Beyond diplomas: Why UP students hold lightning rallies at graduation

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A brief confrontation between student leaders and security personnel during the University of the Philippines Visayas’ (UPV) 47th Commencement Exercises has renewed public attention on one of the University of the Philippines (UP) System’s longest-running graduation traditions — the lightning rally.

The incident, first reported by UPV’s official student publication, Pagbutlak, showed UPV University Student Council Chairperson Aljo Benedicto being briefly stopped by security personnel before leading the annual demonstration. After a short confrontation, the rally proceeded without further interruption.

The incident quickly sparked debate online. Some questioned whether protests belong in graduation ceremonies. Others defended the practice as a long-standing part of UP’s activist tradition.

For many within the UP community, however, lightning rallies are not disruptions. They are part of what it means to graduate as an “Iskolar ng Bayan.”

READ: LOOK: Thousands of UP students hold Black Friday protest

More than a graduation ritual

UP Cebu University Student Council Chairperson TJ Rapisora said lightning rallies symbolize that education goes beyond classrooms and textbooks.

He said students also learn from communities and from the realities ordinary Filipinos face every day.

“The completion of a UP education does not mean the end of one’s responsibility as an Iskolar ng Bayan,” Rapisora told CDN Digital in Cebuano.

Instead, he said, graduation marks “a deeper commitment to serving the people.”

Rapisora pointed out that every graduating class faces a different political, economic, and social landscape. As long as these issues persist, he said, students will continue using commencement ceremonies to express solidarity with different sectors.

He added that lightning rallies also celebrate collective victories won through years of student organizing, campaigns, and advocacy. They recognize not only personal achievements but also collective struggles.

Lightning rallies: Rooted in activism

According to former UP Cebu USC chairperson Grover Perez, lightning rallies have become a graduation tradition because of the university’s long history of activism.

“While commencement marks the culmination of years of academic work, the lightning rally reminds graduates that their education also carries a social responsibility,” Perez said.

He said the demonstrations encourage graduates to connect their personal success with broader realities, including poverty, inequality, injustice, and the struggles of marginalized communities.

Perez said the tradition’s core message has remained the same through the years.

“The core purpose has always been to encourage students to use their education in the service of the people,” he said.

The issues highlighted during each graduation may change, he added. However, the message remains consistent: graduates should stay socially aware and continue serving communities after leaving the university.

READ: FACES OF CEBU: Athena Antepuesto, UP Cebu valedictorian, serves communities

Why graduation?

Unlike demonstrations held during the academic year, lightning rallies take place during commencement because they reach students at a defining moment in their lives.

Perez said graduation celebrates years of hard work and personal achievement.

At the same time, lightning rallies remind graduates that many Filipinos continue to face poverty, injustice, and inequality.

“They seek to encourage graduates to look beyond individual success and to consider how their education can contribute to addressing broader social issues,” he said.

For many participants, the rally reinforces the long-standing UP ideal of serving the Filipino people after graduation.

UP Cebu to continue the lightning rally tradition

Rapisora confirmed that UP Cebu graduates will also hold a lightning rally during the university’s commencement exercises on July 14, 2026.

He said this year’s rally will honor “revolutionary martyrs” whom student activists regard as examples of the “true Iskolar ng Bayan.”

Student leaders also plan to raise issues affecting education. These include what they describe as the commercialization of education and inadequate funding for research facilities, laboratories, and student services.

The rally will also tackle broader national issues. Organizers intend to call for government accountability and raise concerns about corruption and human rights.

Why the tradition endures

To outsiders, lightning rallies may seem unusual during a graduation ceremony.

Within the UP System, however, student leaders see them as a reminder that education carries responsibilities beyond personal success.

Rapisora described UP as “a bastion of activism.” He said the university trains students not only to excel academically but also to understand the realities faced by ordinary Filipinos.

He added that lightning rallies show graduates have learned not only from lectures and textbooks but also from the communities they served and studied.

As the debate over the tradition continues online, current and former student leaders share the same view. For them, a UP diploma represents more than academic achievement. It also marks the beginning of a lifelong commitment to public service and social responsibility.