* Opening Remarks of retired Chief Justice ARTEMIO V. PANGANIBAN during the Reception for the 2024 Awardees (20 Law Scholars, 5 MBA Fellows, and 5 Dissertation Writing Contest Winners) of the Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity hosted by First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos at the Kalayaan Hall of Malacanang Palace on October 22, 2024.
On behalf of the Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity, especially of our 30 Awardees for 2024, I wish to thank our brilliant Compañera and lovely First Lady, for inviting us to savor the Malacañang Complex particularly the Kalayaan Hall where we are holding this function. To the best of my knowledge, the Kalayaan Hall is the sacred sanctum of the Palace where official functions are held, like the reception for foreign dignitaries and formal events of our country. It was also here that I took my oath as Chief Justice of the Philippines.
Indeed, our young awardees are fortunate to be invited to this august Hall. I was already in my early forties when I first set foot here. And you, my dear law scholars, ESMEL MBA Fellows and Dissertation Writing Winners are only half my then age and you are already fortunate to walk on these sacred floors. Moreover, you are here at the invitation, and as honored guests, of the First Lady of the Land, no less. Most of all, you will be receiving special certificates and gifts. And as a bonus, you will have a picture with her! That’s how important and precious you are to our dear First Lady.
Sa pagkakataong pong ito, ang masasabi ko, bilang isang retired chief justice na tagapagsalita ninyo, ay ito. Mapapalad talaga kayo. Bilang law scholars, ang tanging maisusukli ninyo sa ating mabait na Unang Ginang ay ang ipangako ninyo sa kanya na magiging bar topnotchers kayong lahat. Kaya ba natin ito? Hindi ko narinig ang sagot ninyo! Kaya ba natin ito? Ayan… kayang kaya!
Dalawangpu ang mga scholars ngunit sampu lang ang fourth year law students at sampu rin ang third year students. Bakit nga ba? Bakit hindi dalawangpu ang fourth year scholars? Kasi po, sampu lang ang topnotchers na ipinupukrama ng Supreme Court! Tama ba ang sagot ko?
And over and beyond that, please pledge to be competent and ethical lawyers who are responsible, dependable and morally upright, and who will courageously safeguard the liberty of our people and nurture their prosperity under the rule of law.
In turn, for the ESMEL MBA fellows and the dissertation writing contest winners, let us thank the First Lady by helping the poor help themselves through private entrepreneurship. Let us show her that we love our country above our personal ambitions, and that through our common effort at the Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity, we will help build the two ultimate FLP projects, first, the Center for Liberty and Prosperity with a futuristic, innovative, immersive, interactive, AI-powered and tech-driven Museum for Liberty and Prosperity at its core, and second, the sustainable Fund for Liberty and Prosperity, a multibillion peso fund that will invest in and assist in managing micro, small, and medium enterprises (or MSMEs) with the aim of helping eliminate extreme poverty in our beloved country.
To close my opening remarks, may I, with the kind permission of our dear First Lady, express a personal wish? Ngayong gabi po naririto tayo sa Bulwagang Kalayaan or Hall of Independence or Hall of Freedom or Hall of Liberty. Sa susunod po, kung maari, sana po magkitakita naman po tayo sa Bulwagang Kasaganaan, or Hall of Prosperity. Kung hindi naman po, sa Bulwagang Kalayaan at Kasaganaan, or Hall of Liberty and Prosperity.
Maraming salamat po.
The Personal Website of Retired Chief Justice Panganiban 