AWARDS, PROMOTIONS, TRIBUTES

Subject: ASNA Awards
From: Ramos'62, Vic
To: Norman Bituin, Willie Vergara

Date: 4-11-15

Dear Brods Norman and Tatang,

You may want to include some news about my award as outstanding Pangasinense in our website. It may be of interest to some brods who hail also from Pangasinan.

Attached are copies of the program. Below is my short acceptance speech:

"I accept this ASNA award with deep humility. We may look taller tonight only because we are standing on the shoulders of our forebears who have faced greater challenges and solved bigger problems during their time.

"Tonight I remember my great great grandfather. He was a poor landless farmer in Ilocos who first thought of moving to this province. He joined the diaspora with thousands of Ilocanos moving by foot with their worldly belongings and inched their way to this promise land. He must have run out of provisions because he stayed for a few years in San Juan, La Union. But eventually he arrived at his destination -- Binmaley. Another generation moved on to San Nicolas where land was plentiful.

"This award is meaningful to me because it came from our own home province. it was here where our character was formed, where we got our sense of identity and where we were prepared for a life long struggle in the outside world. I am reminded of the words of my favourite poet, T. S. Eliot, who said that at the end of our worldly peregrinations, we come back to the place where we started and know the place for the first time.

"Tonight we feel proud to see a cultural renaissance of our province under the able leadership of Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. He is the best governor of our generation.

"I close with a story of an old man who was preparing his two sons for a long journey outside his village. The younger son asked his father what advice will he give them in their journey. The father said: 'Just follow the sun and leave your shadows behind.'

"We leave the same advice to every new generation of Pangasinenses because it has served as well during our early years.

"Thank you."

I thank you for all your congratulatory messages. I received the ASNA (from the word ASIN for which our province is well known) award last Friday. Some brods from the local schools headed by the chief operations officer of the provincial PNP attended the affair.

To my mind, the most successful awardee that evening was a former maid from the town of Dasol who sent herself to school, went to the trading business, became rich, runs a CEO Forum, makes the speaking circuit in the US as an inspirational speaker and now giving out scholarship grants to other poor province mates. I can't imagine how many barriers she had to overcome to reach the level she now occupies. What an inspiration! I felt small compared to her.

All the best,
VicR'62upd


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