The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila has conferred the highest honorrary degree on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during its commencement exercises in Pasay City on Thursday morning.
Marcos was conferred a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa during the rites held at the Philippine International Convention Center.
“Today, I stand before you, humbled as the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila confers upon me the degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa —i ts highest honorary degree,” the President.
He added: “I receive this honor with gratitude, mindful of the responsibility that comes with it.”
He said the honorary degree affirmed a principle that he shares with the PLM: that education must remain a pathway to opportunity, a catalyst for progress, and a cornerstone of nation-building.
Marcos added that the PLM commencement exercise’s theme — “Mga Makabagong Pantas Taglay ang Karunungan Tungo sa Kadakilaan at Kaunlaran” — captures the purpose of education, which is to transform knowledge into wisdom, and wisdom into excellence, progress, and service.
“And that, more than any degree or title bestowed today, is the standard to which I hold myself,” he added.
He noted that his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, once taught at the PLM College of Law.
It was through this experience that his family “came to know firsthand the university’s commitment to shaping future generations of Filipino professionals.”
“I therefore accept this recognition with a renewed commitment to uphold the values that this university has long championed: Karunungan. Kaunlaran. Kadakilaan. Wisdom, Progress, and Greatness,” the President said.