University News

Graduates Mark 2026 YECE by Honoring the Journeys Behind Their Success

Karylle Anne Cabugos And Aella Marie Pusod, News, Communication Management Office

SDG 4 SDG 8 SDG 10 SDG 16

The second day of the 2026 Year-End Commencement Exercises (YECE) was a celebration of degrees earned, but also a reflection of the struggles and circumstances that made these achievements possible.

Held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on September 22, 2026, the event comprised 3,923 graduates, comprising students from the College of Communication (COC), College of Social Sciences and Development (CSSD), College of Political Science and Public Administration (CPSPA), College of Tourism, Hospitality, and Transportation Management (CTHTM) and College of Science (CS), College of Computer and Information Sciences (CCIS), College of Education (COED), and the Post Baccalaureate program of the COED. 

The ceremonies brought together families and members of the PUP Community as they witnessed the graduates formally receive the degrees they had worked toward.

Yet throughout the day's addresses, graduation was framed as more than the recognition of individual achievement. Behind every diploma were people who helped carry its weight, circumstances that shaped the student's paths, and a responsibility to make the education received matter beyond the University.

Beyond the Diploma: Looking towards the future possibilities

Former PUP Vice President Pascualito B. Gatan urged graduates to see their diploma not as an end, but as a promise to carry discipline, perseverance, humility, gratitude, and integrity forward. 

As they step into an uncertain future, San Juan City Mayor Francisco Javier “Francis” Zamora encouraged them to be open and ready for every possible opportunity. Yet beneath that call lies a shared struggle: for graduates who have navigated financial pressures, uncertainty, and a system that does not always meet their aspirations, dreaming itself can be difficult.

Tingog Party-list Representative and House Committee on Higher and Technical Education Chairperson Rep. Jude Acidre captured this notion, saying “Mabigat mangarap kung paulit-ulit ka nang binibigo ng sistema.” (“It is difficult to dream when the system repeatedly fails you.”)

Different circumstances, same objective

That struggle resonated in the valedictory addresses, as the top graduates reflected on the people, hardships, and perseverance behind their degrees.

Shealla Lyn Erese Cabagay, a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Bachelor of Science in Psychology, reflected on the different circumstances that shaped each graduate’s journey. While they stood on the same stage, she reminded them, “We did not take the same road to get here.” 

Standing before the graduates, she said that their degrees are not only proof of what they achieved.

Juan Christian Bertos Haruhara, a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Bachelor of Science in Biology–Microbiology Track, focused on the people who became part of their journey. Drawing from the film ‘Ekstra’, he reminded graduates that being an “extra” in someone else’s life does not make their presence insignificant.

He said “Kahit bida tayo sa sarili nating buhay. Extra tayo sa buhay ng bawat isa. At hindi na rin masama because being an extra does not mean being insignificant.” 

(“Even though we are the protagonists in our own lives, we are extras in the lives of others—and being an extra does not mean being insignificant”).

Meanwhile, Rogie Amador Colo, a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Filipino, looked back on the struggles that shaped their college years. 

Recalling the experience of searching for spare coins when money was tight, he said, “Ang barya ay hindi lang maliit na halaga. Ito ay simbolo ng ating determinasyon na pumasok at lumaban sa kabila ng kakulangan.” (“The coin is not just a small amount. It is a symbol of our determination to attend school and keep fighting despite our struggles”).

Their messages reflected the various paths that brought the graduates to the same stage. As they celebrate this achievement, they are also preparing to carry out these lessons beyond PUP: into new professions, communities, and the next phase of their lives.

As the graduates begin their next chapter, they carry out the University's INSPIRED Core Values as a foundation for contributing to their professions, communities, and the nation. Their journeys also reflect PUP's commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on Quality Education, SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 10 on Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 16 on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, through accessible education, professional development, inclusive opportunities, and service to society. 

Leaving the University and embarking on a new chapter of their lives, they carry with them more than their degrees. They bring the stories of the people who supported them, the challenges they overcame, and the lessons that shaped them as PUPians.

From the classroom to the wider community, their next steps will put their knowledge and values into action. They marched for their degrees; they now step forward into new chapters, ready to build, lead, innovate, and serve with purpose, carrying them the responsibility to use their education for the nation. 

The second day of YECE offered different ways of understanding what it means to graduate from PUP. There was the discipline to endure, the support to persist, and the responsibility that follows achievement. The degrees conferred at the PICC may belong to individual graduates, but the stories behind them rarely do.

They are stories of families and teachers, of public investment and personal sacrifice, of opportunities received and responsibilities inherited. And as the graduates move into their professions and communities, the significance of their education will ultimately be found not only in where it takes them, but in what they choose to do with what they have been given.

Article edited by: Jan Vincent Lanuza, Communication Management Office