Greetings:
My name is Ofelia B. Mutia "Angging." I was born here in Aloran, raised in the village of Makawa, went to college in Cebu, worked for a few years in Manila, and now live (for 30 years) in the United States. I hope what I have to say today will inspire our children to follow their dreams. Like Martin Luther King, Jr. I also have a dream that someday my children and your children will carry on our legacy of love and strength to freely help change this world to become a better place. When I was young, people used to tell me that I was an "ambitious dreamer." Absolutely, I know now that such statement was true. My "ambitious dream" to become what I wanted to be and hoped to accomplish was what released me from fear to conquer my challenging world.

Every time I am invited to make a speech, I always ask my self "where should I start?" The way I know is to start talking about my life. That is because I feel that telling my life story is a powerful tool that stimulates one's emotion to be fearless of what's ahead. Let me put it this way, in America when people give advice they'll say "I've been there and done that."

When I look back at the painful experiences, sufferings and hardships that I have gone through in life, I could never ask myself as to how I have managed to tackle them. I am thankful to those who have given me love, support and respect as a human being. What I know now is that all along God with His unconditional love and support has never forsaken me. He was and is always there for me. I will always be thankful to my family and relatives who continue to give me their undying love and respect. I shall treasure the love and support that Inday Jovy and her family has given my children and me as I sheered through my trials and tribulations as a single mother. I will always be grateful to Benjie for the love and care that she gave to my daughter Michelle. Most of all, Nancy my sister who is always there for me as my sister. Our relationship with one another has never changed since we were young. We disagreed, we argued, we fought with our difference in principles, but we always made up and continue to love each other because we share the common blood that glued us together in spirits and love - the Mutia blood.

Bonding with God - (of an innocent mind)
I tell you this, Education is a Must. I want you to know that "Yesterday", I dared to struggle but "Today" I dare to Win. President John F. Kennedy once said "only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly", while WWII General George S. Patton also said "success is how you bounce when you hit bottom." Oh yes, Bottom did I hit many, many times in my life. I have fallen over and over, but I have also refused to accept defeat.

Growing up without a mother, I was very fortunate to have been raised by my Mutia grandparents. My father's clan was made up of educators where education was and still is a top priority. At first grade, I had learned what it was like to explore life through education. My first grade teacher was my Aunt who had showed me the first trek to a career path. My world turned its course when my beloved Grandfather Tatay Indong Mutia died just as I was approaching high school. My dreams to finish high school and college became so vague. With tenacity and determination to conquer life, I used several avenues including a plan to attend school and work part-time under an auspice of a "working student." I didn't have luck on such plan, but I finished high school, of course with thorns on my sides.

When I graduated from high school, my wisdom to attain a higher education was in full speed. With very limited resources, I went off to college in quest for a nursing degree. I remember hearing a gossip attacking my credibility "kanas Angging, ga-eskwela eskwela ug Cebu morag anak ug datu, madigyas gani na siya, bulikatan ko gyod na." As a young woman, it was difficult to deal with the flood of negative forces against me. However, I also felt God's Barrier was protecting me from that flood because I completely entrusted my life to Him. As said in Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Little did I know that God was in complete control of my life. It was God who processed me to overcome every obstacle. As I continued to stay closer to God, I felt that the Forces before me were stronger than the forces against me. In reality the fight against me was actually not because of my past, but where I was going.

Therefore, I ignored intrigues and turned my head away from invidious eyes and mouths as I swallowed my pride. I went ahead and enrolled in college and never held grudges against those "negative forces." As Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you." That you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

With amazing grace, while at college in Cebu I found myself surrounded by kind and loving family who treated me like their own sister - the Mutia-Abuton family. Babie Juliet made sure that I didn't feel alienated from the "boarding household." I ate with them, laughed with them, and cried with them. At times, I didn't have anything to contribute to the costs of living with them. What they shared with me I accepted with dignity and heartfelt gratitude. They have never once asked nor expected me to this day to repay them the love and compassion that they gave me. Sometimes, I used to wonder how I was going to repay them. I know now that it's not about paying back directly to the ones who gave it to you, but to our God who gave us the ability to give and receive. That's because in my lifetime, I have also given my unconditional love and compassion to other people who also was in need. That my friends - is called passing on a righteous legacy.

Another blow to my future came to pass when I lost my grandmother while I was sheering through my college junior year. Broke and alone to conquer the challenges of financing myself through college, I almost lost my battle to earn a college degree. Going through a mid-year college crisis made it almost impossible to concentrate on my studies, so I quit school for one year. Although seemed like the end of my world, I continued to thrive for means to move on. I approached many relatives and requested their but to no avail. Feeling so very lonely and desperate, I turned to God and entrusted everything to Him. It was in that life that I was walking through Jesus passage in Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Resurfacing the stamina of my dreams, I went back to college, and once again with so much agonizing sacrifices, such as eating one meal a day and wearing one set of school uniform over and over again - washing it every other night and fanning by hand to dry it. I never saw what was ahead of me in the next weeks, months, and years. All I knew was that somehow I was going to finish college. I struggled, fought, persevered and endured the painful agony to gain my college degree. To make the story short, with very limited resources and moral support while tumbling into several roller coasters of my life, I earned my college degree. By this time, I realized that I stood by the "edge" to see success came through.

Remarkably, fate brought me to the United States with a naïve' fairy-tale notion. Undaunted, I struggled the harsh reality of life in a foreign land where there was no one I could call for comfort and help, but the one Solid Being - our God. Because of Faith, I stood by Him as He stood by Me…. And the rest is my lifetime history.

Entering into a working arena in a foreign land was quite challenging, but certainly exciting. Starting as a Personnel Staff Assistant in a very prestigious U.S. Government Institution called the Pentagon was to me,.. very exciting. With just a copy of college transcript of my B.S. degree, I felt exhilarated of the new freedom I attained. America - the true land of opportunity, has provided me with every opportunity to gain career advancement through varied training and work experience. Although my college degree was totally unrelated to the job I was assigned to, I was confident that I was going to excel in what was expected of me. Again, that was because of the moral discipline and ethical principles that Tatay Indong Mutia has instilled in me. To make long story short, I received 4 promotions within 2 years, which led me to a career level as Management Analyst.

From thereon, I just let life took its course, which led me to accomplish my graduate studies in South Carolina while single-handedly supporting and raising my children. By this time, I experienced similar, but satisfying sacrifices because God gave me the opportunity to have people around who believed in me and trusted my ability to succeed. Nancy, Inday Jovy with her family, and Benje fetched in as I struggled to earn my advanced studies. With that, I also realized the true meaning of my existence because of my children's love and affection.

Counting Blessings - Not Payback
Who would have imagined that a small town girl from Makawa would one day be sitting side by side with high-ranking American officials who wore stars on their shoulders? Those officials valued my professional opinion and respected my work ethics and principles as I did for them. I remember Tita Meding Aguhob once said to me "maayo ra gud ka Ging kay bisag asa ka balhin ug puyo, dali ra ka makakuha ug nindot nga trabaho?" Who would have imagined me competing against other working American professionals for a Government job internship, then to be interviewed among the 5 finalists and only to be picked for the job? Then 10 years later, I continued to explore the future and implore the Devine. Again, who would have thought that this single mother of two, would be competing in Houston, Texas against 100 highly talented dietitian intern applicants from all across the United States and to be picked among the 9 selected and only to be one of 8 who graduated? As I am reflecting those days, I recognized that those driven desires to excel were God's Power bestowed in order for me to see life in a true perspective.

Marching through a graduation aisle at an American university was a very emotional life experience. Before the school days ended, God revealed his love again when my Internship Director gave me a "greeting card". In it she wrote "Ofelia thank you for believing in you. If I had to give an "Intern of the Year Award" to anyone (which I have never done), I would not give it to anyone but to you." Her statement hit right straight into my heart, which brought me to tears - tears of gratitude to my God. So, in return I promised to pass on her legacy. I gave back to my university and mentored new breeds of dietitian professionals by serving as University Adjunct Clinical Instructor and Dietetic Interns Preceptor. With that, I successfully produced young Registered Dietitians.

Nostalgic Childhood
Like most of you, I can trace my Mutia blood from the island of Bohol. I started life with a very insignificant background. I grew up missing and yearning for my mother while facing the absence of a father. However, somehow in my innocent heart I knew that I always have the Mutia family to lean on. I always saw this very kind and loving man (my Tatay Indong Mutia) who has always taught us what family was all about. He had instilled his Mutia legacy of love and compassion.

When I left Makawa, Aloran in 1976, I never knew then when I was coming back. In August of 1998, I was glad to have returned to my homeland for the first time in 22 years. Feeling like a prodigal child, I felt so remorseful of the years I have lost. Nevertheless, setting foot on my motherland again, I was proud to have maintained not only my Filipino identity, but also my family loyalty. Walking through the aisles of the village where I grew up, I could not help but admired the attractive, natural wonder of the shining seas and greenery. I think it was because most everything that I have left 22 years past was still there, except they were rearranged in different places by earth and time. Undeniably, nostalgic memories hit me as I looked at the grounds where I tried to trace my ancestors' fading footsteps.

Memories, milestones, and dreams helped me truly understand my roles and responsibilities as a Mutia parent. Strengthening our family ties with our Mutia values and traditions is a noble task that each of us must do. Nowadays because of the complexity of our genetic makeup, many of us are unsure of our Roots. Our children (the Mutia descendants) are seeking to define the identity they can call their own. As parents, many of us lack the inclination, time or, for a variety of reasons, the physical, emotional, moral and spiritual capability and commitment to give our children the right answer. That is because we are consumed by "earthly things and desires" and forget the very reason of why God has put us here on this planet.

Family Dependency
While growing up as a lonely young child, I used to blame God for causing my sadness because He took my mother away before I could even learn to communicate with her. Unbeknownst to my young mind, God gave me the choice of which path to take. I independently took the path of sacrifices to earn an education, but I could have also taken a "carefree path" that could have resulted in difficult consequences in life. There are many of our family members or relatives who were sent to college and wasted their future through abusive and wasteful behavior. It is sad to see them lose their chance of their lifetime. Opportunity only knocks your door once and if you don't grab and use it wisely, it is over for you.

The foremost obligation of a parent is to facilitate our children's education. By cultural descent, parents expect children to take care of them in return. As in our culture, the children obligate to furnish the parents with comfort and livelihood as gesture of gratitude. However, such cultural habit must have a peripheral control point in order to promote procreation among our family.

To Mutia children - whatever care, love and support that your parents have given you to crown your glory, please do not forget and forsake your parents. Return to them that same care with the rules of understanding that your independence is your key to a new life of your own.

To Mutia parents - whatever financial support given by your children in return for their success, please do not abuse it. Expand your horizon such as expanding your farming industry or whatever livelihood you see could improve from the financial aid that you received from your children's gratitude. Use it wisely and expeditiously to flourish your independence from your children. Do not depend on each other for life, let the children grow to seed their own.

Family Law - Right or Wrong
There is a big difference between right and wrong, and God has given us the freedom of choice. When we look at what has happened in our lives, what do we do first? We look at "who's and what's to blame before looking at ourselves and take responsibility of our actions. We make choices and when things go wrong, we don't examine ourselves why we made those choices. Instead, we blame others or God for our sufferings which is resulting from our wrongful decisions and acts. We never know what the future holds, but we certainly have control of our actions.

In politics we could also make many different choices. We can be a dedicated member of a certain political party and without examining the ability of each politician to do his/her job, we may just "go with the flow" because we chose to vote for a political party, not a person's ability to do the job well. Then if things go wrong in our society because of corrupt government, where do we point the fingers to blame? Ask yourself? Remember corruption doesn't start from a government. It always starts from a corrupt heart, mind and soul; and these are what comprise of a society, and society is where you create a government.

Seeking our Families
In the old days, our ancestors have had unrealistic belief on how the family should behave by way of their prejudicial judgment and treatment amongst family members. For example, given the fact that the majority of our ancestors came from the Catholic Faith, those who went astray from such faith were outcast and prejudicially ignored. I remember growing up witnessing how my grandmother ex-communicating her brother because he was in the Pentecostal Faith. I felt so much sadness because her brother was such a loving man and I loved him dearly as well. Families were against Families because they were either Aglipays, Pentecostals, or Protestants. Who are we to judge that our Faith is better than theirs? After all, we are what we call God's children, aren't we? Now that we have come to realize and become more civilized, we see the vast understanding of why our ancestors behaved that way. It is now up to us to change the course of how our family should enjoy our existence through our strong bond of fellowship.

Let's see what's going on with our family. What is this about quarrel amongst us? How many of us who have members in our families who did not speak to each other for years due to inheritance dispute. Forgiveness was only made possible when one of the parties was nailed shut in coffin, …. by then it was too late.

I have read a book that makes people understand why "bad things" happen to "good people" - is just part of being alive. When we are hit with injustice we tend to hold on to the pain that makes us so bitter (because it is hard to let go) instead of trusting God to make it up to us. If we choose not to harbor anger, we can avoid poisoning our lives with bitterness. The book cited this scripture: "make sure that no root of bitterness shoots forth and does not contaminates many". The writer simply capitulated how "bitterness" as a "root" is hidden. Naturally, we can't see a "root" because it is deep under the ground. It is simply reminding us that "bitter root" will produce "bitter fruit" and therefore, the bitterness inside us will affect every area of our lives. While many bury hurt and pain deep in their hearts and subsconscious minds by trying to change change their lives, it still become so obvious outside. That is because "bitterness" that is rooted inside our core being contaminates our personalities and attitudes, and thus, affect how we treat other people. Remember that "bitter root gives bitter tree" and "bitter tree bears bitter fruits."

Reaffirmation
Our life here on earth is in a passing stage and unless we leave a living legacy of God's love and compassion, we would be seeing a world left with a legacy of defeat. By then, as we look from above in a different dimension, what we will see is the sad and painful lives of those we left behind.

It is naïve to claim that we are God's children because the world as we see today, "brothers are killing brothers." Unless we go back to our spiritual foundation and see our true purpose of why we are here, we can only truly say that "we are God's children" if we care for the poor, especially in our family. That is why we need to salvage the components of what we have in our family tree line. By doing so, we can continue to follow what the Holy Family had done to theirs.

Our Mutia ancestry is God-given and we shall treasure it now and throughout generations to come. The KSMMI organization is a very special project that you and I should be proud of and work very hard to foster our Mutia legacy. We may not know if we are chosen by God to do the task until we see how many of our people whose lives are changed for the better because of our good deeds.

Working on a project like KSMMI is not as easy as one may think. It involves a lot of hard work, time, emotions and money. If all of us can work together as pure volunteers, we can easily remember that this job promotes spiritual virtue from our Lord Almighty. On the other hand, we shall not oblige anyone unless they wholeheartedly give their hearts and spirits to this cause. Likewise, we must not expect anything in return from those we have helped. Instead, we should always encourage fostering this legacy of love and spiritual leadership in the Mutia family throughout generations to come.

The Mutia family - A Legacy of Shared Virtue
The Mutia historical record will annotate notable achievers. The website www.mutiaclan.com that I have created is intended to reach out to all Mutia across the globe. We are a mongrel clan - which means we are the results of different breeds. However, the Mutia blood remains the strongest foundation of our breed. Each of us have a unique characteristic, but we have a specific strain of Mutia DNA. The new generation of Mutia breed is a specialist who shows a highly developmental capacity to make a difference among mankind. We are equipped with vitality, tenacity, democratic instincts, and yet with originality and loyalty to the blood that molded us to be what we are today.

I believe in passing on a righteous legacy to our future generations. Many of our children are talented groups of people who embody a future generation of a righteous nation. Although we cannot remake the "original Mutia blood" because we are the result of the "melting pot", we can certainly assimilate a new Mutia breed that can withstand the calamity of society. We must continue to nurture our children to have that simple individualistic virtue. We must instill in them the Mutia strength and allow them to stand on equal footing so they could have equal rights and opportunities to seek for a good future. I know in my heart that majority of them will overwhelmingly give us their loyalty without stint or reservation that they are made from "Mutia bone, flesh and blood."

Mutia is Love - In closing, I leave you with the precious words of Mother Teresa

• Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come.
• We have only today, let us begin.
• If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
• Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.
• It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing.
• It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.
• There is a terrible hunger for love.
• We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness.
• We must have the courage to recognize it.
• The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them, Love them.
• If we pray, we will believe; If we believe; we will love; If we love, we will Serve.

Thank you - God Speed and God Bless the Mutia family!!!