Antiqueña Senator Loren Legarda has urged graduates of the University of Antique (UA) to be agents of positive and transformative change.

“With the expertise and knowledge you gained, be ready agents of positive and transformative change not only for yourselves but for your communities, province, and nation,” the senator said during her message at the 73rd commencement exercises of the lone state university in the province in Sibalom, Antique, Wednesday afternoon.

The senator, conferred with the “Butlak Busalian Award,” the highest award by the university for an individual with distinct honor and imbibes the ideals of the university, said she was reminded of the importance of education to help shape a brighter, sustainable, and resilient future amidst the complexity of this modern age.

True success, she said, is not only measured by the income earned by an individual after graduation but also by their talents and capabilities to contribute to the welfare of their communities.

“Education is just the first step towards self-development and success,” she said.

Legarda said she authored the Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Education Act, to provide free higher education among the state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs), believing it is a step towards transforming lives.

The Tulong Dunong scholarship program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is also accessible to qualified and deserving Filipino students, she added.

Around 1,500 graduates from the Colleges of Teacher Education, Industrial Technology, Engineering and Architecture, and Computer received their diplomas during the ceremony. (PNA)