UA&P Law School Graduation Rites 2026
Class of 2026 inaugurates the school's first independent commencement ceremony
The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) Law School marked a historic milestone on June 20 as it held its first independent Juris Doctor Graduation Ceremony, celebrating the achievements of the graduating Class of 2026 and the continued growth of the institution as a distinct law school.
The graduation ceremony opened with a processional and an invocation led by Rev. Fr. Cecilio Magsino. This was followed by the salutation delivered by Silver Academic Excellence Award recipient Ramon Leopoldo Ongsiako Isabela, who reflected on the support and guidance he received throughout law school and the importance of extending the same spirit of mentorship to future generations of students.
“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.” - Ramon Leopoldo Ongsiako Isabela, Silver Academic Excellence Award recipient
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo of the Supreme Court of the Philippines then delivered the commencement address. In his speech, he emphasized that the legal profession is ultimately a form of public service and encouraged the graduates to uphold integrity, humility, diligence, compassion, and courage as they prepare to enter the Bar.
This is why the first lesson in law remains the most important: lawyering is service. It is service to those who seek justice; service to those whose voices are unheard; and service to those who seek truth in times of uncertainty. - Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo
Following the commencement address, Law School Dean Jeremy Benigno I. Gatdula presented the graduation petitions. The conferral of degrees formally recognized the members of the graduating class, after which diplomas and academic honors were awarded.
Among those recognized for academic excellence were Josemaria Leaño Villareal, recipient of the Gold Academic Excellence Award, and Isabela, recipient of the Silver Academic Excellence Award.
Gold Academic Excellence Awardee Josemaria Leaño Villareal subsequently delivered the valedictory address, reflecting on the challenges, sacrifices, and perseverance that defined the law school journey of the graduating class. Recalling the demands of coursework and review classes, he highlighted the determination that enabled the graduates to reach the culmination of their legal education.
From today, we may all be going on different paths. In doing so we may feel lost. So let the most unqualified person in the room give a piece of advice. Whatever that path may be, embrace it. - Josemaria Leaño Villareal, Gold Academic Excellence Awardee
The graduates then took the alumni pledge before receiving a message from UA&P President Atty. John Philip R. Yeung. Addressing the new graduates, Yeung encouraged them to measure success not by prestige or position, but by the respect they earn through their character and service. He challenged them to establish themselves as principled members of the legal profession and to forge their own paths in the years ahead.
The ceremony concluded with the singing of the University Hymn and the recessional. Graduates, faculty members, and university officials later gathered for a faculty dinner at the Administrations and Library Building (ALB) Dining Halls.
The ceremony concluded with the University Hymn and the recessional, marking the end of one journey and the beginning of another. For the members of the Class of 2026, the road ahead now leads to the Bar and, beyond it, a profession they were reminded throughout the day to approach with both excellence and a spirit of service as they blaze their own trails in the legal field.