Mag 10 years na, 10 years pa:

A review on the Plenary Sessions

 of YAPIS Conference 2015

Reigniting the Spirit of YAPIAN Service

COFAD Chair Sorilie Christine R. Bacsarpa, in the first plenary session about the theme of the 8^th Yapis Conference, ‘Reigniting the Spirit of Yapian Service’, has substantially discussed what the Organization have been through in its nine years of existence as the sole and active organization of the youth and for the youth of Iligan. YAPIS (Youth Advocators Productive Integrated Service, Inc.) is the premier community-based organization in Iligan and an awardee of the Ten Outstanding Youth Organizations (TAYO) in the Philippines.

There are many things that YAPIS have achieved and the rest are history. Everything she has said can be recapped here in the YAPIS official site, http://yapis.weebly.com/yapcon.html.

The COFAD Chair stressed that a Yapian or just any youth leader must have faith to its fellow yapian or fellow leader in order for the activities and the Organization itself to be successful. She also said that we are not permanent in the world, therefore, the most important thing to do is touch other people’s lives. No matter how short we may live, it is up to us to make a difference in our own little ways of touching, caring and loving them.

Value-Centered Service

Msgr. Jemar Vera Cruz, the Parish Priest of Corpus Christi, also the guest speaker for the 2^nd plenary session on Value-Centered Service started his talk about the tremendous power that the Youth has for years, gaining insights about the participants of most of the undertakings of the country such as the People Power and the like. About 80% of those who joined are coming from the Youth Sector. He then said, in this light, with all the problems Iligan City has been facing these days or years, where are the youth? Where their commanding powers? The youth are supposed to be forerunners of these endeavours. Youth, these days, like those many volcanoes, are becoming dormant and inactive. Nobody knows why.

Values and Service are abstract concepts, they only get to be concrete when assigned to persons. Msgr. Vera Cruz believed that the Model of True Service is Jesus himself. A prototypical example of Servant Leadership is him. He came down to the earth not to be served but to serve.

There are 4 Characteristics he shared to us that a Servant Leader should be and should have such as (1) Loving Service, (2) Humble Service, (3) Sacrificial Service, and (4) Unconditional Service.

Loving Service

            One must have a loving disposition to one another. It is very distinguishable to say that a service is out of love or what. Politicians are known to be very good at promising people but lacking of love to the constituents which is what they are supposed to do.

Humble Service

            There is a big tendency that just because you have the position and power, you would think that you own the world and you can manipulate and control people. This is the sad tendency that the world is offering us. The very good example of this humble service is Jesus dying in the cross to save us. We must go back to the roots. We must give something back to God by giving something to the poor. The point is many leaders think that they need not to learn from others. This is so wrong. One must go and immersed with the people most especially to the poor in order to learn.

Sacrificial Service

            Most of us serve in our convenience, when things are not painful to us, when we are not wounded. This is not the service that a servant leader should be giving. The true service entails sufferings and this is the only way to change the world. Like heroes, giving their lives to the country.

Lastly, Unconditional Service

            We must not set any conditions in our service. We, as student or youth leaders, must serve and love the people even if they are not lovable at all. This is the authentic form of genuine service.

Selfless Community Engagements

            The third speaker, whom I have introduced spoke about ‘Selfless Community Engagements’. He is a brother from La Salle whose name is Antolin ‘Butch’ Alcudia III.

            “Out of passion and opportunity, my vocation came in”

            Br. Alcudia foregone the use of Powerpoint presentation to achieve mutual interest and connection with the audience. Experiences are compelling stories and if not for experience, we will not learn.

            This person has been very helpful in contributing to the branding of the YAPIS organization and TINGOG. He is very particular with it. His talk is more about how the story of YAPIS came to be. YAPIS, for him, has to go beyond COFAD Chair Sorilie.

            YAPIS has a clear vision in its advocates and actions. It is guided by its mission in its actions. The youth has been the dominant force of the world. The technology and freedom and many things are made by young men, by the youth.

            There are many questions that he has raised. What it means to be reignited? YAPIS, today, is now on its cross roads, it has its opportunity to look back, to look forward for is many options. What has YAPIS achieved? Did it achieve its mission and vision? What can still be achieved? He then said that impact is important. The impact that YAPIS have for years. The Youth has never ran out of options about issues anywhere. What can youth do about these issues?

            Br. Alcudia motivated the YAPIANS to be selfless, to be together and work with people. He invited us to be Bayani again, with purpose (Para kanino ka Bumabangon?)

TURN-OVER of the Key of Responsibility

Governor-elect Speech

April Al Ian T. Jacob

To our DSA Director, Dr. Edward Banawa; to our Dean, Dr. Marie Joy Banawa; to our Asst. Dean, Prof. Sittie Nofaissah Pasandalan; to mam Rosalinda Lagovez; to the Adviser of CASS EC 2014-2015, Prof. Omar Bataluna; to the KASAMA President, Jahaziel Mark Bahan; to Gov. Von John Omega and the rest of the outgoing officers; to the society presidents and representatives; to my new CASS EC family; it us a delight in my eyes to see you all in this great evening.

President John Quincy Adams, the 6th president of America was right when he said that "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." Ladies and gentlemen, I have met many of them in my quest for life not being a born leader but a made-leader for it takes long process of developing character and values to become one.

Yesterday, while I pondered about myself being the Governor of CASS, I suddenly remembered the moment when I was in the CASS lounge, a fresh high school graduate who wish to enrol in the AB English Program of the College of Arts and Social Sciences. It was the moment when I got to see CASS EC officers, well, I did not know they were called as such back then, but they were easily identified because they were wearing their uniforms. I saw Jonaim Dipatuan. I recognize him as the Governor because it was written in his shirt. Then, I discovered a year after that the person I passed my requirements to also happened to be a former Governor of CASS who was in the person of John Carlo Cabalit. I have this fascination to rekindle moments that I believe have meanings. That moment made me want to be like them. The spirit within me to serve and lead people enflamed the Luke warmness for quite long months of summer and idleness of what my Grade 6 Adviser has written in my Report Card, I can still remember word by word, “You have the potential to be a leader.” Honestly, I am becoming what I dreamed for today. I become what Kuya Von Omega, the lovely outgoing Governor of CASS, and kuya Airport, I’d like to say, the most “matinabangon” head appointee of CASS, have prophesized. They were not prophets but they were able to tell and thus really good at it. It was during after I delivered my winning speech in the 2012 Palakasan Talumpati Competition practice at the CASS EC office. If I am not mistaken, the words were exactly like this “Mag-governor jud ka ha, angayan jud kayu ka.” I did not know how to respond. I felt like it’s next to impossible, but look here! I am now delivering my 1^st speech as the Governor of CASS.

But, this doesn’t happen quickly and easily. Just like anybody else or most of us, I started as a squashed cabbage leaf, credits to the metaphor of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. I was a still a neophyte then. I started in a four cornered class room as the Block Leader of the first year AB English students, then became an Olympian of the House of Lords and a Councilor of the AB English Organization, then last year, I run for board member of CASS, fortunately I won, plus more bonus because I did not expect to be the 1^st Board member out of the 21 candidates running and wishing to have a spot in the eight slots. It was indeed a journey. Today, I believe that being the Governor is the pinnacle of my college leadership. Thus, this position demands the highpoint of my leadership skills and the utmost of my ability to be a good leader that CASS Arachnids expect and deserve.

This evening, let me talk to you about values since it is a must for a leader to know what he or she values. These values are very important because they live in our actions every single day. Values that I have learned and values that I must enhance. Values that have helped, not only to me but to many budding leaders. Actually, the core values of the Institute would help us just as much. We have Integrity, Accountability, Competence, Excellence and Teamwork. But, in this case, let us be more specific.

And for one, you need to have trust and ability to delegate tasks. In the EC, we are not supermen, we need to acknowledge other’s helping hands. CASS EC is always out of number in organizing events and leading people. There is no question about that because it is proven. We always need good quantity but with just quality. We need a lot of creative minds and abled and powered men to be successful. It is not just right to have trust to your fellow officers or to the appointees and volunteers, it is essential that we do.

Secondly, we must have integrity. It is considered to be one of the fundamental values that a leader should have. Honesty and trust are central to integrity. Acting with honour and truthfulness are basic tenets in a person with integrity. This values would undoubtedly draw others to you because you are trustworthy and dependable. People would count on you in many honourable ways if you work with principles even when no one is watching.

We also need to have time and commitment. We are admitted to the fact that our number one priority in school is our academics. I am here in school to study just like you. I remember my English 1 teacher in the person of Prof. Honeylet Dumoran said that “Class, you need to remember that you are not here in school to major events in CASS Days or Palakasan, you are majoring English.” She is precisely right. Let us not be deceived by the enjoyment we have in the council with our friends and fellow officers.

               At the end of the day, we are student leaders. We need to study for our future. But, we must bear in mind in the second primal place that we pledged our supposedly idle hours or time to serve others. We promised to the students that we are in the Student Executive Council for the Arachnid’s Empowerment and Welfare. We need to be committed and have time for it.

There are many values on the table. As a leader, choose the values and the ethics that are most important and applicable to you, the values and ethics you believe in and that define your character. One should live them visibly every day during class or at the council. Living your values is one of the most powerful tools available to you to help you lead and influence others. Don't waste your best opportunity.

If we are going to employ all these positive qualities in our lives, then CASS EC will be better from the Good. The world would be better. We will try our best to be as competitive as we are in Palakasan. The new set of officers can’t really promise to you the best of luck that we can probably have, but we will try our best armed with those values. We will unleash and squeeze the best of every arachnid. We will strive hard to have a student friendly, accessible, accountable and transparent Executive Council. We will continue to recognize talents, skills and potentials of CASS students, the primary goals of every student executive council.

We will be one CASS. With the values at hand and grace of the one who made all things to existence, among padayunon ang among pagka-CASSaligan. Thank you.