Today, we honor 78 members of our faculty members, administrators, and staff who have spent their landmark years in Adamson University. We also honor 15 of us who have retired after having served this academic community in the most precious years of their lives.
Two Cebuano words I would like to tell them today: “Daghang salamat” ug “Padayon”.
1. DAGHANG SALAMAT
“Daghang salamat” sa inyong pamamalagi sa Adamson University. Daghang salamat sa pagturing nito na inyong ikalawang tahanan. Daghang salamat sa inyong pagmamahal at paglilingkod sa ating mga estudyante at kawani. Ang lahat ng inyong pagsisikap at dedikasyon ay hindi mababayaran ng salapi, certificate or gold ring. Kaya mula sa aking puso, tanggapin ninyo ang taos-pusong pasasalamat.
Pero alam nyo po ba na higit pa sa “thank you”, na mas malalim pa ang kahulugan ng salitang “salamat”? “Salamat” is a common word in Middle Eastern and Asian countries. Its root word is “salaam” in Arabic or “shalom” in Hebrew which means “peace”. That is why Muslims greet each other “Assalumu alaikum” (May peace be with you). The response is “Wa’Alaikum assalam” (And also with you).
So, when you tell someone “salamat”, you do not only thank him or her for the favor that you receive. You wish him or her peace, good health and well-being.
“Salamat” is also used in Hindi or other South Asian languages to express one’s wishes for safety, goodness and joy. Bahasa Indonesia uses words like “salamat pagi” (good morning) which means “I wish you well and happiness all throughout the day”. Or “Salamat datang” (welcome) which means we are happy that you have arrived safely. Or “salamat jalan” (goodbye) which also means “May God keep you safe on your way”. The Bicolanos have a very meaningful equivalent of “salamat”. They say: “Dios mabalos” (May God reward you for your kindness.)
So, as I say “salamat” to our beloved faculty and staff today, I do not only give thanks for the service you render to the university. I also mean “May God reward you with peace and joy, safety and well-being, kaginhawahan at dagdag na kaligayahan sa inyong buhay.”
Kasi ang mga bagay na ito na inyong tinatamasa sa inyong buhay ay siya ring ipinahahayag ninyo araw-araw sa mga estudyanteng inyong pinaglilingkuran. In Latin, they say “nemo day quod non habet” which means “you cannot give what you do not have.” May you experience well-being and joy so that you can also share the same with your students and co-employees every day.
2. PADAYON
The second word I would like to say is “Padayon”.
When the Visayans tell each other “padayon”, they mean “keep on with life”, “do not get discouraged”, “do not surrender”, “continue with the work that you are doing because you are doing well”.
But the root word of the Cebuano word (which is also shared with Waray and Hiligaynon) is “dayon”. “Dayon” is a verb. It means “come in” or “welcome” as when we invite someone to our house (as when the Tagalog say “tuloy po kayo”).
This I would like to tell our retirees, you are always welcome to this house which has been your home for the precious years of your life. Relive memories, rekindle friendships, return to your sweet home. And if there are still some energies left in your bodies, and you desire to serve this beautiful home, you are always welcome. Gusto kong ring sabihin: “Dito sa Adamson, may forever”.
But “dayon” is not only a verb; it is also an adverb. It means “immediately” (at once, right away, make haste) as when our grandfathers would say “anhi dayon” (come here at once). It is synonymous with “forthwith” — that very important political word today.
3. THE PRESENT CHALLENGE
This is my challenge to the whole Adamson community today. And I say this with a sense of urgency. “Ayaw paglangan. Himoa dayon.”
Our times are hard. Prices are up and we feel the pinch of it in our everyday lives. But our political leaders could not care less. They are fighting for their own political survival. They do not care about the people. They only care about their own pockets. I feel that as a society, we have become so low. Our leaders have lost all sense of decency and accountability. What we see around us is corruption, violence and impunity. We no longer know the meaning of the words like “service, kindness and compassion” — values that we teach in our families, schools and churches.
It looks like there is no hope in the horizons. But we should not lose hope. This year is a year of hope. Pope Francis reminds us: “We are pilgrims of hope”.
But what shall we do? Let me suggest three things we can do as Adamson community.
a. RESIST. Resist evil. Resist corruption. Resist lies. Resist violence. Resist injustice. St. Vincent once said: “There is no charity when there is no justice.” When poor people around us are abused and killed, resist. When people refuse to be accountable for the public funds entrusted to them, resist. When we are fed with fake news, resist. When the national budget is manipulated, resist and shout. This is not the will of God for us. As Christians and as Vincentians, resist.
To concretize this resistance, we have to assert that the People Power Revolution in February 23-25, 1986 was not about the Aquinos or the Marcoses. It is about freedom that we have longed for as a nation. For those of us in EDSA, “yellow” was not only about Cory or Ninoy; it was a symbol of freedom from dictatorship. I was there. We placed our lives on the line. So, if there is any attempt to change this narrative of our fight for freedom by gradually downgrading its significance, we have to resist.
While this government proclaims February 25 as a special “working” holiday, Adamson University proclaims it as a real “non-working” holiday. It is an important day in the life of our nation, and we need to keep this memory alive. On that day, join political mobilizations, fora and discussion. Wherever you are, celebrate freedom, fight corruption, demand accountability, defend the victims, show compassion. This is our way of resistance.
b. TEACH. Teach our young people. Tell our story of courage and freedom. Debunk their lies. Deny historical revisionism. Teach them about the values of justice and peace, of respect and compassion. Do it in your classrooms. Do it at home. Do it among your friends. I ask the professors among us to make your courses respond to the social realities of our times. Vincentian education is a socially-relevant education. Our founder George Lucas Adamson once said: Knowledge should contribute to human well-being, happiness and justice. For “science is made for man [sic], not man for science”.
From our classrooms to the streets, from our lessons — be it in science, math or readings — to our researches — be it in engineering, biology or literary criticism — we need to make a stand in the name of Christian and Vincentian values. Pope Francis says: “education cannot be neutral”.
Otherwise, we have miserably failed in our work of education. Otherwise, we have truly miseducated our people, as the EDCOM 2 describes our Philippine educational system. We have miseducated our people not only because we lack classrooms or half of the Philippine schools do not have principals but because we taught them neutrality, silence and subservience despite the rampant abuse, shameless corruption and grave injustices happening in front of our very eyes.
To concretize this, I would like to gather the Adamson community on February 24 at 5PM in the San Marcelino Street. Bring your students and staff. Pray and seek for guidance. Light candles. Make noise. Demand for justice. Seek accountability.
c. CARE. For us in Adamson community, let us care for one another. We are all in a journey. We have been walking in this life of service. Some of us get tired. Others have only little strength to continue. The bible has useful image to help us: Let help each other and bind each other’s wounds. As the Psalmist says: “God heals the broken hearted and binds up all our wounds” (Psalm 173: 4). Let us take care of one another. We are all wounded but let us bind each’s wounds.
For all of us, let us pat each other’s back, and say “padayon”. When someone finds life burdensome, hug him or her and say “padayon”. “Padayon sa imong kinabuhi” (Keep with your life despite the trials and difficulties that life may bring.). Keep on, you can make it. Wish each other goodness and safety, wellness and peace. This is the way of hope.
CONCLUSION
To end, let me share what St. Vincent said on how they welcome missionaries who were arriving into the house after giving missions. “Everyone goes out to meet him smiling, and bringing him all that he may need. If it is necessary to bathe his legs so as to remove sensations of fatigue, then his legs are bathed.” To bathe another leg is the same as to bind each other’s wounds.
As we take care of the wounded in the field, as we fight for justice in the streets, as we proclaim the Good News to the poor, let us also bathe each others’ legs, bind our wounds together.
Speech of Father Daniel Franklin Pilario during the Adamson University Institutional Awards 2025
Father Daniel Franklin Pilario, C.M., is the President of Adamson University in Manila. He is a theologian, professor, and pastor of an urban poor community on the outskirts of the Philippine capital. He is also Vincentian Chair for Social Justice at St. John’s University in New York.
