THE SAN BEDA Community Engagement Center (CEC) gathered first-year Bedan students from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) to celebrate their National Service Training Program (NSTP) culminating activity, entitled, “Makakalikasan: Bedans uniting to care for our common home, heeding the call of Laudato Si’” last November 15 at the Jonathan Sy Auditorium.
Along with the NSTP head, Ms. Norielyn C. Tabag, the activity featured guest speakers including Dr. Neil Aldrin D. Mallari and Ms. Mary Margaret Therese B. Chavez. Accordingly, the event was ushered and facilitated by the First Year Batch Council, headed by Beige Benedict Campbell, the incumbent First Year Representative.
The said event was held with various intermission numbers from first year students, which created a safe zone to talk about the current state of the environment.
Ms. Chavez, on the other hand, when confronted with how she felt when she shared her insights to the Bedan students when talking about the care for mother, exclaimed how honored she was for being given the responsibility to share her knowledge, experiences, and to inspire students to do the same in terms of being of service to others.
When confronted with her personal thoughts on Laudato Si, Ms. Chavez added that, “students don’t necessarily have to go far because common home means immediate environment.” Thus, for her, it is important to be mindful of one’s thoughts and actions because it can create an impact on others – it’s also about having concern as well.
Dr. Mallari, on the other hand, confessed to having been “scared” when partaking the event because “one, I don’t know the audience and I’m always afraid that I’ll bore people to death because I’m such a nerd. It might be overwhelming.”
To cast off such feelings, Dr. Mallari witfully described himself as being “John Snow,” a fictional character from the Game of Thrones, who was “talking to different people of Westeros, building up an army to fight the white walkers.” He saw the white walkers as akin to the people who would destroy nature. As such, being John Snow in this narrative, he sought to change perspectives, or at least open the minds of his audiences when giving a talk like this one.
Ending her statement, Ms. Chavez encouraged the Bedan community “to live up to the values of Ora et Labora and PAX” since everyone can be able to love each other and what they do so long as they love God as well.”
Furthermore, Dr. Mallari also left a message by emphasizing the importance of knowing something to love and protect it. Because of this, it is important to “reconnect with nature” considering that if nature is not okay, and so do the people as well. For him, protecting nature is already protecting ourselves.