“The Ignatian education calls for faith that does justice and for service to those at the margins. Though we come from different religious traditions, we are directed toward the same moral horizon: the pursuit of justice and the protection of human dignity.”
– Hon. Edilwasif T. Baddiri
Commencement Speaker
8th College of Law Commencement Exercises
The Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) Rosendo U. Castillo Jr. College of Law (RUCJ-COL) formally conferred Juris Doctor degrees upon 14 graduates during its 8th Commencement Exercises held on April 8, 2026, marking a milestone of academic completion and professional formation for the Class of 2026.
In her welcome address, RUCJ-COL Dean Atty. Ma. Corazon J. Montemor emphasized that success is a shared achievement, urging graduates to move forward with courage, discipline, and a deep sense of responsibility, and to uphold their calling as “lawyers for all” committed to justice and service: “Your success is not yours alone—it also belongs to every person who helped you on this journey. Go forward bravely. Study hard with discipline. Help each other. And when you take your oath as lawyers, may you truly become what you are called to be: Lawyers for all.”
Class Valedictorian, Mr. Ryan Khaizr T. Sakir, CPA, underscored the graduates’ duty to serve beyond themselves, calling on his fellow graduates to stand for those without privilege, give voice to the marginalized, and use the law not as a weapon, but as a means to restore and strengthen the fabric of society: “We are called to serve Pro Deo et Patria—for God and Country. This means standing in the gap for those who did not have the ‘privilege’ that we had. It means using our voices for the voiceless—for those who have been silenced by the very system we are now entering. In a world that often uses the law as a sword to strike, let us be the ones who use it as a needle to sew the fabric of our society back together.”
Sakir graduated Cum Laude, maintaining no grade lower than 80% from his first to fourth year and achieving an average of 88% per semester. He also received special academic distinctions for attaining the highest averages in Civil Law (92.94%), Taxation Law (90.50%), Commercial Law (91.69%), Criminal Law (90.54%), and Ethics Law (90.36%).
Honorable Mention distinctions were awarded to Class Salutatorian Leah Zsadel N. Ventolero and Shekinah Saniana Benitez-Dayao.
The Ateneo Center for Legal Service – Service Award for Legal Aid was conferred upon Ms. Mirshali C. Adil and Mr. Jethrobby R. Piedad in recognition of their dedicated voluntary service to marginalized communities alongside the demands of legal studies.
Commencement Speaker, Associate Justice Court of Appeals Associate Justice Hon. Edilwasif T. Baddiri highlighted the core of Ignatian education, underscoring the need for a faith that translates into justice and service for those at margins, affirming that across diverse religious traditions, a common commitment to upholding human dignity and pursuing justice prevails.
The ceremony concluded with a blessing from University President Fr. Ernald M. Andal, SJ, reminding the graduates that the true measure of legal education lies not in the degree conferred, but in how it is lived – through integrity, moral courage, and fidelity to justice, especially in moments of ethical difficulty.
