Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Thursday, July 10, challenged graduates of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao to use their state-funded education to help address the deep inequalities in Mindanao and serve communities that have long been left behind.

“Your diploma is a duty to the forgotten, a voice for the voiceless. This is a pledge to go where the wound is,” Angara said at the university’s 27th Commencement Exercises in Davao City.

He cited official data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) highlighting the region’s education gap. 

“Walo sa sampung probinsya na may pinakamababang functional literacy ay nasa Mindanao (Eight out of ten provinces with the lowest functional literacy are in Mindanao),” he said. 

“In Tawi-Tawi, one in three residents cannot read or write functionally,” he added, explaining, “Nakakabasa po sila, nakakagamit ng computer, nakakabilang pero hindi po nakakaintindi (They can read, use computers, and count, but they cannot comprehend).”

Angara emphasized that the statistics are not an indictment, but a call for equity and inclusion.

“Hindi kami nahuli. Nauna lang kayong bigyan (We were not left behind. You were just given a head start),” he said.

The education chief shared his recent experiences reaching remote communities, saying they had to cross two rivers and a muddy road during a trip to Agusan del Norte to install solar power and internet in sitios with no previous access.

“Ngayon sila ay may signal, may kuryente, at higit sa lahat, may pag-asa (Now they have signal, electricity, and most importantly, hope),” he said. 

Angara urged graduates to remember the public investment in their education and not take it for granted. 

He emphasized the importance of staying in the region to contribute to its development. 

“Madaling umalis, pero mas karapat-dapat ang tumaya (It’s easy to leave, but it is more noble to take the risk),” he said. 

“Parang love lang ‘yan, hindi ba (It’s just like love, isn’t it)?”

Angara ended his message with a reminder to the graduates to live their legacy beyond the diploma: “Balang araw, kapag tinanong po kayo kung ano ang kuwento niyo dito sa UP, huwag niyong ipakita ang inyong diploma lamang. Ipakita niyo kung paano kayo naging bahagi ng paghilom at pag-ahon (One day, when you are asked what your story was in UP, do not show only your diploma. Show how you became part of healing and recovery).”

The 2025 UP Mindanao graduates include early batches of students who completed college under the K to 12 education system.