Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis The Official Student Publication of San Mateo Municipal College.

๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿด ๐—ฌ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ: ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜†, ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜„"Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya sa pagkadalisay at pag...
12/06/2026

๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿด ๐—ฌ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ: ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜†, ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜„

"Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya sa pagkadalisay at pagkadakila gaya ng pag-ibig sa tinubuang lupa?" โ€” Andres Bonifacio

As we celebrate the 128th Philippine Independence Day, let us not only look back with gratitude but also look forward with a shared responsibility. The freedom they fought for is the legacy we must protect today. Let's keep the fire of patriotism alive in everything we do.

Mabuhay ang malayang Pilipino! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

By Danreb Joser Santos
Layout by Rafaella Monique Santos

๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† | Letters of Yesterday"๐‘‡๐‘œ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘  ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘ ..."The first few words of a letter hidden between the pages of an ...
12/06/2026

๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† | Letters of Yesterday

"๐‘‡๐‘œ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘  ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘ ..."

The first few words of a letter hidden between the pages of an old book with its cover worn by time and inks fading into the paper, just like the memory of the past that is struggling to remain together with the faded photographs and brittle newspapers whose headlines had long lost their relevance as time passed. Evanelle traced the faded handwriting with her fingers and read through the letter.

"๐ผ ๐‘Ž๐‘š ๐ด๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ , ๐‘Ž ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘ข๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘ก๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ค๐‘›, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐ผ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘š๐‘–๐‘ก, ๐ผ ๐‘Ž๐‘š ๐‘ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘‘."

Evanelle's eyes widened, and with growing curiosity, she continued reading as she shifted to the window where the light was stronger. The words in the letter felt strangely alive despite how old it actually was. Evanelle recalled the history books often spoke of the heroes of the Philippines as if they had never known fear, but this young man admitted his terror.

"๐ผ ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘›'๐‘ก ๐‘˜๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘–๐‘“ ๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘“๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ค. ๐ผ ๐‘Ž๐‘š ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘”, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐ผ ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘ โ„Ž ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ'๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘™๐‘’, ๐‘ก๐‘œ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘โ„Ž ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘’๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘› ๐‘”๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘“๐‘ข๐‘™ ๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘›. ๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘–๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’."

As Evanelle read through the words written on a piece of worn-out paper, she felt less like a historical figure who fought for our country's freedom and more like a real person who also has fears and dreams that they wish to achieve in the cruel world.

"๐ผ๐‘“ ๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘› ๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘ โ„Ž ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘™๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘’โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐ผ ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘. ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐ผ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘‘, ๐‘“๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘‘, โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘‘, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘˜ ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘ก. ๐‘†๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘˜ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘ก ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘’๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘”๐‘’๐‘Ÿ, ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘‘๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘๐‘™๐‘’: ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ต ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ป๐—ผ ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ป ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ. ๐‘Š๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘š ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘Ž ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘’๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐น๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘‘๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘Ž ๐‘“๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘–๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘›. ๐ผ ๐‘‘๐‘œ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘˜๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘ข๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘ , ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘“๐‘–๐‘๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘’๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘“ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘˜๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘, ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘“ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘ , ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”... ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ถ๐˜?"

The final question lingered in the silence of the room, and for a moment, Evanelle stared at those final words. There are no thoughts entering Evanelle's mind besides the young man who could've been sitting under the glow of a candle more than a century ago, who is uncertain whether he would be able to see the light that tomorrow would bring. Evanelle folded the letter and picked up a piece of paper and a pen and began writing her own letter as she looked outside the house, where the children ran through the streets while playing, tricycles and jeepneys rattling down the road, the neighbors chatting freely without thinking what tomorrow would bring, and suddenly, she understood. Freedom isn't just about celebrations, waving of the flag, and speeches being delivered on June 12th every year.

๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—บ lived in the moments when people rarely noticed it. In every single dream that is freely being pursued and every opinion and choice made without fear. And so, Evanelle began writing.

Dear Andres,

You asked whether it was all worth it.

I cannot speak for every Filipino, but I will answer as one of the people who were able to live in the future you hoped for. ๐—ข๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜, and we still face challenges. We still argue about several things, and we still struggle against problems that seem impossible to solve. But ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป. The children fill the classrooms, and families gather freely and build a safe home. People learned to create, tell stories, speak their minds, and, on top of that, dream beyond the limits that were once in a cage. We still speak our stories, and we still raise our flag every 12th of June to remember the generation that sacrificed it all for a free country that every Filipino deserved.

The history books may not have your name written in it, but your sacrifice was not lost because every Filipino who wakes up to a free sky carries a piece of your legacy.

Evanelle carefully folded the letters togetherโ€”one that was written in the past and one written more than a century later. Two voices separated by time, one question and one answer. ๐—œ๐—ก๐——๐—˜๐—ฃ๐—˜๐—ก๐——๐—˜๐—ก๐—–๐—˜ ๐——๐—”๐—ฌ was not only a remembrance of a victory won in the past but also the living proof that the dreams of the countless heroes had endured. The Philippines celebrated June 12th, and as Evanelle smiled, she whispered the answer that every single forgotten revolutionary deserved to hear: ๐—œ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ถ๐˜.

By Karylle Lara
Layout By Rafaella Monique Santos

๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ฌ | YOU'RE SAFE HERE, YOU CAN BE YOURSELF ๐ŸŒˆ๐’๐œ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ?โ€”Itโ€™s okay, don't rush yourself. Coming out is a de...
09/06/2026

๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ฌ | YOU'RE SAFE HERE, YOU CAN BE YOURSELF ๐ŸŒˆ

๐’๐œ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ?
โ€”Itโ€™s okay, don't rush yourself. Coming out is a deeply personal journey, and there's no right or wrong timeline. Itโ€™s okay to take all the time you need. Your feelings are valid, whatever they may be.

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ข๐Ÿ ๐ˆ'๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ˆ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐š๐ฆ?
โ€”Then take your time to figure it out, take your time, discovering and loving yourself. It's perfectly alright to not have all the answers right now. Self-discovery is a process, not a destination. Be patient and kind to yourself along the way.

Remember, you don't have to have it all figured out to be worthy of love and belonging. You are worthy simply by existing.

Self-acceptance is not a destination but a continuous process of growth and self-discovery. There will be days when you feel more confident and days when you feel less sure. Thatโ€™s perfectly normal. The important thing is to keep moving forward, embracing your authentic self, and celebrating every step of the way. Your journey is a testament to your strength and resilience.

This Pride Month, let's celebrate not only the progress we've made but also the ongoing fight for equality and full acceptance. Let's honor the voices of those who paved the way, those who continue to fight for justice, and those who are still finding their way.

Let's remember that every individual deserves to feel safe, loved, and celebrated for who they are.

By Jericho Suganob


๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—”๐˜€๐˜€๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฅ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—™๐—ง๐—˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ขSan Mateo Municipal College (SMMC) proudly congratulates the Dean of the Institute...
04/06/2026

๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—”๐˜€๐˜€๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฅ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—™๐—ง๐—˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข

San Mateo Municipal College (SMMC) proudly congratulates the Dean of the Institute of Teacher Education (ITED), Dr. Delia P. Jadaone, for being elected as the Public Relations Officer of the Philippine Association for Teachers and Educators (PAFTE) IV-A CALABARZON Inc. for the 2026โ€“2028 term.

SMMC celebrates this remarkable achievement and recognizes her continued service in shaping future educators and her commitment to the development of the teaching profession.

Congratulations, Dr. Delia P. Jadaone!

By Maria Cassandra Hablero
Layout by Maricar Bajamunde

๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ข๐—ž | 20 Years of Excellence: SMMC Class of 2026 Capped Off Higher Education JourneySan Mateo Municipal College (SMMC) ...
04/06/2026

๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ข๐—ž | 20 Years of Excellence: SMMC Class of 2026 Capped Off Higher Education Journey

San Mateo Municipal College (SMMC) celebrated a milestone on June 3 as it held its 20th Commencement Exercises at the Ynares Center in Montalban. With the theme โ€œLighting the Next Chapter: 20 Years of Illuminating Minds,โ€ the ceremony honored the Class of 2026 achievers and underscored two decades of academic excellence.

The event was attended by a crowd of families, faculty members, and distinguished guests who gathered to witness the graduatesโ€™ procession, led by the Master of Ceremonies, Ms. April Joy L. Binolac. The graduates were also wearing traditional academic regalia.

OIC College Administrator, Dr. Teresita C. Dela Cruz, LPT, presented the opening address, welcoming all guests and graduation candidates. Dr. Dela Cruz challenged the graduates as they moved beyond tertiary education into their future endeavors. The graduates were empowered to spread the institution's core principles of excellence, commitment, service, and integrity throughout the world. The graduates were also challenged to confront the future with courage and intellect.

Municipal Mayor, Hon. Bartolome โ€œOmieโ€ N. Rivera, Jr., shared a message to the graduates. He acknowledged that their journey in pursuing their dreams was not easy, yet in the end, they overcame lifeโ€™s challenges. Citing a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: โ€œLearn as if you were to live forever.โ€ He also hoped that the graduates would give back to the community and become a responsible citizen of San Mateo.

School Accountant, Mr. JB Emanuel T. De Guzman, CPA, delivered a testimony as an alumnus of SMMC. "This journey is not mine all alone," he expressed, taking the opportunity to acknowledge the people who supported his endeavors, especially his mother whom he stated remained strong during his hardest times, and his partner who stayed through his life's ups and downs. "Love your parents dearly. Love them loudly and never let them doubt what they mean to you," he said as a reminder to the graduating class. Lastly, Mr. De Guzman also encouraged the graduates to aim for the better version of themselves and to not settle for the mediocre. He shared his achievementsโ€”becoming a Certified Public Accountant at 23, Institute Supervisor at 24, and School Accountant at 26โ€”as a testament to his perseverance.

The Vice President for Administration and Finance, Atty. Arnel A. Santiago, CPA, JD, formally introduced the keynote speaker to the audience. At the core feature of the program, CHED RO IV-A Regional Director, Dr. Rogelio T. Galera, Jr., CESO III, delivered the commencement address, sharing personal anecdotes from his childhood to underscore his message to the graduates. He recalled growing up with limited means, often comparing himself to more fortunate classmates. Through these stories, Dr. Galera Jr. urged the Class of 2026 to look beyond material measures of success as they step into the next chapter of their lives.

Afterwards, Quality Assurance Officer, Ms. Maria Teresa S. Bonggot, LPT, formally introduced the commencement speaker. Representing Gov. Nina Ricci A. Ynaresโ€”3rd District Board Member, Hon. John Patrick M. Bautista, extended his congratulations and appreciation to the graduates of this year's batch. He emphasized the importance of social responsibility to the graduatesโ€”encouraging them to fulfill their roles in nation building as a new generation of professionals and citizens. โ€œTandaan ninyo na tunay na sukatan ng tagumpay ay hindi lamang nasa diploma o tituloโ€”ang tunay na tagumpay ay makikita sa kung paano ninyo gagamitin ang iyong kaalaman upang makatulong sa kapwa,โ€ he shared.

Following the Presentation of Candidates by Dr. Dela Cruz, Hon. Rivera Jr. officially confirmed the graduation of the Class of 2026.

This yearโ€™s commencement marked the culmination of SMMCโ€™s sustained commitment to education, with 1,039 graduates receiving their diplomas. Among the highlights was the recognition of outstanding academic achievers: 54 graduates earned the distinction of Cum Laude, while one graduate achieved Magma Cum Laude.

Adding to the celebration, Ms. Yasser Noscal Bolante was honored with the Hiraya ng CALABARZON: Natatanging Iskolar ng UniFAST award for attaining the highest general weighted average (GWA) and being named Batch Valedictorian. Meanwhile, Ms. Rochelle Anzures received the Presidentโ€™s Leadership Award and Chairmanโ€™s Excellence Award for her dedication as one of SMMCโ€™s student leaders.

While the entire ceremony was filled with moments of pride, a valedictory address left an impact on everyone in attendance. Ms. Bolante, graduating Magma Cum Laude with a degree in the Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) major in English, also stepped up to the podium to deliver a speech reflecting her experiences as a student.

As the ceremony carried on, Mr. De Guzman led the induction into the Alumni Association. Subsequently, the graduates recited the Pledge of Loyalty to the Alma Mater led by Ms. Rhea Jean F. E***a.

The graduates then dedicated a performance of 'You'll Be in My Heart' by NIKI (originally by Phil Collins) to honor the support and sacrifices of their parents and family members throughout their academic journey.

When the event reached its conclusion, the Class of 2026 graduates sang their graduation song, 'Saranggola' by Ben&Ben, accompanied by choreography performed by the graduating members of the SINAG Dance Troupe. It signifies a tribute to the friendships they formed as they pursued their dreams together, and the reality of growing up and taking different life paths along the way.

This moment of SMMC celebrated two decades of the institutionโ€™s commitment to providing quality higher education and honing competent professionals in society.

Via Madeleine Noreen Del Rosario, Ashton Iรฑaki Liamzon, John Christian Loreniana, Eurynome Franzes Pabico, and Danreb Joser Santos

๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ข๐—ž | ๐—ฆ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—น ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜, ๐— ๐—ฟ. ๐—๐—• ๐—˜๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐—น ๐—ง. ๐——๐—ฒ ๐—š๐˜‚๐˜‡๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป, ๐—–๐—ฃ๐—”, ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ ๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ป๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฆ๐— ๐— ๐—–."This journey is...
03/06/2026

๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ข๐—ž | ๐—ฆ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—น ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜, ๐— ๐—ฟ. ๐—๐—• ๐—˜๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐—น ๐—ง. ๐——๐—ฒ ๐—š๐˜‚๐˜‡๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป, ๐—–๐—ฃ๐—”, ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ ๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ป๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฆ๐— ๐— ๐—–.

"This journey is not mine all alone," he shared, taking the opportunity to thank those who helped him along the way. Finally, Mr. De Guzman urged the graduates to strive for excellence rather than accept mediocrity.

Via Eurynome Franzes S. Pabico


๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—š๐—ผ "Kung aking uulitin itong mahabang byahe sa kada yugto ngโŸatingโŸpaglalakbay, walaโŸakong babaguh...
03/06/2026

๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—š๐—ผ

"Kung aking uulitin itong mahabang byahe sa kada yugto ngโŸatingโŸpaglalakbay, walaโŸakong babaguhin niโŸisang detalye..." โ€” Saranggola by Ben & Ben

There are journeys that are not measured by distance, but by the quiet changes they leave behind. In Metamorphosis, every graduating student became like a Saranggola. They were once held close, trembling in uncertainty, then slowly learning to steady themselves against the wind until they were finally released into the vastness of the sky. They began as learners full of anticipation and doubt, only to realize that growth was never about escaping struggle, but about learning how to rise through it.

Beyond classrooms, deadlines, and academic demands, something lasting quietly took shape. Friendships were not loudly formed, but gently built in shared exhaustion, in silent understanding, and in moments when presence said more than words ever could. These connections became the unseen thread that held every experience together, turning ordinary school days into memories that now feel irreplaceable.

On every page of Metamorphosis, becoming was never an ideaโ€”it was unfolding. It bore witness to uncertain beginnings, silent failures turned into lessons, and ordinary days that slowly shaped strength without notice. It stood as a quiet witness to resilience in motion, where learning meant not only gaining knowledge, but also learning to endure, to wait, and to become whole.

Today, the Saranggola takes flight. What once began with uncertain steps has led to this moment of fulfillment and release. Standing at the threshold of new beginnings, every graduate carries the quiet imprint of the journey behind them. There is still so much waiting beyond this day, but they move forward taking everything this journey has given them. There is readiness, but also a quiet pauseโ€”not from fear of what comes next, but from how deeply the present has been lived.

But this is the truth Metamorphosis has always held: it was never meant to keep students within its pages, but to prepare them for everything beyond them. Its purpose was firm and deliberate. To guide in uncertainty, to steady in difficulty, to support in silence, and finally, to let go at the right time.

As they step into wider horizons, the graduates carry more than what was written in notebooks. They carry friendships made through quiet moments and loud laughter, along with the strength they found in days they thought they would never survive. They do not leave as people escaping a chapter, but as people rewritten by it.

And so, the Saranggola soars, not as an ending, but as evidence that letting go was always part of its becoming.

๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€, ๐—•๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑโ€“๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ.

๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ด๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฎ, ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚, ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ, ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ถ๐˜, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ธ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ป.

Via Precious Erich Serato
Layout by Jamie Lette Garina and Venzel Velasco

๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ก | ๐—•๐—ฒ๐˜†๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€: ๐—ฆ๐— ๐— ๐—– ๐—•๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—ฉ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฌ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€' ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—•๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—˜๐—บ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—”...
03/06/2026

๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ก | ๐—•๐—ฒ๐˜†๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€: ๐—ฆ๐— ๐— ๐—– ๐—•๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—ฉ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฌ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€' ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—•๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—˜๐—บ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—”๐—ฑ๐—ฑ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€

The journey toward academic excellence is seldom a smooth path. It is defined by relentless dedication, personal sacrifices, and silent battles that often go unnoticed. At San Mateo Municipal College (SMMC), this formidable four-year journey culminated in success as the graduating students of Batch 2026 were officially recognized.

Among the candidates for graduation, one particular address resonated deeply with the audience. Ms. Yasser N. Bolante, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in the Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) Major in English, delivered a speech that highlighted the profound realities of the student struggle.

โ€œBehind every achievement are struggles, sacrifices, failures, and silent battles that no one else sees,โ€ Ms. Bolante stated. She candidly addressed her encounters with financial hardship, recalling instances of missing meals and confronting the burden of daily commuting expenses simply to sustain her education.

Beyond socioeconomic adversity, Ms. Bolanteโ€™s address also touched upon personal identity and the pursuit of self-acceptance. As an open member of the q***r community, she emphasized how personal identity can be transformed into a source of fortitude: โ€œQueerness taught me to be resilient, creative, and authentic. It taught me how to thrive in spaces that were not initially built for people like me.โ€

In concluding her address, Ms. Bolante dedicated this academic milestone to her mother and her late father. She concluded with a reminder to her peers, noting that an individual's ultimate value transcends scholastic titles and accolades. โ€œYour value is never measured by medals, titles, or Latin honors. You are more than that... Sometimes, that courage to continue is already a victory.โ€

Via Danreb Joser Santos


๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ก | ๐—ฆ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜€, ๐—•๐—ถ๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€: ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—ป. ๐—•๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ ๐——๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—š๐—ผ๐˜ƒ. ๐—ฌ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€โ€™ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—–๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜†The...
03/06/2026

๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ก | ๐—ฆ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜€, ๐—•๐—ถ๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€: ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—ป. ๐—•๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ ๐——๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—š๐—ผ๐˜ƒ. ๐—ฌ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€โ€™ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—–๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜†

The 3rd District Board Member, Hon. John Patrick M. Bautista, spoke to the graduates on behalf of Governor Nina Ricci Ynares as the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony.

In his speech, Hon. Bautista congratulated the graduates of this year's batch and recognized all the hardships they have faced to reach this day. "Lahat ng malaking kwento ng tagumpay ay nagmula sa unang hakbang," he shared.

Via Eurynome Franzes Pabico


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