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr., Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the US Library of Congress Rita Frances Dove, Internet pioneer Douglas Carl Engelbart, Grammy awardee Renée Lynn Fleming, American Supreme Court Justice Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg, father of information theory Claude Elwood Shannon, Special Forces officer and intelligence executive Walter Patrick “Pat” Lang, Jr., president of the Fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly Carlos Peña Romulo Senior, and the 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines Fidel V. Ramos. Salute!
Beloved siblings in the fellowship of the International Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, let us volt in and revive our motto: Philosophía Krateítíµ Phíµtí´n!
