USM PALMA Produces 271 Graduates at 3rd Commencement Exercises
July 3, 2025
Manuel A. Lisondra made history as the fourth Summa Cum Laude of the University of Southern Mindanao, honored during its 79th Commencement Exercises. In a heartfelt graduation speech, he shared how taking a bus alone from Cotabato City to USM in Kabacan – what he calls his own quiet act of disobedience – changed his life. The story struck a chord with the audience and quickly spread on social media. To understand the weight of that moment, it’s important to know the parents who once tried to hold him back.
Manuel’s father, Manuel Primo Lisondra, graduated with a degree in Political Science and now works as a driver for a construction company. His mother, Annamie Lisondra, didn’t get to finish her Commerce degree, but she has always been the heart of their home. She juggles taking care of the family and running their modest sari-sari store.
In an emotional interview with the University Public Relations and Information Office, his parents held back tears as they looked back on the day he left home four years ago. While they’re still amazed at what he’s accomplished, the memory of letting go of their only son is something they carry with them. They shared that the bus ride marked the beginning of many changes for their family.
Their decision to keep him close came from love and fear. Manuel is their only son, the only boy among seven children. They knew he had potential, but they hoped he would study somewhere nearby, where they could look after him and see him every day. The fear of the pandemic only made things harder. It was the first time they would be apart, and the uncertainty was overwhelming. They argued about his decision to study far from home. His mother worried that he no longer listened to her the way he used to.
Before he left, Manuel had secured a scholarship from the Ministry of Science and Technology under BARMM. He assured his mother that he had thought things through and that there was no need to worry. Eventually, with a quiet prayer for his safety, she gave him her blessing.
His mother shared memories of his childhood. As a child, Manuel would often take apart his toys and put them back together in his own way. For her, those moments were the earliest signs of his problem-solving instincts. Neither she nor her husband excelled in mathematics, but from kindergarten, they had already seen glimpses of Manuel’s academic potential as early as kindergarten.
These days, Manuel rarely gets the chance to come home. His mother checks on him often, reminding him to take care of his health, especially when he gets too caught up in his studies. Even when he’s home, he usually sits quietly in a corner, still focused on his lessons. When she asks if he misses them, he says he does, but that he has to stay focused.
After secretly reading Manuel’s speech before the ceremony, his mother started to feel nervous, worried about what people might think of them and the choices they made. But when Manuel handed them flowers and pulled them into a warm embrace after the ceremony, they knew that he understood.
That quiet bus ride, taken after his parents reluctantly said yes, brought him to this moment. He stood in front of his fellow graduates, not just as a top student, but as a son who never forgot where he came from. Looking back, that small act of defiance wasn’t a rejection of their love, but was rooted in it. And as his parents held the flowers he gave them, they understood that saying yes, even when it was hard, helped their son grow into the person they always believed he could become.
