Dannyka Manangan

Maricel Laxa highlights power of second chances in speech at 2025 UPLB Masters and PhD Graduation

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E. Kristhoff Cagape

Push Team

<p>Maricel Laxa delivered an inspiring keynote speech as the guest speaker for the 2025 University of the Philippines Los Baños graduation ceremony for Master’s and PhD students.</p><p>On Instagram, Maricel shared a clip from her speech, which centered around the theme of second chances, or what she fondly calls &quot;Take 2.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Take 2! ✌🏼 No matter what season of life, we all need and should avail of our chance for a Take 2,&quot; she wrote.</p><p>Explaining the meaning behind her &quot;Take 2&quot; philosophy, she said: &quot;It is from rising up from every challenge that I have been able to overcome life&#x27;s many challenges. Am truly honored to have had the chance to address the 2025 UPLB Masters and PhD Graduates as well as their families and friends.&quot;</p><p>Maricel also expressed her hope for the graduates&#x27; role in shaping the future. &quot;My challenge to them and all the graduates then is this: What problem will you help solve? I am excited to see the outcome of our nation’s future with all the graduates having finished their degrees. To all of you, Mabuhay and All the best!&quot; she stated.</p><div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMwfBfHTYnH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link"></a></div><iframe class="instagram-media" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMwfBfHTYnH/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A58376.80000001192%2C%22ls%22%3A57570.5%2C%22le%22%3A58250.19999998808%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="0" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px;min-width:326px;padding:0px;position:absolute"></iframe><blockquote class=" instagram-media-registered" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMwfBfHTYnH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" id="instagram-media-payload-0" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMwfBfHTYnH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link"></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMwfBfHTYnH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMwfBfHTYnH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan (@mommymaricel)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>In her heartfelt speech, the actress reminded the graduates that &quot;perfection is not our goal. It is restoration.”</p><p>She then shared a personal story that sparked the origin of her &quot;Take 2&quot; message. &quot;My daughter asked me this a long time ago, she said, &#x27;Mom, can we start all over again?&#x27; She whispered. Ito po si Hannah, she was very young then, this was maybe 20 years ago,&quot; she recounted.</p><p>&quot;I just had lost my temper and actually that moment when she whispered to me, &#x27;Mom can we start all over again?&#x27; it gave birth to something now we call &#x27;Take 2.&#x27;&quot;</p><p>Maricel then reminded the graduates that failure is inevitable but recovery and resilience matter more.</p><p>&quot;So every time we find ourselves lost because we forgot to get a hold of ourselves, we say stop, cut, Take 2.  I am far, I am very far from being a perfect mom but I try hard. When I fail, I&#x27;ll ask for forgiveness, and then I&#x27;ll try again. That&#x27;s the point of life. You will fail but are you prepared to rise up again?&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Maricel Laxa served as the keynote speaker at the 2025 University of the Philippines Los Baños graduation ceremony for Master’s and PhD students.</p>

Maricel Laxa served as the keynote speaker at the 2025 University of the Philippines Los Baños graduation ceremony for Master’s and PhD students.