Read the full speech transcript:
COMMENCEMENT SPEECH
By: Engr. Jeremiah B. Garlit
Good morning everyone, graduates, parents, guests, professors, the board of trustees, and of course TIP’s president, Dr. Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz. It is my distinct honor and high privilege to stand before you all here at the 39th/62nd commencement ceremony of my alma mater – the Technological Institute of the Philippines. I would like to thank our president for inviting me as your speaker for this year’s commencement exercises.
LIFE OF ENGR. JEREMIAH B. GARLIT
Magku-kuwento muna ako ng buhay ko ha?
Before I became Engr. Jeremiah B. Garlit, I was Jerry, a poor boy living in a small barrio in Pangasinan, whose neither parents are high school graduates and are living through farming. Being the eldest and the only boy in a sibling of four, I have seen how my parents, despite the hardships of life, continued to be resilient in raising us with their very limited resources. Before, kailangan talaga naming maglakad ng 5km sa putikan pag tag-ulan at sa alikabok pag tag-init para lang makapasok.
TIP Journey
But despite the circumstances of our life, my parents showed grit and resilience, and that motivated me to do the same although unimaginable at that time. I finished my elementary and high school as valedictorian, and comes college, naglakas loob ang mga magulang ko na pag aralin ako kaya nakapasok ako sa TIP QC. Pero hindi pa rin naging madali yung buhay ko noon dahil madalas wala akong baon. Minsan kahit pamasahe sa jeep, wala, kaya nilalakad ko lang papasok. Tapos minsan walang pangkain, minsan nililibre ng mga kaibigan kapalit ng pagtulong sa paggawa ng assignments. Pag summer vacation, nagko-construction ako para lang may maipon at may magamit sa susunod na pasukan.
Five years akong nagtiyaga at nagsikap para makuha ang aking college degree at additionally ilang buwan na review para sa board exam. Kaya naman grumaduate ako ng 1989 at nakapasa sa board exam nung 1990.
Work Experience
So nung nakapagtapos na ako sa pag-aaral, since hindi naman ako lumaki sa pamilya ng mga entrepreneur, wala sa isip ko noon ang mag-business. Ang naka-set sa isip ko – kailangan ko maghanap ng trabaho. 1989 to 1990, ang hirap kumuha ng trabaho noon. Bagsak ang ekonomiya dahil puro coup d’etat. Pero thankfully noong 1990, nakapasok ako as technical sales engineer sa sole distributor ng Square D na ngayon ay Schneider na. Hindi bagay sa akin ang sales kasi introvert ako. But that didn’t stop me nor discouraged me. Because I believe it is going to be an opportunity for me to learn a new skill that will help me in my professional journey. 1994 I joined a panel fabrication company then in 1998, I transferred to Schneider Electric Philippines. In both companies, I worked in Sales.
Year 2000, I stumbled upon this book by Robert Kiyosaki entitled Rich Dad, Poor Dad. In that book, I learned the difference between being an employee and a business owner. That book basically inspired me to aim bigger, to go beyond what I think I can do.
Business Acumen
And so I resigned from Schneider in 2002 and in 2004, I, together with my CPA wife Lei, put up Greenlight Power, Inc. with a capital of P100,000 whose core business then was trading of panel boards. I started by tapping the network of clients which I built during my sales stint in my previous employers. And slowly, from a team of two, Greenlight Power grew in number of employees, clients, and projects, and eventually diversified to electrical contracting. To cope with the growing market share of Greenlight, we put up Greenmetal Electric Manufacturing Corporation, our panel fabrication business in 2011; GO Power Solutions, our after-sales support servicing company in 2022; and recently, PowerGreen Solutions, our trading and engineering company catering Northern and Central Luzon markets.
To date:
a.We have more than 300 regular employees;
b.We have thousands of client rosters, most of which are multi-national and multi-billion companies such as Huawei, Globe Telecom, PLDT, SM, Megaworld, Petron, and San Miguel Corporation, to name a few;
c.We have a 3,000 sqm manufacturing facility with state-of-the-art machineries in Sta. Maria Bulacan;
d.We invested and leveraged the use of cutting-edge technology;
e.We have PCAB License Category A; and
f.We are ISO 9001:2015 certified.
LEARNINGS
If I were to bring myself back to being a barrio boy, what we have right now is beyond the imaginable. But we, as in we because I believe that what I have right now is not only because of me but because of all the people who were involved in this development, we were able to reach such heights and continue to soar higher because of many factors. But I picked up three factors that are most applicable for today’s event:
Factor 1: Have a Big Vision driven by a Mission
Before, I would tell people to dream big. But then I realized that when we say dream, it’s just a picture, an imagination of something and that’s it. But when we say vision, you see what’s at the end of your sight and ALL that comes before it. For example, if I say dream ko na maging presidente ng isang kompanya, that’s just an image in my mind that I am a president of a company. But when I say my vision is to be the president of a company, it’s not just an image, it also comes with action, steps, and things to do for me to reach that vision.
And that’s what we have for us. We have a vision – a very clear vision for our companies and for our life; that our companies’ vision is to be the most preferred, world-class electrical contractor and supplier in the Philippines. And our step towards that vision is guided by our mission to make contributions for the advancement and welfare of humanity. That is why while we walk towards being the most preferred electrical contractor and supplier, we make sure that our business is actively involved in projects that will elevate the welfare of every Filipino.
And here’s the thing, wag kayong matakot na magkaroon ng malaking vision. Yes there will always be hurdles, it’s not easy, and most of the time it’s easier to stay within our comfort zone. But as human beings, we are created to create; we are builders. Our purpose is not only to survive but to live. And part of living is building a brighter tomorrow for all the generations to come.
Factor 2: Adaptability
So you have a vision, and you identified the steps you need to take. You started the journey but somewhere along the way, you realized that it is not what you expected it to be. Mas mahirap pala! What do you do? Give up? Go back? No! You need to adapt to your situation.
A good example that I can give is the pandemic. Very unexpected yun ‘di ba? When the pandemic started, we didn’t know what to do. Things were uncertain. Lockdown lahat, halos lahat ng projects nag-stop, hindi pwedeng mag-onsite work. But we had bills to pay! We needed to pay employees’ salaries. So paano na di ba? Buti, we have the technologies to go for remote work setup. But during that time the internet was not as robust and as stable as it is now. Good thing the government had a mandate to fast-track increasing the number of cell sites in the country. And it was an opportunity for us since Globe/Smart/PLDT/Dito were our pre-pandemic clients. So while all construction projects stopped, we redirected our efforts towards serving the electrical needs of the telco expansion and it became our bread and butter. That’s how our companies thrived. We adapted to the circumstances and took advantage of the opportunities.
In my twenty years of running a business I have learned that no matter how much you plan and how detailed your plan is, once a project starts, something unexpected will always come up – and that’s beyond your control! But you can control how you will react. And so it’s very important to be adaptable for you to have control and continue on with your journey.
Factor 3: Lifelong Learning
Having a mindset that “alam ko na yan” or “magaling naman ako” is a mindset that will lead to failure. Why? Because if you think that way, there will be no space for growth and improvement. Magaling ka na eh! The best ka na. Ano pa ii-improve mo?
That is why in our companies we advocate Lifelong Learning. In fact, as part of the Key Performance Indicator, we require our employees to undergo a minimum of 24 hours of training per year to make sure that they are being upskilled, being well-equipped with the current and future trends, and most importantly, unleash their potential. We have employees who were promoted to higher leadership positions, and we are proud that all of our managers are homegrown. They started with us as rank-and-file employees, some are even fresh graduates or new board exam passers.
And ako mismo, I don’t make myself the best person in the room. I allow my ideas to be challenged if needed, and I make sure to hear what others have to say. I upskill myself by reading a lot of books. Because in reality, there will always be something new that we have to learn. What we know is effective now, may not be effective in the future. And so it’s important that as we take steps towards our vision, we adapt by learning.
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And so before I end this message, I want to share with you a parable – a very short story that will shift our minds about how we see graduations. We usually think of graduation as an end, isn’t it? But is it really the end? Let me read to you the Parable of the Black Belt.
Parable of the Black Belt
Picture a martial artist kneeling before the master teacher or sensei in a ceremony to receive a hard-earned black belt. After years of relentless training, the student has finally reached a pinnacle of achievement in the discipline.
“Before granting the belt, you must pass one more test,” says the sensei. “I am ready,” responds the student, expecting perhaps one final round of sparring.
“You must answer the essential question: What is the true meaning of the black belt?”
“The end of my journey,” says the student. “A well-deserved reward for all my hard work.”
The sensei waits for more. Clearly, he is not satisfied. Finally, the sensei speaks. “You are not yet ready for the black belt. Return in one year.”
A year later, the student kneels again in front of the sensei.
“What is the true meaning of the black belt?” asks the sensei.
“A symbol of distinction and the highest achievement in our art,” says the student. The sensei says nothing for many minutes, waiting. Clearly, he is not satisfied. Finally, he speaks.
“You are still not ready for the black belt. Return in one year.”
A year later, the student kneels once again in front of the sensei. And again the sensei asks: “What is the true meaning of the black belt?”
“The black belt represents the beginning — the start of a never-ending journey of discipline, work, and the pursuit of an ever-higher standard,” says the student.
“Yes. You are now ready to receive the black belt and begin your work.”
— from Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras.)
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And so, the diploma that you will be receiving today does not signify the end, but rather the start of a journey towards your big vision driven by your mission. Along your journey, may you be adaptable to make your circumstances an advantage, and may you learn from every step that you take. Again, to all the graduates, congratulations on your achievement of finishing your respective degrees!
Congratulations too sa lahat ng magulang na nagsakripisyo mapagtapos lang ang pag-aaral ng mga anak. Saludo ako sa inyo.
Thank you.
Greenlight Power, Inc. is an ISO 9001:2015 electrical engineering company located at Dolmar Golden Hills, Subd., Llano Road, Caloocan City with over a thousand clients, served since its establishment in January 2004.