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Summa cum laude urges rethink of PH education

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ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:633px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17505602164122025062203064_506987834_683708187962550_1846564430304406652_n.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Chris Magcawas/Facebook </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — “We celebrate grit — but what we really need is systemic change.”</p><p>These were the words of Christian Nazarene Magcawas, 2025 Summa Cum Laude graduate of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management, as he stood before fellow graduates to challenge common narrative around poverty, success, and education.</p><p>“Education shouldn’t be a test of survival. It should be a guaranteed path, accessible to every student, regardless of background. A basic right, not a luxury for the few,” Magcawas said in his graduation speech.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/20/bukidnon-student-earns-thai-royal-scholarship-after-facebook-joke-1459">Bukidnon student earns Thai royal scholarship</a></div><p>Behind the honor was a journey marked by scholarship rejections, weekly commutes from Batangas to Manila, and juggling remote work with online classes. </p><p>Magcawas, who started as a working student, ran a small online baking business to help cover costs for his studies.</p><p>“Most of the scholarships back then were not full ride… since trimester si Benilde… three times kami magpe-pay ng miscellaneous, and sometimes [it] is  P10,000 to P11,000 each term per term, which means P33,000 din siya in a year,” he told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>To save money, when Benilde went face-to-face, Magcawas went home every weekend rather than stay in the metro.</p><p>“Many people will think that the expenses are smaller if they will stay in Manila. No, it&#x27;s quite bigger because I tried it for a month and then nag-try ako muna na umuwi every week in Lipa Batangas, and I come to conclusion na mas konti yung gastos,” Magcawas said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/19/adamson-mapua-make-global-university-rankings-list-for-the-first-time-1250">Adamson, Mapua make global university rankings list for the first time</a></div><p>Even with support from Lasallian Mission Vice President Veronica Perez in the form of daily P200 food stubs, Magcawas noted that the financial gaps in education persist beyond tuition.</p><p>“The access is there pero hindi rin naman nila ma-push forward… Kasi hindi naman pag pumunta ka ng school, pag-aaral lang yan; you have projects, you have tours, you have this and that… kung hindi mo ma-afford… everything that comes with the degree, may problem, kaya hindi pwedeng sasabihin lang sayo na, &#x27;the colleges are free,&#x27;&quot; he said, emphasizing the lack of support for students&#x27; incidental expenses. </p><p>Magcawas also took issue with how stories like his are often labeled as “inspirational.”</p><p>“I think in our culture, we always celebrate hardship and sometimes over-romanticize poverty… yung stories na yan, they should look at parang force for change, and force for good.  Kailangang may mangyaring iba… Dapat ba laging nahihirapan na lang?”</p><p>He is currently working on a Facebook-based initiative aimed at connecting students with scholarships and mentors. </p><p>“It&#x27;s really in the early stages, but it is a project na I will launch later on this year… If I can create a community of scholars diyan na pwedeng tumulong per schools…  if we can make this a collective effort to really pay it back not only to our institutions but to the community, really mabago naman sana yung takbo ng [ating] community,” he said.</p><p>Looking ahead, Magcawas hopes to gain experience at five-star hotels in Metro Manila before pursuing work abroad due to rising living costs.</p><p>“As a hospitality graduate, we will always be branded with the Filipino Brand of Excellence (FBSE)..  I would want to learn that kung ano ba talaga yung service at excellence na yan sa Philippines… after talaga nun, when ready na tayo lahat, when everything is ready, [I’ll] move abroad… hindi na talaga afford ng lahat ng tao na mabuhay sa Philippines, it’s way too inflated right now,” he added.</p><p>Through it all, his advice to students is simple: study in your own way, not someone else’s.</p><p>“Kung ano yung study habits mo and study pattern mo… never mo dapat kopyahin yung iba because different people learn from different things,” he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KOH17AYtOG8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>“We celebrate grit — but what we really need is systemic change.” These were the words of Christian Nazarene Magcawas, 2025 Summa Cum Laude graduate of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management.</p>

“We celebrate grit — but what we really need is systemic change.” These were the words of Christian Nazarene Magcawas, 2025 Summa Cum Laude graduate of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management.

'A basic right, not a luxury': Summa cum laude urges rethink of Philippine education

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'A basic right, not a luxury': Summa cum laude urges rethink of Philippine education

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Klare Basilia

Published Jun 22, 2025 10:44 AM PHT

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