QUEZON CITY — Under rows of blooming sunflowers lining University Avenue, 5,022 graduates of the University of the Philippines Diliman reached a milestone on Sunday as they took part in the university’s 115th University-Wide Commencement Exercises.
The annual tradition transformed the UP Diliman Amphitheater into a sea of sablay-clad graduates, families, and faculty members celebrating years of academic achievement while reaffirming the university’s enduring ideals of public service and civic engagement.
This year’s commencement carried the theme “Gumagalang,” which, according to the university, underscores the belief that “the foundation of a truly equal and compassionate society rests on the openness of its citizens and leaders to diverse traditions of knowledge.”
The university said graduates were given the opportunity not only to pursue academic excellence but also to engage with differing perspectives throughout their stay in UP.
DEFEND DEMOCRACY
Former Ombudsman and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales delivered the commencement address, urging the graduating class to uphold democracy, accountability, and the rule of law beyond the university.
“Para sa ating mga nagsisipagtapos, mahalagang pagnilayan ito: ang demokrasya ay hindi lamang nasusukat sa pagboto tuwing halalan. Nasusukat din ito sa ating paggalang sa batas, sa pananagutan ng mga pinuno, at sa katapatan ng mga institusyong naglilingkod sa mamamayan,” she said.
She reminded graduates that the country’s democratic future depends on citizens who remain committed to truth and accountability.
“Ang kinabukasan ng ating demokrasya ay nasa kamay ng ating mga mamamayang pinahalagahan ang katotohanan, pinanagutan, at paggalang sa tuntunin ng batas.”
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Carpio-Morales, a UP alumna herself, earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics from UP in 1964 and her law degree in 1968. She served as Ombudsman from 2011 to 2018 after nearly a decade as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.
FROM STUDENTS TO ALUMNI
University President Angelo Jimenez formally conferred the degrees before graduates shifted their sablay from the right shoulder to the left — a symbolic rite marking their transition from students to alumni.
Among this year’s graduates were 154 summa cum laude, 927 magna cum laude, and 914 cum laude awardees, based on figures released by the Office of the University Registrar. Delivering the graduates’ message was Janine Sofia Marie Umiten, who finished Bachelor of Science in Social Work as summa cum laude — the first in the history of the College of Social Work and Community Development to earn the university’s highest academic distinction.
"Bago tayo matuto magsilbi, matuto muna tayong umunawa, magpaunawa," she said.
"Kapantay natin ang masa sa kanilang dangal. Kapantay natin sila sa kanilang karunungan. Kapantay natin sila sa kakahayang baguhin ang lipunan. Sa ating pagsablay, huwag tayong mabingi sa lakas ng palakpak," Umiten added.
MORE THAN A DIPLOMA
For many graduates, the ceremony marked the culmination of years of sacrifice.
“Very relieved. Para siyang malaking bato na natanggal mula sa aming mga balikat,” said education graduate Jace Arnaiz.
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“Pero alam po namin na kapalit naman nito ang isang mas malaking responsibilidad: iyon ay paglingkuran ang sambayanan.”
He also expressed gratitude to Filipino taxpayers for supporting state university students.
“Syempre malaking pagpapasalamat po sa taumbayan na nagtiwala sa amin na nagbigay ng kanilang pinansyal na suporta.”
“Sa puso namin, hindi namin malilimutan yun at lahat ng aming gagawin ay lagi’t laging para sa bayan.”
Parents shared the same sense of fulfillment.
“We feel so blessed. After all the hardships ng bata… four years and she’s graduating,” said John Balde, whose daughter graduated summa cum laude.
“With God’s help, summa cum laude. Thank you, UP.”
“Malaking naitulong sa kanya na ihubog siya, her beliefs and lahat on what she is now.”
CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
The celebration also reflected UP’s long tradition of student activism.
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Shortly after the commencement rites, some graduates and students staged a lightning rally to press their calls for government accountability.
Protesters renewed demands for the continuation of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, increased funding for education, and justice for Alyssa Alano, a UP student who was killed in Negros Occidental earlier this year.
Human rights groups and student organizations have accused state forces of responsibility for Alano’s death, an allegation denied by the military.
“Panata ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan na [sa] paglabas namin dito, ipagpapatuloy namin yung laban hanggang matuloy ang impeachment trial for Sara Duterte. Hanggang tuluyan siyang ma-convict,” said Joaquin Buenaflor, incumbent chairperson of the UP University Student Council.
“After that, papanagutin naman namin si [Ferdinand] Marcos Jr. tapos kasabay po nun ng mas malawak pa naming paglaban para sa tunay na long-lasting justice sa lipunan.”
“Kasama na diyan yung pagpapanawagan namin sa hustisya para kay Alyssa Alano.”
“Si Alyssa ay isa sa mga kasamahan namin na pinatay ng mga militar sa Toboso, Negros Occidental. Kasama dapat namin siya gumraduate ngayon pero pinatay siya ng pasistang estado.”
“Wala man dito si Alyssa pero kasama namin, bitbit namin, ang panawagan ni Alyssa, ang militanteng diwa ni Alyssa, at lahat ng mga kabataan.”
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Education graduate Ai Cardeño also used the occasion to call for reforms in the education sector.
“Ang panawagan natin [ay] 50,000 na starting [salary] para sa mga guro. Public at private [schools].”
“Yung budget sa edukasyon, hindi dapat sa kurapsyon dahil hindi lang ninanakaw yung pera, [pati] yung kinabukasan din ng mga bata.”
As the ceremony concluded, graduates posed for photos beneath the university’s iconic sunflowers — a graduation tradition dating back to the 1970s — before leaving the campus carrying both their diplomas and the ideals that have long defined the country’s premier state university.