IN THE usually long graduation rites, graduates, their parents and teachers are bound to listen to either of two graduation marches. One is a cut from Giuseppe Verdi’s triumphal march from the opera, “Aida,” and the other, Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance.”
Memories flood like photographs in the minds of the graduates as one of these two marches is played over and over again.
Many of the graduates are even moved to tears as they celebrate their respective triumphs and victories.
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The Talisay City College (TCC) held two graduation ceremonies, presumably with the same set of graduates but with different college heads.
One was held on March 26 under Ritchel Bacaltos, the TCC head recognized by the Board of Trustees, and the other, was held on March 31, under Paulus Cañete, Talisay City Mayor JVR de los Reyes’s appointee.
The papers failed to report which of the two marches was played in the different graduation rites, but the graduates would know by now that two graduations are better than one.
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It would take a long time to resolve the TCC leadership issue, especially if neither Bacaltos nor Cañete would budge.
TCC students could look forward to more dual graduations in the future.
It has been said the two heads are better than one. But if it would only cause confusion among the students, it would be better if there was none.
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The Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) alumni, dubbed by a police spokesman as “fried chickens,” are grumbling that Philippine Military Academy (PMA) graduates, the “PMAers” dubbed as “crispy patas” are lording over the national police.
They said the 325 remaining “PMAers” got all the top PNP posts while only a few of the 3,636 PNPA graduates got plum posts.
The PNPA alumni shouldn’t worry. There is a time and a season for fried chickens and crispy patas under the heavens.