TAYO12

Sen. Bam Aquino’s Speech During the TAYO 12 Awarding Ceremony

Magandang hapon sa ating lahat, mga kaibigan, mga kababayan.

 

In February 1986, all of humanity watched as a peaceful revolution in our island nation called the Philippines brought democracy back to our land.

 

This revolution didn’t happen in a day; nor was it hatched by one single person. This revolution was a result of millions of voices in protest backed by concrete and non-violent action.

 

That was 29 years ago, and I was only eight years old then, but I recall being a witness and willing participant in a turning point in Philippine history.

 

Leading up to the EDSA Revolution, the winds of change were already howling.

 

And the culmination of this revolutionary energy was over 2 million Filipinos, from all ages and all walks of life, taking to the streets amid threats of military action.

 

I vividly recall eating ice buko and sharing sandwiches my family had prepared with the other protesters at the corner of Annapolis and EDSA during the four days of the People Power Revolution.

 

Along EDSA, Filipinos found common ground in their yearning for truth, justice, freedom, and, most importantly, peace. The crowd stood their ground, arms linked in solidarity, even as tanks threatened to shoot them down and run them over.

 

We offered ourselves to the Philippines – to freedom, justice, democracy, and peace.

 

That was the EDSA People Power Revolution. And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

That was 29 years ago.

 

Today, I still have that yearning, as I’m sure many of you do, to build a Philippines that honors truth, upholds justice, and creates prosperity for all, not just the chosen few.

 

And a lot has changed since the 1980s.

 

We have evolved from analog to digital, from sending postcards to photo and video messaging, from joining street protests to signing online petitions and sharing #hashtags with a cause.

 

The spirit of People Power has evolved.

 

Filipinos who are creative, innovative and resourceful have found many ways to come together to help build, and rebuild, our nation.

 

Naaalala ninyo pa ba nang nabigla tayo sa matinding pagbabaha noong bagyong Ondoy sa Mega Manila?

 

O di kaya ang mas sariwang lungkot na naranasan ng Pilipinas noong tumama ang bagyong Yolanda sa Eastern Visayas?

 

Maraming nawalan ng tahanan at kagamitan.

 

Maraming nawalan ng bahay at buhay.

 

Ngunit, hindi nabigo ang sigla ng nakararami.

 

Punung-puno ang mga unibersidad, mga basketball court, at iba’t ibang mga headquarters ng mga donasyon at volunteers.

 

Sa tuwing mayroong lindol, bagyo, storm surge o anumang trahediya, wagas ang pagtulong ng mga Pilipino – lumalabas ang diwa ng bayanihan ng bawa’t isa.

 

Hindi po ba’t People Power iyon?

 

Tuwing nagsasama-sama ang komunidad, mga magulang, mga guro, mga mag-aaral at iba pa para ihanda ang mga public schools bago magpasukan, para pinturahan ang mga bubong at dingding, linisin ang mga estero at hardin, ayusin ang mga mesa, silya’t blackboard sa Brigada Eskwela ng DepEd.

 

Hindi po ba’t People Power iyon?

 

Noong dumating si Pope Francis, kay daming Pilipino ang nagvolunteer, ilang gabing nagpuyat, napagod at nabasa ng ulan para maging maayos at makabuluhan ang pagbisita ng ating Santo Papa

 

Hindi po ba’t People Power iyon?

 

Puntahannatin ang ilang past TAYO winners.

 

Ang Hayag Youth Organization tinuruan nila ang mga kabataan sa Ormoc ng paglangoy, first aid at iba pang disaster preparedness skills.

 

At nang tumama ang Bagyong Yolanda sa kanilang lungsod, walang nasawi sa kanilang mga miyembro.

 

Hindi po ba’t People Power pa rin iyon?

 

Nandiyan din ang Dire Husi sa Cagayan de Oro. Kanilang tinipon ang mga batang kalye at tinuruan sila ng sining upang mailayo sila sa bisyo ng pag-rurugby at krimininalidad.

 

Hindi po ba’t People Power pa rin iyon?

 

At ang mga kabataang taga-Cebu na Gualandi Volunteer Service Program, kung saan umiikot sila sa kanilang lungsod na nangangampanya para protektahan ang mga PWDs laban sa diskriminasyon at pang-aabuso –

 

Hindi po ba’t People Power pa rin iyon?

 

Buhay na buhay po ang diwa ng People Power sa ating bayan at sa ating kabataan.

 

Habang mayroong mga Pilipinong nagsasama-sama, kabila ng pagkaka-iba sa paniniwala, upang isulong ang kapakanan ng mga komunidad sa Pilipinas, naroroon ang diwa ng People Power.

 

The Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards Foundation is a witness to this spirit of nation building.

 

And on the 29th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, we celebrate the youth organizations that have best exemplified People Power in our communities through the TAYO Awards.

 

On its 12th year, the TAYO Awards continues to recognize the youth’s efforts to improve the lives of our fellow Filipinos today.

 

This year alone, we received around 400 entries – each entry, a youth group’s project that contributes to the development of our country; each entry, proof that the spirit of People Power persists in the youth of today.

 

We would like to thank you, TAYO finalists, for embodying the spirit of People Power and renewing the fire of nation building!

 

You, who have made a palpable impact on society, can serve as an inspiration to even more people to join the fight for a better Philippines.

 

People Power led us to victory against an unbeatable foe in 1986.

 

Today, we oppose even more formidable and seemingly faceless adversaries like poverty, climate change, social injustice, discrimination, indifference, and even hatred.

 

Buo ang aking tiwala na gaya ng dati, kakayanin natin ang mga ito – kung sama-sama tayo, kung tayo’y magtutulungan, kung ang diwa ng People Power ay buhay sa ating lahat.

 

Maraming salamat po.

 

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Bam Hails Selfless Youth Groups for Embodying People Power Spirit

Senator Bam Aquino hailed the 20 Ten Outstanding Youth Organization (TAYO) finalists for embodying the spirit of People Power and renewing the fire of nation building.

“Today, I see that People Power is alive in our youth,” Sen. Bam, chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth, said in his speech during the 12th TAYO Awards ceremonies in Malacanang.

In his speech, Sen. Bam praised finalists for coming up with different programs and projects that help uplift conditions in the communities they live in.

“Anytime people come together to further causes that benefit the less fortunate; any time you join a group that creates change for a better Philippines, that’s People Power,” Sen. Bam said.

The senator also expressed hope that other youth organizations can draw inspiration from the 20 finalists so they can also embody the spirit of People Power and join efforts to create a more prosperous Philippines for everyone.

“It is my hope that you, who have made such a tangible and lasting impact on society, can inspire even more people to join the fight for a better Philippines,” Sen. Bam said.

“The country still needs the spirit of People Power that exists within everyone, to keep the country moving towards social justice, true freedom, and peace,” he added.

Twenty (20) youth organizations – 5 from NCR, 5 from Luzon, 5 from Visayas and 5 from Mindanao – bested 397 other entries for slots in the TAYO National Finals Week.

Sen. Bam gave special mention to Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement, whose E-Learning Centers, dubbed “Balay Kanlungan ng Karunungan”, provide far-flung communities with a free information and learning hub where they can visit and access educational materials.

 Sen. Bam also cited UP College of Medicine Phi Lambda Delta Sorority’s flagship project — Milk Matters, a regular milk letting activity that aims to ensure a safe and sustainable supply of breastmilk for the high-risk neonates of the UP-Philippine General Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PGH-NICU).

The project also seeks to empower mothers to choose breastmilk as their sole choice for their babies’ health and establish community-based milk banks to encourage breastfeeding practices via sustainable partnerships with local government units and non-government organizations.

The senator also commended the Katipunan ng mga Kabataang Santiagueno for its project that produces bio-organic fertilizer and other possible solutions to address the garbage problem of Santiago City in Isabela.

Among its project is the production of charcoal briquettes from leaves, twigs, stems and other cellulosic forest wastes. 

 The three groups were among those selected in the 12th edition of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards. Other winners were RAPID, Inc., Red Cross Youth and Junior Rescue Team, Access PYLP Alumni Association, Inc., Move This World Pilipinas Inc., Youth for Environment jn School Organization, Indigenous Youth Servant Leaders Association of the Philippines and University of San Agustin Little Theater.

The search for Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) is the sole award-giving body that grants nationwide recognition to youth organizations for their outstanding contributions to nation-building and development.

 The TAYO awards also honor exceptional achievements of youth groups and encourage the replication of such noteworthy and innovative efforts to solve basic problems in communities.

TAYO 12 is organized by the TAYO Awards Foundation, National Youth Commission, and the Office of Senator Benigno “Bam” Aquino. It is presented by Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc. and sponsored by San Miguel Corporation, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, SMART, SM Cares, Lenovo Philippines, Greenwich Foundation and Jollibee Group Foundation.

The 2015 Search will commence on March 30, 2015. Applications can be downloaded online via the official website www.tayoawards.net.

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