12/06/2026
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๐๐๐๐๐๐ || ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐: ๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐
Accompanied by parents and guardians, the 553 graduands of the College of Business Administration (CBA) filled the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) Gymnatorium during the Recognition Rites and Hooding Ceremony 2026 on June 11, marking a milestone that symbolized both completion and continuation of academic journeys shaped by years of perseverance, pressure, and purpose.
Beyond the formalities of caps, hoods, and medals, the ceremony unfolded as a layered narrative of leadership, reflection, struggle, and gratitudeโeach voice contributing to the larger story of the graduating class.
๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐
In her message, CBA Dean Atty. Emily Sison-Acompaรฑado emphasized that graduation is often misunderstood as a moment of arrival, when in reality it is the result of years of unseen endurance.
She underscored how students carried academic pressure, financial difficulty, and emotional battles throughout their college journey.
โThe roots of education are deep, but the fruit is sweet,โ she said, noting that behind every graduate is a story of persistence shaped in silence and sacrifice.
She also highlighted the families behind the graduates, calling their support the invisible force that made completion possible.
โTo the parents who worked double shifts, prayed quietly, and continued supporting even when it was difficultโyou are part of this achievement,โ she added.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ค๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐
In his valedictory address, Justin L. Legua, BSBA Major in Business Economics, reminded his fellow graduates that intelligence alone is not enough to define success.
โOur country does not merely need intelligent people. It needs people with integrity. It does not merely need successful professionals. It needs principled leaders,โ he said.
Legua emphasized that achievement is not measured only by personal gain, but by contribution and responsibility to society.
โAs we move forward, may we remain informed, responsible, and courageous enough to stand for what is right,โ he added.
His message closed on a reminder that graduation is not an ending, but a continuation of becomingโof still learning, still growing, and still choosing purpose beyond achievement.
๐๐ญ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ
For some graduates, success was less about speed and more about enduranceโmeasured not by how quickly one finished, but by the ability to persist despite uncertainty.
Rudy Policarpio, a graduating student under the College of Business Administration, described his college journey as a continuous decision to keep going even when confidence was absent, relying more on consistency than certainty. For him, survival in an academically demanding environment meant learning how to continue showing up despite exhaustion and doubt.
โI learned to stop asking whether I was strong enough to finish and started asking myself whether I was willing to keep trying. So I just kept showing up even when I felt weak,โ he shared.
He cited accounting examinations and academic pressure as the most challenging parts of his college life, especially during exam weeks when preparation often felt insufficient despite constant effort. Over time, he reframed graduation not as external recognition, but as personal completion.
โGraduating from CBA means proving to myself that I could finish something that challenged me in ways I never expected,โ Policarpio said.
For him, recognition came only after enduranceโfinishing first, understanding later.
Meanwhile, balancing academic rigor with leadership responsibilities, CBA Student Council President Honey Faith Salazar described her journey as a constant negotiation between discipline, duty, and personal limits. Managing accountancy studies alongside student leadership required structure, prioritization, and deliberate self-management.
โDiscipline helped me plan everythingโfrom deliverables to timelines. Knowing my priorities helped me stay accountable to both roles,โ she said.
However, she also acknowledged the strain that came with overlapping responsibilities, especially when leadership duties intersected with academic deadlines and personal well-being.
โThe most challenging part was adjusting to other peopleโs schedules while still trying to protect my own,โ Salazar added.
Despite the pressure, Salazar said her experience reshaped how she viewed student struggles within CBA, deepening her understanding of the unseen burdens carried by many students.
โIt made me realize that being unaffected doesnโt mean you are not part of the struggle,โ she reflected.
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Not all academic journeys followed a straight path, as some graduates had to navigate shifts, setbacks, and unexpected turns that redefined their goals and sense of achievement.
For Fermin Bellones, shifting programs meant recalibrating both expectations and identity as a student. Although his academic performance qualified him for Latin honors, institutional policies for shifters changed what recognition he could formally receive.
โI was still holding onto hope that our hard work would be recognized through other means. Itโs painful because my GWA was enough, but the rules had to be followed,โ he said.
The shift, he added, pushed him to accept a different form of validationโone not anchored on titles, but on persistence despite losing an academic goal he once worked toward.
โRecognition has taken on a deeper meaning. Itโs the silent validation of my resilience,โ Bellones added.
For him, success became less about what was awarded and more about what was endured and rebuilt after redirection.
Guest speaker Jasmine Balag-Abueza reflected on a similarly non-linear academic journey, sharing how failure, shifting paths, and delayed success shaped her understanding of achievement.
She recalled moving away from Accountancy after struggling with the program, later finding clarity in a different direction that ultimately defined her career path.
โWhat I once considered a wrong turn became part of the journey that led me where I am today,โ she said.
Balag-Abueza emphasized that uncertainty is a shared experience among students, urging graduates to value persistence over immediate clarity.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐
As the Recognition Rites concluded, the UEP Gymnatorium stood at the quiet intersection between what was and what comes next, where the 553 graduands of the College of Business Administration found themselves crossing from student life into a wider, less certain world.
The ceremony underscored more than completionโit marked the divide between who they were shaped to become inside the university and who they will continue to redefine beyond it, carrying with them lessons forged through pressure, discipline, shifts, and endurance.
Beyond the applause and formal recognition, what remains is the passage they now take aloneโstepping across the space between preparation and reality, where everything learned must now stand on its own. ยถ
Words by Mark Justine Abalon
Photos by Justin Apolinario and Rhealyn Casipe
