DNL’s Speech during the College of Tourism/Hospitality Management
Welcome Dinner at the Bohol Tropics Resort Club, July 1, 2005.
|
| ``Welcoming the Future`` |
Times have really changed. Just a couple of decades ago, tourism was not even
a part of the vocabulary of the ordinary Boholano. Today, more and more Boholanos
are hitching their future to it. A couple of decades ago, people are apt to confuse
hospitality management as an allied course for nursing and medicine.
And yet, while certain things have changed, there are others that remain the same,
among them, the chemistry for success in life. Then and now, diligence, hard work
and commitment determine whether a person will become a success later in life.
With few exceptions, people are creations of their environment. a student who
finds himself in a class of cheaters almost always become a cheater himself. On
the other hand, a student who belongs to the honor section will try to raise his
level to at least be competitive in his class.
A school is known by the quality of its products just as a tree is known by its
fruits. Some students may be able to graduate after years of cheating but they
will pay for it. Nobody can live a lie forever.
There was a story about a man who claimed that he was a musician. For a time,
he was able to get away with it. One day however, he was summoned to play for
the emperor who needed a different entertainer every day. Fearing that his lie
will be eventually discovered, the man chose to kill himself rather than wait
for the emperor’s verdict. He preferred to die than face the music, giving birth
to one of the most popular expressions today.
What do I mean by diligence? Let me put it this way: it is a front desk clerk
repeatedly calling the airline office until the ticket is booked on the schedule
sought by the guest. There is no provision for the number of calls made, just
the desired result.
Since tourists demand the so-called 24/7 service, 24 hours a day and 7 days a
week, those of you who think tourism is a pleasure cruise should shift to another
course. Commitment is definitely more than just a 10-letter word. It is not what
you learn when you start working but one that you develop starting today.
Now, I’m sure you will all learn this and so much more in school. I have high
respects for the faculty and staff of this university enough to assume that they
will adequately prepare you for the career path you have chosen. And yet, the
fact is that life is much more complicated than the classroom and the real world
much more demanding.
Students who take the easy way out in school are bound to encounter rough sailing
in the real world. The temptation is there to just breeze through, to treat studies
as one long field trip full of fun, surprises and dates. As one student exclaimed:
college? The best 12 years of my life.
I heard a student who fell in love with first year he spent 5 years to finish
it. Some are smarter because they sample all the courses before deciding they
don’t want to study after all.
It is better to burn your midnight candles now than spend sleepless nights after
being fired from the job. It is better to absorb the insults of teachers than
be shouted at by unsatisfied clients. As drill masters tell trainees, it is better
to sweat in training than to bleed in battle.
It is better to be diligent, hard-working and committed students now. When you
face the real world, you will be like a train that runs on railroad track, sure
of yourself and your destination.
A student once asked the president of his school if there was a course he could
take that was shorter than the one prescribed. “Yes,” the president replied, “but
it depends on what you want to be. When God wants to make an oak, he takes a hundred
years, but when he wants to make a squash, it only takes six months”.
You have a full life ahead of you. No one can take it away from you. Take your
studies to heart, not because you want to get good grades but because you want
to be a better person and a good professional. At the end of the day, you decide
what you want to be.
Bohol is staring at a bright future in the tourism industry. You have chosen the
right path that can make you a part of this industry. And yet, you need to sow
now if you want to reap the harvest in the future. It is only in the dictionary
where success comes before work.
In the years to come, I expect to see most of you in the leading tourism establishments
not only in Bohol but even elsewhere. It is not a faint hope but a real expectation.
If you fail to make the mark however, it is not for choosing the wrong course.
It is simply because you decided to take the easy route of mediocrity over the
rewarding but demanding road to success.
In the end, it is all about love of work, whether in the classroom or in the workplace.
It is especially so in a field where hospitality is a must. One can be hospitable
without love – but it makes the load heavier. As they say, love cures people –
both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.
God worked hard for six days before resting on the seventh. If you follow His
work habit not only because He is looking but because you love what you are doing,
you will find success earlier than you expect.
Have fun and enjoy the rest of the evening. But before you sleep, remember you
have your work cut out for you.
Thank you and good evening. |
 |
|
