28/05/2026
๐๐๐๐: City College of Calamba (CCC) achieved a major academic milestone during its 17th Commencement Exercise as four students from Bachelor of Science in Psychology earned the highest academic honor of Summa Cum Laude, held at Jose Rizal Coliseum, May 26.
Despite being the pioneer graduating batch, the historic achievement was led by four Summa Cum Laude awardees: Colleen Maraรฑa, Catherine Tagudin, Clara Garcia, and Maria Charisse De Guzman. Along with the top achievers, the college celebrated seven Magna Cum Laude and 24 Cum Laude graduates.
Dr. Ronald Gonzales, college president of CCC, asserts that the potential of these graduates should not be underestimated, emphasizing that the honored graduates were persevering, given that the institution strongly upholds the zero-based grading system.
โNagiging inspirasyon siya sa mga estudyante na posible pala siyang maabot. I mean, for the longest time, akala ang Summa [Cum Laude] is going to be a coveted dream lang, pero dahil hindi lang isa, hindi lang dalawa, kunโdi apat ang nakarating ng Summa, posible siya,โ Dr. Gonzales stated.
He explained that having four students break this barrier proves that reaching the top is possible for any dedicated student.
Batch valedictorian, Colleen Maraรฑa revealed that hitting the required Summa Cum Laude grade threshold was a difficult task. She expressed pride in her batchmates for pushing past their limits to be top-tier graduates.
She also cited that having no seniors is a struggle since they have no one to seek guidance from as she expressed, "Lahat naman ng program sa CCC ay dumaan sa pagkakaroon ng pioneer batch...Ang isa sa pinakamahirap dito ay wala talaga kaming mapagbabasehan na iba dahil kami pa lang ang unang makaka-experience ng lahat."
The graduation ceremony saw a turnout of 1,088 graduates this year. School officials shared that this current number represents the highest number of graduates but they expect a higher number for the next batch of graduates.
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐'๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฌ๐ฒ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ
College President Dr. Gonzales expressed confidence in the readiness of the college's first batch of Bachelor of Science in Psychology graduates for taking Board Licensure Examination for Psychologists and Psychometricians in the Philippines (BLEPP).
The mentioned pioneer group stood out by producing a significant number of Latin honor awardees during the graduation.
"I feel confident that our graduates will make it," Dr. Gonzales assured when asked about their upcoming board exam prospects. He clarified that his high confidence extends to all graduates, including those who finished the program without distinguished honors.
Batch Valedictorian Colleen Maraรฑa confirmed that she plans to take the Psychometrician exam immediately. She credited this decision to the free review program provided by the college and the local city government.
Maraรฑa placed her current personal confidence level at around 70 percent when asked to rate her board exam readiness. She admitted that she still needs to review and refresh several academic concepts in the coming months.
"Gusto ko rin siyang maging challenge sa'kin, na i-work on ko 'yung remaining percentage in the coming month," Maraรฑa added.
Dr. Gonzales clarified that the review program will have tentative twelve schedules to aid all the Psychology graduates for their upcoming board exams to ensure a much higher passing rate.
On the other hand, only 12 out of 165 Psychology graduates refused to take the review session catered by the institution due to their personal reasons based on their record.
๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ฒ
Aside from the historic academic successes, the grand event faced logistical conflicts as several late-arriving graduates caused minor disruptions during the commencement ceremony.
The arrival of late students created bottlenecks at the venue gates, forcing ushers and security teams to quickly rearrange seating plans and adjust the program's strict timeline.
โYung late, ang dami nila. N[oo]ng una, hindi namin alam kung paano na siya ibibigay (seats) gawa ng 'di ba kahapon (day before the graduation)... nag-announce naman na bawal ma-late?,โ Alexis Reblora, one of the ushers said.
Despite the overall celebratory mood, the timing delays became a point of concern for event coordinators aiming to keep the large-scale ceremony moving efficiently.
"Sa totoo lang, sa mga ganitong event hindi rin naman kasi talaga maiiwasan ang ma-late kasi grabe ang paghahanda ng mga graduates e pati anak ko, pero at some point dinisiplina ko rin sya na magiging professional na rin, na dapat i-value ang call time kasi ganon talaga sa reyalidad," Margie Mendoza, a parent of a graduate from the Department of Computing and Informatics (DCI) expressed.
Written by AJ Gannaban and Adriane Villarosa
Photo by Markie Delos Santos, Aaron Edriel Dalago, and Merry Rose Capagcuan
