Power of the talented, patriotic, and Godly

The award ceremony last Friday honoring the (1) 20 law scholars, (2) five MBA fellows, and (3) nine dissertation writing winners of the Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity (FLP) drew, if I may be permitted to humbly say, the admiration and applause of the over 200 distinguished guests led by the gracious First Lady Marie Louise “Liza” Marcos and mega business leader Fernando Zobel de Ayala, the guest speaker.

APART FROM THE HONORED STUDENTS, FLP also sponsors the Professorial Chairs Program and the Panganiban Education Assistance Project for poor students.

Moreover, FLP is planning to supplement its law scholarships with a new program to elevate the ethical standards of lawyers. To quote Tessie Sy Coson, chair of BDO, the largest bank in our country, “It is not enough for lawyers to be talented and patriotic; they must also be ethical and Godly.” Agreeing with her, the FLP board of trustees formed a new super committee to design this new project. It is headed by Solicitor General Lelen Berberabe with retired Senior Associate Justice (SAJ) Telly Bernabe; Bern Siy, the first and only woman to chair the board of trustees of the Ateneo de Manila University; lawyer Joel Emerson Gregorio; and lawyer Arvin Paolo Cortez, with former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Say Tetangco as adviser.

In my address to our awardees, I stressed that what we celebrated was not only their excellence and achievements. We also celebrated the spark of the potential within them—the promise that, in God’s time, they will shine even brighter for our country, for humanity, and for our Lord.

Indeed, beyond honoring individuals, the award ceremony was about a shared vision, a common passion, and a collective mission. It was about the new opportunities that arise when we work hand in hand under the shelter of liberty, the blessings of prosperity, and the guidance of the rule of law.

THIS IS REALLY THE SIMPLE TRUTH FROM THE GOOD BOOK: “To whom much is given, much is required.” Our scholars, fellows, and winners have been given talents, opportunities, and responsibilities. And so, I hope that they, in turn, will give back to society through perseverance, integrity, and service.

Our programs may be carried out in the present, but their true purpose is to prepare for the future—by guiding and uplifting the people of today. That future belongs to our young leaders. In them, I place my trust: that they will persevere in their endeavors, embody our philosophy of liberty and prosperity under the rule of law, and help build a humane society that is better than the one we have today. That future will be powered by the talented, patriotic, and God-loving scholars, fellows, and winners during the last seven years, numbering well over 120 now. They form our FLP Scholars Society.

Among them are two bar toppers, Sean James Borja of the Ateneo School of Law in 2018 (our initial year of bar exam takers) and Kyle Christian Tutor of the University of the Philippines in 2024. I am proud to add that yearly, FLP produces several bar exam placers: Katrina Monica Gaw, Kenneth Glenn Manuel, Jun Dexter Rojas, Maria Lovelyn Joyce Quebrar, Stephanie Domingo, Geremae Mata, Jani Omamalin, Ervin Fredrick Dy, Bet-lee Kyle Barraquias, and Louis Mari Opina.

A GLIMPSE OF THE TWO FLP FLAGSHIP PROJECTS I also shared—via a 7-minute video—that in the next five years seek to transform philosophy into action, and ideals into institutions: First, the futuristic, immersive, interactive, artificial intelligence-powered, and tech-driven Museum for Liberty and Prosperity, and, second, the pro-poor, pro-private initiative, multi-billion peso Fund for Liberty and Prosperity that is dedicated to guiding our micro, small, and medium enterprises to prosper by helping them help themselves through private enterprise.

I acknowledged architect Jun Palafox and his team, who offered their time, talent, and excellence to craft comprehensive preliminary design concepts for our futuristic museum. With our collective capacity to collaborate, I hope that the cornerstone of the museum would be laid within the term of Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo.

All in all, our five current programs, our planned project to elevate legal ethics, and especially our two flagship projects remind me of a parable: small seeds planted in fertile soil may look ordinary today, but given time, care, and sunlight, they would grow into great trees whose shade will comfort many and whose roots will hold the ground firm. A good example is the museum that, like those seeds, may start as a concept that will grow into an institution that would safeguard liberty, nurture prosperity under the rule of law for generations yet unborn.

It is my hope, my fervent hope, that one day within my lifetime we would gather again—not in the same venue, the age-old Manila Polo Club, but at the new Museum for Liberty and Prosperity. And when that day comes, we would look back at this moment—how it all began, how we collectively worked hard, and how we turned our shared vision into reality.

That vision is not for us alone. It is for the future. It is for the next generations. It is, ultimately, for God and country.