Pearl Anniversary Celebration of
the International Club of U.P.

Welcome Address of President Edgardo J. Angara
during the Pearl Anniversary celebration
of the International Club of U.P.
on 21 November 1985

World peace and unity in these perilous times would seem to be a sigh of a dreamer. Hundreds of millions of people living in every country and under whatever clime desperately seek peace. Yet the reality they see is not a world of peace but a world that is trembling with fear of their mass annihilation.

And yet we cannot afford the dream of peace to vanish. Men and women, regardless of race, religion and creed must insist on and work hard together for a world of goodwill and understanding. More than ever, the human spirit must prevail over mistrust and cynicism.

Man's great achievements have been made possible by the use of his intelligence and the assertion of his will against all odds. There was a time when a flight to the moon was only the creation of a fertile imagination. Yet within our generation we witness three men ventured out to the moon and, conquering space, made a giant leap for mankind.

I suppose that world peace would require more gigantic leaps. I think that all men would like to see one happen at the ongoing summit in Geneva between US President Reagan and Soviet general-Secretary Gorbachev. That superpower summit is vital to our lives for, we now realize, that world stability depends largely on superpower relations.

Indeed is not the bottom line for all efforts at universal goodwill and fraternal relations the ineluctable fact that one world is really all that we have?

I like to think that the idea behind the establishment and growing appeal of the UP International Club is the keen awareness of that capital fact.

Bringing together students from different parts of the world, the UP International Club contributes meaningfully to spreading that message among University students.

The UP International Club describes to us the ideal world our youth would like to have. A world where the diversity of customs, traditions and values does not hinder appreciation for the common heritage of the human race.

On this note, I would like to bid a most cordial welcome to our distinguished guestts this morning.

Good day.