First let me congratulate the graduates of the Ateneo de Davao University College of Law and Graduate Schools.. I know that it was a lot of hard work to get your degrees. I went to law school myself and to graduate school for a number of degrees (two of which I finished and one, my philosophy masters, well, I will forever be an MA Philosophy Cand.) For many of you, it must feel good to take away that purgatory-like designation – Cand.

To the PhD graduates – there are 16 of you today – I specially congratulate you. Mine from Yale was easy as a JSD does not require course work and it took me only 3 years to finish that law doctorate. But my wife, who is on the final stretch of her dissertation work for a Pastoral Counseling doctorate from Loyola University in Baltimore, is now on her 12th year of being an MS/PhD student. I know what it took for you to get here. I congratulate you for your discipline and your commitment.