Passing torches, connecting cables: Our generation's role in society

What exactly is our generation’s purpose in society? We were raised on our grandparents’ stories whispered beside a flickering candle, yet we also grew up scrolling on glowing rectangles that lit our young faces at midnight. Our role is strong: to connect the generations of tradition with the generations of modernity. We stand as the bridge between two different eras.

- By ABIGAIL O. ZALDIVAR La Salle Green Hills FIRST RUNNER-UP

We carry the echoes of a slower and more structured past — family dinners where we practice kamayan, bringing unity between communities through bayanihan, and doing mano po to our elders by placing their hands on our foreheads as a sign of respect. Through kamayan, we learn unity and sharing; through bayanihan, teamwork and spirit; and through pagmamano, respect. These values — respect, patience, unity, and gratitude — are lessons the older generation teaches us, remaining relevant even in today’s world.