It’s no secret that Ricky Lee has a way with words. The veteran Filipino screenwriter, journalist, novelist, and playwright has won multiple awards but his talent was showcased once again on Wednesday in an unexpected way.
Lee is now viral on social media, becoming one of Twitter Philippines’ trending topics after his speech at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ (PUP) graduation ceremony on Wednesday made rounds on social media. That day, he was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in Humanities.
Lee, 71, studied English at the University of the Philippines but did not finish the program and instead chose to be an activist during Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law. In his speech, he said that he could not believe he has finally graduated.
“I thought I would never graduate. I waited for this for decades but now, I can say I am a graduate. I’m even in a toga (graduation dress),” he said in Filipino.
His speech was impeccably written and was almost entirely in Filipino. Lee had three life lessons for his fellow graduates.
First is that “there’s never enough chairs.”
He went on to talk about his journey moving from Daet, Camarines Norte to Manila where he became a working student. He recalled how he and his four roommates had to share one table with only four chairs and how he used this a to inspire himself to keep going.
“You are not entitled. You have to be resourceful. You have to work hard. You need to work to get the missing chair,” he said.
His second lesson is: “You don’t need to be perfect.”
He said that graduates should expect to be criticized and judged now that they are out in the world but that they shouldn’t let it get to them.
“Let them be. Just keep working hard. Fight for your dreams,” he said. “It’s better to fail because you fought for your dreams than to fail for other reasons.”
“It’s in multiple failures that you learn. You’re like a novel being written that needs to be revised over and over again. Until it shines.”
But Lee shared that he hasn’t always been so sure of himself. In fact, he said that he has suffered from an inferiority complex ever since he was younger. But he said that that’s exactly what fueled him to do well in school.
“I learned later on that whatever you struggle with, whatever your defect is, one day, that will be your strength. Because strength, when it comes from a defect, is stronger. Because you’ve seen what’s below, you understand what’s above more. Because you came from the dark, you understand that life is not full of light.”
His last lesson for the graduates is to take part in the lives of others.
“A life that is not offered for the betterment of others is like a wilted vegetable or spoiled fish that no one benefitted from,” he said.
“Have a voice. An opinion. This is your world. You’re not like the wind that just passes. Leave a mark. That diploma you’re holding, that’s for others, it’s not for you.”
Lee then spoke about how he became an activist during martial law and let go of his own dreams for the country. He also urged the graduates to vote wisely in next week’s midterm elections.
“You control yourself. You control your life. That’s the true diploma,” he ended his speech.
Watch the full speech below:
Many Filipinos were moved by Lee’s words. Many have quoted his speech on Twitter, while others raved about why they loved what the writer said.
“If you need a dose of inspiration before you sleep, read this,” actor Phi Palmos said while sharing a transcript of the speech.
If you need a dose of inspiration before you sleep, read this. This is the full transcript of the graduation speech of Sir Ricky Lee.
Huwag nating kalimutan ang mga kulang na silya.
Salamat Sir Ricky! ❤️ https://t.co/miUyi2nRXz
— Phi Palmos (@phipalmos) May 9, 2019
“A very beautiful speech. Pls. take time to read. It’s a story of dreams unfulfilled.. hardship..survival,” @AlwaysJayNadz wrote.
https://twitter.com/AlwaysJayNadz/status/1126496703249391617
@nikkotools said he teared up when he read Lee’s speech.
“I don’t know why but I cried when I read Ricky Lee’s speech. Thank you for this,” he said.
https://twitter.com/nikkotools/status/1126666377413009408
@super_Laoinski shared his own hardships while studying.
“I teared up while reading sir Ricky Lee’s speech. I remembered how we were also poor when I was studying, that’s why I promised my mother that her efforts to put me through school won’t go to waste and that I will finish college,” he said.
Ako’y napapaluha habang binabasa ko ang speech ni sir Ricky Lee naalaala ko habang ako’y nag-aaral noon hirap din kami sa buhay kaya pinangako ko sa nanay ko na hindi mapupunta sa wala ang pagpapaaral nila sa akin na magtatapos sa kolehiyo.
— 老挝 (@kapams_areb) May 10, 2019
Lee is a renowned Filipino writer who has published short stories, plays, essays, novels, teleplays, and screenplays. This includes Himala (Miracle), which is considered to be one of the greatest Filipino films of all time.
