ILOILO CITY — Grassroots leaders Reynilda Partida and Fredil Muid reminded graduates of University of the Philippines Visayas to embrace community service.

Partida and Muid said they can make a difference in their own communities during the July 8 ceremony at the main campus of UP Visayas in Miag-ao, a town in southern Iloilo province.

“Hindi mo kailangang maging kilala para makagawa ng pagbabago. Hindi mo kailangang maging mayaman para makatulong. Ang kailangan natin: Paninindigan, puso, at malasakit (You don’t have to be famous to make a difference. You don’t have to be rich to help. All we need is determination, heart, and care),” Partida said.

“Lagi kong tinatanong ang sarili: Paano pa natin mas mapapalalim ang pag-unawa ng kabataan sa tunay na kahulugan ng pag-unlad?  (I always ask myself: How can we deepen the understanding of the youth of the true meaning of development? ) said Muid.

“Hindi sapat na masukat ito sa sementadong kalsada o matataas na gusali. Ang pag-unlad ay dapat ding masukat sa kung paanong naiaangat ang kabuhayan, kaisipan, at dangal ng bawat isa; lalo na sa mga pamayanang matagal nang naiiwan (It is not enough to measure it in terms of paved roads or tall buildings. Development must also be measured by how it elevates the livelihoods, minds, and dignity of each individual; especially in communities that have long been left behind),” added Muid.

For the second year, UP Visayas chose grassroots leaders to address graduates to foster social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

The 47-year-old Partida is an advocate of sustainable fishing practices in Carles, a town in northern Iloilo.  As the founder of the Samahan ng Mangingisdang Matatag at Responsable sa Tarong (SMMART), Partida’s decades-long work has made an impact in resource management in one of the coastal towns that rely on the vast fishing grounds of the vast Visayan Sea.

The 44-year-old Muid is a cultural bearer of Tagbanwa Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Calawit Island, which is part of the municipality of Busuanga in Palawan. Muid has long advocated for indigenous rights and ecological sustainability of ancestral waters.

Last year, Roberto “Ka Dodoy” Ballon was the commencement speaker of UP Visayas. Ballon is a recipient of the 2021 Ramon Magsaysay Award for his sustainable marine advocacy that revived the dying fishing industry in his community in Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay.