But there were at least three reasons for me to be emotionally taken. First of all, my son PJ graduated with honors with a degree in Management Economics. My son is definitely a big improvement from his father. I felt sad that I denied my own father the joy I am experiencing now with my son's achievement.
The second tearjerker for the afternoon was the valedictory address of a totally blind girl who was graduating with a degree in Mathematics, summa cum laude. This local Hellen Keller story is guaranteed to touch the hardest of hearts.
And then there was the Chief Justice, a key hero in the impeachment trial that led to EDSA 2. He was honored with a doctorate in humanities, and he talked about his struggles to be where he is now. That too, was touching.
So maybe, it wasn't just my sinus. I normally manage to keep my emotions and tears to myself until I am certain that I am all alone. But things were too much to keep bottled up last Saturday. Besides, the long afternoon with all the speeches and 1,300 names that had to be read and recognized, something had to give. I also thought, that's 1,300 new entrants to the job market. Good luck to all of them.
Actually, as Chief Justice Davide said, the graduates of Ateneo already have a headstart. The high quality education they got already gives them an advantage the graduates from many other schools do not enjoy. The job market may be terribly competitive but those who graduate from Ateneo, UP, UAP and La Salle already have the advantage.
My son confirmed this as we talked about jobs last week. He and his friends have gone job hunting ahead of their graduation. They took this pre-employment test in a fairly large finance oriented company, which was given in stages over one morning. They went through their test papers immediately and those who flunked were told they need not go through the next stage.
By the time they got through all the stages, there were just a handful of them. And as my son observed, those who were eliminated early on looked like they needed jobs more. Well, it is tough out there but there will always be room for the top graduates of the top schools because they have the potential to meet the exacting standards of global companies. That's what a good education is all about.
This is why Education Secretary Raul Roco has such a heavy burden to carry. In reforming the education department and seeing to it that it actually provides quality education to every citizen, Mr. Roco will help the humblest of families realize their dreams for their children.
The public school system isn't hopeless. Ateneo's valedictorian, Roselle Ambubuyog, is a product of the public schools. She got a quality education at the Ateneo but it wasn't easy. Listening to her valedictory address, one couldn't help but feel a common bond with her in her dramatic human triumph over adversity. Her victory was a team effort – from her teachers at the Ateneo who had to adopt teaching methods to accommodate her disability, to her family who helped her study late into the night and the Ateneo community that gave her the scholarship grant.
Then there was the Chief Justice himself, who early on said he couldn't afford an Ateneo education but now with an honorary degree from Ateneo, feels proud to be an Atenean too. He related his struggles to get a good education from the public school system, including the University of the Philippines. Chief Justice Davide is proof that lack of financial resources is not a limiting factor to a talented and determined student.
I am not from Ateneo myself, having spent my high school and college years at the state university. But from what I saw last Saturday, I guess the decision to let my son study at the Ateneo (he also passed UPCAT) was a good one. He didn't just get a quality education, he got a social conscience as well.
Choosing Ateneo over UP was easy enough. I saw UP's deteriorated physical plant. I have heard faculty members complain about being overworked and underpaid. And I know a good education demands adequate facilities and motivated faculty.
Unless government starts to prioritize education and provides the budget to upgrade facilities and faculty remuneration at UP, its graduates may no longer be as competitive as we had been in our time. If that happens, where will future Hilario Davides go? Not everyone can be a Roselle Ambubuyog.
In the end, however, what's important is what the national economy has to offer. For the Class of 2001, the news from the National Statistics Office is grim. Unemployment is up. And with the economy going nowhere, they may have to look overseas for work and send back the dollars for the motherland.
A hefty sabungero walks into a restaurant with his wife, a nationally known figure, often known as tililing. The waiter approaches the table and asks for their order. "I’ll have your biggest, juiciest London Broil," he says.
"But sir, what about the mad cow?!" asks the waiter.
"Oh," answers the man, "she’ll order for herself."
(Boo Chanco's e-mail address is bchanco@bayantel.com.ph)