Dear USC Outstanding Graduates
I am very happy to be back 41 years after I graduated and 41 years after I also joined the Ten Outstanding Graduates of this University. Like this moment, it was a moment of pride and thanksgiving.
Before anything else, let me congratulate all of you: The Outstanding Leaders and Graduates of 2026. You have made it, and not just ordinarily; you made it with flying colors. That is why you are here. You are the cream of the crop! We are proud of all of you, and I am certain you have made your parents very proud.
As outstanding leaders and graduates, you were selected not just because of your academic achievements and excellence, but because you have made meaningful contributions through leadership service, character and involvement in the school and community.
This year’s awarding is historic, since it marks the celebration of the 40th USC Excellence Awards, a milestone that highlights four decades of honoring outstanding Carolinians.
This year’s theme: A Carolinian Legacy: Driven by Commitment, Defined through Leadership,” is so timely as well.
Three words immediately resonates to me: Legacy, Commitment and Leadership
Commitment
I know you have paid the price; that is why you are here; that is why you excelled. You paid the price of hard work, resilience, perseverance, and probably, with razor-sharp focus and determination. So, you probably know the meaning of commitment.
However, commitment may mean something much bigger. It may mean being committed to the following:
- Values — excellences, professionalism, integrity
- Purpose –the reason and meaning why you are doing something;
- Goals – your aspirations and dreams
- God
When you know the meaning of commitment: you do what it takes– that it everything starts with a DECISION—and then your actions will follow to pursue and face the consequences, even the downside of, the decision.
Leadership
We are in dire need of good leaders – leaders who not just inspire, but also leaders who walk their talk, lead by example, and work for the good of others (not themselves).
You are very fortunate – because I know each of you has the gift of talent and intelligence. But you are more ortunate that you are a Carolinian—molded by the values of the SVD – of living out the Scriptures by transforming creation through self-giving and dialogue.
All of these values will be what will make you a good leader and take you through the world out there, make you to be a cut above the rest, and enable you to navigate in this thing called life.
Navigating Life
Let me be blunt: You will be going out to a world which is imperfect, full of uncertainly, risks and bad news. Because of technology, you are also exposed to a barrage of information, many of which could be fake and false, including those which tell you what you must-have or what you must-do. Also, because of social media, you get to see more of how other people live or seem to live their lives, and thus, risk of comparing yourselves constantly with others and be sorry for yourselves.
Temptations are also high – temptations to get quick rich, to forget and compromise your Christian values
All these, plus the expectations of others, your parents and this university included, can be very overwhelming.
How do you then navigate?
Looking back, after 40 years, I learned that while many things are important, there are also many which are not. Also, that God’s ways are not our ways, but He knows what is best for us.
Let me then go through a few items or reminders.
Do not be afraid to take risks – Soar as high as you can; do not be afraid to take risks or leaps of faith; be brave. I recalled, one of the greatest risks I took was resigning from my job in SGV Cebu and going to Manila to go to Ateneo Law School as a full-time student, becoming dependent again on my kuripot Father’s budget. I still remember what I felt as I took that cab from the airport to my dorm. Going back to school for 4 years, when I already had a career in finance and accounting, was a big leap. But I would not have been where and who I am, had I not taken that risk.
It was also a leap of faith for me to run my first marathon at 60 and joined the iconic London marathon last month at 61 years of age.
Learn to accept things you cannot control and distinguish it from things you can control – I am sure that most of you are control freaks—because this is a common characteristic of leaders and achievers. We aim for things, and we want things to turn out the way we want them to be. But in life, there are many things outside our control – this even includes the weather. So, we should not waste our energy on those we cannot control; in fact, we should navigate and go around them.
My greatest lesson on this is when we found out our eldest has autism. That was entirely beyond our control, but we faced the challenge; we raised an autistic child. Now, Gino, who is 27, has very good self-help skills, has travelled, plays bowling and the guitar, and is employed.
Again, we should accept the things we cannot change and focus on what is within our control– ourselves, our actions, our responses, our spheres of influences.
Keep growing, learning, improving – So keep on working on yourself. Learn new skill, acknowledge what your lack and work on them.
I recalled that I was not good at writing. I was good in math and in numbers. As commerce students, we were trained to compute; however, we were not trained to write like the liberal arts students. Also, I graduated from schools in Dipolog City where my English and writing skills were not well developed. When I became a lawyer and had to write pleadings and opinions, my writing was so terrible! My thinking was too, of course.
I had to immerse myself in and read writing books. I recalled that the best booked that help me was a copywriting book—a book on how to rewrite paragraphs and sentences.
Foster your creativity and passions – I had always been artistic, but I placed my arts in the backseat, as I became extremely academic; it actually made me very unhappy.
Inside each of us is a child who is creative, expressive and curious. You need to express the passion, unleash the curiosity and creativity of that child, and weave them into your life. Because that will also make you complete and whole; it also the way to unleash your potential.
Develop critical thinking – Being a top graduate, I am sure you have good minds. However, having a good mind and being a thinker—a critical thinker—are two different things.
Critical thinking is the disciplined process of analyzing facts, evidence, and arguments to form sound, rational, and unbiased judgments. It requires questioning assumptions, recognizing biases, and evaluating information from multiple perspectives before reaching conclusions.
It requires analysis before jumping into conclusions; it requires deferring judgment, until the facts are duly analyzed.
Nowadays, it is so easy to follow the band wagon, to be influenced by what we see and hear from others, and then, to immediately judge. It takes wisdom and a critical mind to sift through all the information and make sound judgments.
Stick to your values
Be honest; never give in to corruption; choose to be honest, even if it is the narrow road. Avoid the temptation of quick wealth.
I cannot over-emphasize this. It is very sad to see that many of our leaders are corrupt. It will be more sad to see one of our graduates, especially one of our top graduates, to be the same and be embroiled in dishonest and corrupt means.
So, please do not be corrupt and do not give in to corruption.
I have been in practice for tax and corporate law for 33 years. I am proud to say, I never bribed the BIR nor been a conduit for such for my clients. If my clients want to bribe, I step aside and get out. It was a decision I made long time ago; and it is not going to change now. I always say, I don’t want to feed my children with stolen money.
Tax can be practiced correctly and honestly; companies can be tax compliant and need not give in to corruption. There is a way; we do not have to join the band wagon.
Know your purpose
Lastly, know your whys. Know and do the things that excite you and give you meaning; things that inspire you and make you wake up in the morning
I recalled that during the interview I had with the panel of judges, I was asked what was my reason for achieving—because I had always been an over-achiever– and I was not able to answer. I don’t even know how I still landed in TOG without giving a good answer to that question.
Do you know yours? Do you know why are you are here? Do you know why you did what you did and have been doing? Do you know your motivations?
I am sure you have dreams and goals. And I tell you, keep dreaming because dreams can come true.
But be careful—because if you do not have the right motivations or reasons, or a good understanding of your whys, the world out there will tire and disappoint you, and you will miss the point.
Remember, your reasons and whys should be bigger than yourselves or your situation– they should lead you to become the best persons that you can be and live a full life, and then, glorify God.
God has plans us, plans for good and not for woe. Plans which will be for His greater glory and for the greater common good—service to others. Our purpose is to fulfill that plan—His Plan. That is the bigger picture. And it is when you have the bigger picture before you, that you don’t get lost in the woods. Let me share Romans 8:28—all things work for good for those who love Christ and called according to his purpose.
I repeat: It is when you have and know the bigger picture that you do not get lost in the woods of this thing called LIFE.
Be A Cut Above the Rest
You are all gifted; you are all outstanding and are recognized as such. But remember: when more is given, more is also expected.
So, carry your crosses– be the leader who leads by example, a leader who sticks to the Christian values that this University espouses, a leader who dreams and thinks, but at the same time a leader who is compassionate, kind and emphatic.
Don’t be ordinary, do not just follow the band wagon, be your own trail blazer and strive to be a cut above the rest, a positive influencer in your spheres of influence. Because being able to positively influence other’s lives is one of the most fulfilling endeavor and privilege one can have.
Break the glass ceiling – do not ever think that you are inferior. When I went to Manila, especially at that time, when I knew that they would sometimes look down at us, probinsianos. But I just broke the glass ceiling–became no. 2 of my batch on the first semester—and the rest is history. Believe that if others can do it, so can you.
Believe that as a Carolinian, you are world class!
Be Grateful
But let me give you a last note: do not forget to enjoy the journey—the DAILY journey, in prayer and in faith. Do not forget to be grateful and appreciate what you have. Do not forget to give thanks; do not forget to be happy for who you are and what you have. Do not forget to pray incessantly.
Remember, that sometimes, the process or experience itself is the purpose or end, especially if, as a result, they make us better persons. Because if the experience—any experience for that matter—makes us better persons, then the purpose, HIS purpose, would have been achieved. In reality, in the end, it is all about Him; it is all for His greater glory.
Thus, finally, always trust in God’s providence; believe in His love for you; and acknowledge that we are nothing without Him. Because when the going gets tough, when the future sometimes looks dim, when sometimes we fail to meet our dreams, or when reality is not what we want it to be, it is only in truly believing in God’s love for us that we can move on, accept, find meaning and have peace. And God will not disappoint.
Indeed, it is a privilege to meet all of you today. With young leaders like you before us, I feel hopeful, I feel that there is hope in this world, there is hope in this country; there is hope for the future, because that future is in your hands.
Go Carolinians! Lead, leave a legacy, and commit your ways to God.
Godspeed and God bless you all!
Delivered at the 40th Excellence Awards of USC, May 28, 2026.
