The university graduation occurred two years after the ouster of President Joseph Estrada in a second “people power” revolution. The Collegian‘s headline read: “No classes until Erap steps down.” We abandoned our classes and marched to EDSA Shrine.

Many of Estrada’s voters felt betrayed — not by his undeniable corruption, which later led to his conviction and a life sentence on plunder charges — but by the groups that ousted him and held him accountable for it. The 2001 Labor Day arrest of Estrada led to the violent EDSA Tres. (Arroyo pardoned him in 2007.)

Our 2003 graduation marked the early years of Gloria Arroyo’s nine-year presidency. She supported the US-led war in Iraq and enlisted the country in the “coalition of the willing.” We now know that the basis for that war — the weapons of mass destruction that allegedly threatened the world — did not exist. Nemenzo’s version reflected on this.

It was also the year before another presidential election in the Philippines. Arroyo had said she was not going to run for president; she lied.

We recited Nemenzo’s words and then, with arms raised high, sang the UP Hymn to end the ceremony.

I kept my copy of Nemenzo’s pledge and tucked it away in a purple folder with my diplomas and transcripts.

Francisco “Dodong” Nemenzo was president of the University of the Philippines from 1999 to 2005. He passed away on December 19, 2024. UP file photo.

Two years after my U.P. graduation, in 2005, the “Hello, Garci” election cheating scandal broke out. A wiretapped audio recording circulated of Arroyo calling the chairman of the Commission on Elections during the count in the 2004 presidential elections to ask for a guarantee that she’d win in the close race with the late Fernando Poe Jr. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) bravely released this audio clip at the time.

Protests erupted, and it would be a tumultuous year again.

Nemenzo, a vocal critic of Arroyo, would be accused of co-plotting an alleged rebellion on the basis of his meetings with officers of the military and the police.

I was already a young staff reporter at Newsbreak investigative magazine at the time. I interviewed Nemenzo in the aftermath of the “failed coup” for a special edition that my editors were putting together.

“I am being watched,” Nemenzo warned during the interview. We glanced at the young man with a crew cut and the posture of a plebe, seated alone at the next table.

Nemenzo had met with junior officers to discuss a “Blueprint for a Viable Philippines.”

“This I do not deny,” he said in a statement when the Justice Department began its probe a year later. “What is wrong with discussing with soldiers the problems of our country and the policy options available? They, too, are citizens who are worried about our country’s plunge to disaster.”

“We also discussed the Blueprint with colleagues in academe, with journalists, religious communities, mass organizations, and even with Makati business executives. This document is published and widely circulated. In fact, it is posted in the Internet and can be downloaded by anybody who cares about the future of this country,” Nemenzo said.

Nemenzo was never afraid — neither of the soldier trailing him nor of the rebellion charges he would face. He stood by his convictions.

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It is our patriotic duty to defend the area of freedom that people’s power had carved out in the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship. The best way to defend freedom is to exercise it.

Francisco Nemenzo

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“It is our patriotic duty to defend the area of freedom that people’s power had carved out in the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship. The best way to defend freedom is to exercise it. Responsible citizens cannot watch in silence as the minions of Mrs. Arroyo make a mockery of our democratic rights,” he said.

“Rebellion properly so called involves the use of arms. A peaceful demonstration, no matter how massive, does not constitute a rebellion. Wishing for a coup is not rebellion. But Mrs. Arroyo’s minions, by accusing us of what we have not done, provoke the angry multitude who may be less temperate to turn the fabricated scenario into a grim reality.”

Nemenzo passed away on December 19, 2024. I reached for my old folder, and read again the pledge that he wrote. His version, written 21 years ago, remains a guide we could follow today.

Carmela Fonbuena

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President Nemenzo’s version of the Pledge of Loyalty 2003

I solemnly pledge as graduate of the University of the Philippines that where I go and whatever I do I will always bring honor to my Alma Mater.

I will live to her values and ideals.

I will try to excel in whatever profession I pursue.

I will treasure the things that elevate the mind and strengthen the character.

I will remain a student for life, so I pace with the developments of knowledge and never become a deadwood.

I will retain the habit of critical thinking, so I will never be a blind follower of anyone.

I will promote gender equality and help destroy patriarchy.

I will always stand on the side of freedom against tyranny and the side of justice against oppression.

I will oppose war as an instrument of national policy, even if the reward of endorsing the coalition of the willing is to create overseas jobs for those who cannot employ at home.

I will contribute to the elimination of poverty but never use the poor as tools for a partisan cause.

I will protect the environment and preserve it for future generations.

I will never soil my hand with graft and corruption.

I will defend the sovereignty of our nation and not be fooled by the promise of globalization.

I hereby renew my commitment to serve the people.

Here’s are the Filipino and Cebuano versions of the Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Unibersidad:

Filipino version:
Tapat akong sumusumpa,
bilang isang nakapagtapos
sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas,
na sisikapin kong maging karapatdapat
sa karangalan at pamantayan
at kahusayan ng aking unibersidad,
na isasaloob ang mga bagay na mag-aangat
ng aking kaisipan at pagkatao,
at mamalaging nasa panig ng batas, kalayaan
at katarungan
alang-alang lahat sa paglilingkod
sa bayan at sangkatauhan.

Cebuano version:
Hugot akong nanumpa
isip usa sa mga nakalampus sa Unibersidad sa Pilipinas,
nga maningkamut aron mahimong angayan
sa kadungganan ug sa lagda
sa katakus sa akong Unibersidad;
ug nga akong ikulit sa akong alimpatakan ang mga butang
nga makapa-uswag sa akong pangisip ug pagkatawo;
ug sa kanunay mobarug ako dapig sa balaod,
sa kagawasan, ug sa hustisya;
alang kining tanan sa pag-alagad
sa yutang natawhan.

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