19 September 2011

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING (Guest of Honor and Speaker)

(greet the important people, guests, girl scouts, Magandang hapon sa inyong lahat!)

This Girl Scouting Activity, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING reminded

me of my favorite Disney movie, Mulan. I bet almost all of us already watched that. In the movie
Mulan, all men in China were obliged to undergo a military training to defend their country from
the invasion of the Mongols or the Huns. However, Fa Mulan who is a very naughty teen age girl
stole the armor of his ill father, pretended to be a man and joined the army para lang hindi
pumunta ang daddy nya sa training. Sa loob ng training, sobrang nahirapan sya. But in the end, si
Mulan bilang nagiisang babae sa buong Chinese soldiers ang naglead para sa victory ng China.
She just showed that you don’t need to be a man just to become a soldier. You just need training,
determination and strength. Today, all of us girl scouts are like Fa Mulan who will later undergo
an emergency preparedness training. Like what we are going to do today, Girl Scouting will train
trains young girls, young adults, and women not only to be responsible mothers where tinuturuan
tayong magluto, magtahi and more works at home. Instead, this association will develop us to
become agents of our community, of our world and of change. Kaya naman, from the time you
all arrived and settled, to the moment when you had full effort and cooperation in building your
tents, up to this very instance where we formally open and start the training, I am pretty sure that
you are all prepared for the battle.

But what kind of battle are we preparing for? Of course, you will not be trained for the
military security of our country like the training of Fa Mulan or the training in Seoul Korea
wherein all men and some women volunteers must must enlist in army to protect their nation
from the possible bombing and attack of North Korean. No. This training is training for life.
What I mean by that is, the basics will be taught to all of you: how to defend yourselves, how to
respond to different disasters and catastrophes, and how to save the lives of others. Starting today
until the last day of this encampment, I am very sure that you will enjoy and savor every
moment.

Girls, please prepare your candies because you will experience how to give life support to
a dying person through resuscitation. Kailangan naman e, mejo fresh ang ating hininga before
magbigay ng hangin sa mouth ng isang tao. Are you ready for that activity? Yes you must!
Because under that lecture or activity on giving first aid, you will really feel that you are a
prepared citizen, a concerned woman who can help whenever you can. Pag-aaralan nyo dito
kung saang part ng chest ang i-pupump, kung ilang pumps ang ibibigay sa dying child and dying
adult, kung paano ang position pag mag-reresucitate, you will learn the Dos and Donts in giving
First aid, what should be your emergency actions, and more. With this, tinuturuan tayong mga
girls to become useful citizens. Although we are not doctors, we are paramedics, or someone
who studied those things, as ordinary individuals, we can extend our help and concern to
someone who is in the verge of losing his life. This is very useful, for example, nagswimming
kayo ng friend mo, and you saw him or her drowning, alam mo na kung ano yung proper way of
reviving him or her,Hindi yung hihintayin mo pa ang rescuers. You will also learn more basic
first aids, pag halimbawang napilay, or nasugad or nagcramps ang kapatid nyo, you know what
to do. By this way, if we already know how be like Superman, e di maipapakita natin sa mundo
na talaga naming nakakabilib ang kababaihan. Hindi lang magaling sa gawaing bahay, kundi
maaasahan sa pag-aabot ng serbisyo sa kapwa-tao.

This training will also teach us and make us aware about whats happening to our
environment. Bakit maaraw sa umaga tapos sa gabi maulan. What are we going to do if for
example we are in our school then an earthquake came. Also, if our house is on fire, how could
we go out if our house is not equipped with fire exit? And what I saw in your schedules was,
youre going to do such activities like rappelling. Have you ever tried that? I never tried it but we
did it in our NSTP in University of the Philippines. I tell you, its really amazing and exciting.
Feeling nyo umaarte kayo sa action movie pag nagrarappell kayo. Well, hindi lang yun sport or
hobby, that could help in case youre in third floor at may sunog. So with this, are you ready for
adventure? But this part is not just pure games, this for me is so exciting but at the same time,
one of the most important things to learn for our own safety. Lalong lalo na at nagiging
komplikado na an gating mundo, we do not kung kelan magkakasunog, magkakalindol,
magkakabagyo, buhawi o ano mang sakuna ang darating, at least we are prepared! We are alert
and we don’t panic.

Ok, girls, are you ready to become action stars? In this encampment, you will be taught
how to do taekwondo. And we all know how important this thing to know. We are aware about
the recent news regarding the death of my fellow UP student, Miss Given Grace. She was raped,
abused and killed by unmerciful men. That’s a can opener to all of us girls not to go home late,
not to go out alone. But although we think that, that will not happen to us kasi may precaution
naman na tayo, we still need to be prepared. We still need to be trained. We don’t hold our fate.
We don’t know what is going to happen. Therefore, we should know some defensive measures
atleast one like taekwondo or judo. And later on, matututunan nyo yun. If you will learn the
basics of self defense, then we girl scouts will learn how to fight against violence. And that is
really important for everybody. Because, if we can stop violence against women by learning on
how to defend ourselves, and knowing how to be brave and strong, we can empower ourselves.
We can show the world the essence of being a woman.

Hindi lang yung mga nabanggit ko ang kailangan nyong i-look forward sa encampment
na ito, there are still more surprises, more activities and more learnings. And I really hope that
after this training of Emergency Preparedness Encampment, you will be like my favorite Disney
Character Mulan wherein even she is not like Darna, Catwoman, or Wonderwoman who have
super powers, she showed that a woman can still save lives, that a woman can still protect
herself, that a woman can still save and protect her community and her nation and a woman can
still be a hero. Girl Scouts, I want you to grab this opportunity given by girl scouting so that you
will all be developed, be empowered and be involved in the community. Give your very bests in
participating and learning in the different activities and lectures in this encampment so that you
will all be advocates of change and improvement. Let us work hand in hand in changing our
world into a harmonious place by being alert, aware and prepared. Yes, if we women are
educated, we can be very useful agent of the betterment of the welfare of humanity and of the
welfare of the world. Girls, Girl Scouts, Women, Today is the start of our empowerment. Good
afternoon.