Salutatory Address at the UA&P Law School Graduation 2026
This speech was delivered by Salutatorian Ramon Leopoldo O. Isabela during the 1st UA&P Law School Graduation Rites held at the Li Seng Giap Auditorium on June 20, 2026.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Chief Justice, distinguished guests, members of the administration and faculty, alumni, students, families, friends, and I cannot believe I get to say this, but fellow graduates.
We are all still trying to figure out who is responsible for the clerical error that led to me being given the honor of delivering the welcoming address at the first inaugural graduation of UA&P School of Law.
But then again, if you know me, you know that I have been here for ages. Contrary to popular belief, I was not yet here when it was still CRC. Yes, it was already the 1987 Constitution; but it was in fact back in 2014. In fact, I may have a longer tenure in this school than many of you gathered here today. But I digress.
I have seen it all. Yet, I never imagined that I would get to stand before all of you at a law school graduation ceremony, welcoming my favorite professors, my favorite classmates, my favorite titas and titos who I have yet to meet, in a room with the greatest legal minds in the Philippines, in front of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It is both an honor and a privilege. But on a personal note, I want to say that the truest and highest honor is getting to graduate with all of you, UA&P School of Law Class of 2026.
Looking around I see many familiar faces, which have caused me a considerable amount of stress throughout the rigors of law school. Fortunately, today, they all seem much friendlier than usual. Though I am still stressed, as you can tell by my shaky voice.
To our professors and mentors, thank you for shaping the way we think and nurturing us. To our most terrifying but beloved dean Jemy Gatdula, and to everyone who forms the backbone of this school, from the administration to the staff, and especially the coffee ates who have kept us supplied with caffeine and warmth. Thank you for helping us reach this day.
To the alumni and the younger batches joining us today, I welcome you all and thank you for being part of this community. I have learned a simple lesson in this school: everything I am, I owe to my upper batch, and everything I give, I give to my lower batch. So this occasion would be incomplete without you all.
So on behalf of the graduating class, I welcome you all to this historic occasion, and I thank you for celebrating it with us.